Serving Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties Open 24/7, nights, weekends and holidays Drain cleaning and plumbing · (518) 776-7838
Fullerton technician clearing a clogged drain in a Philadelphia home
Drain cleaning company, open 24/7

Drain Cleaning in Philadelphia

Fullerton Plumbing and Drain Cleaning clears clogged sinks, tubs, toilets, floor drains, house traps and main sewer lines across Philadelphia and the suburbs, day or night, with an upfront quote before any work starts.

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Fully Insured7 years in business
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Quick answer: Professional drain cleaning includes finding where the blockage is, clearing it with the right tool, and confirming the line flows freely. We start by testing fixtures to tell a single clog from a main line problem, give you an upfront quote, then clear the line with an auger, cable machine or hydro jetter. For repeat clogs we offer a camera inspection with live view. We clean up before we leave.

Drain cleaning is the work of removing whatever is blocking a drain pipe so water and waste flow freely again. Sometimes that is a hair clog six inches below a tub. Sometimes it is a wad of wipes caught in a rowhome house trap, or street tree roots packed into a terra cotta lateral forty feet out under the sidewalk. The right fix depends on where the blockage sits and what it is made of, and that is exactly what our technicians figure out first. Fullerton Plumbing and Drain Cleaning is a drain cleaning company that carries drain machines, hydro jetters and sewer cameras on every truck, so we can diagnose and clear the line on the same visit.

Philadelphia drains have their own personality. Most of the city's housing is brick rowhomes and twins built between the late 1800s and the 1950s, and a lot of that original plumbing is still in service: cast iron stacks inside, clay or cast iron laterals outside, and a U shaped house trap on the main drain near the front basement wall. Those parts work, but they age. Cast iron scales up on the inside and narrows the pipe. Clay joints shift and let roots in. House traps collect grease, paper and debris until the whole house backs up into the basement floor drain.

When you search for drain cleaning near me, you want someone who shows up, finds the actual cause and fixes it without guesswork. That is how we work. We ask what is happening, test the fixtures, and choose the right tool: a hand auger for a single fixture, a sectional or drum machine for a main line, or a hydro jetter for grease, sludge and roots. When the line has a history of trouble, we run a sewer camera and show you the live view so you can see the pipe for yourself. You get an upfront quote before any work starts, and we clean up when the job is done.

We are fully insured, 7 years in business, and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including nights, weekends and holidays. We serve Philadelphia neighborhoods from South Philly and Fishtown to Mayfair, Germantown and Manayunk, plus Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties. Residential or commercial, one slow drain or a full sewer backup, our drain cleaning service is built around getting your water moving and giving you a straight answer about the condition of your pipes. When something is clogged, call (518) 776-7838 and we will dispatch the nearest available technician.

Fullerton drain cleaning machine with cable running into a backed up basement floor drain
All drain services

Drain Cleaning Services in Philadelphia

Pick the problem you are dealing with, or call and describe it. We answer 24/7.

What we clear

Drain Problems We Fix Every Day

Fixture Clogs

Kitchen sinks fill with grease and food scraps, bathroom sinks with toothpaste and hair, tubs and showers with hair and soap scum, toilets with paper and wipes. These clogs usually sit within a few feet of the fixture and clear with a hand auger, but repeat clogs can point to a problem deeper in the branch line.

Main Sewer Line Clogs

When several fixtures back up at once, the blockage is usually in the main line. In Philadelphia that often means the house trap near the front basement wall or the lateral running under the sidewalk to the city sewer. We clear it through a cleanout or the trap with a cable machine or hydro jetter.

Tree Root Intrusion

Street trees and backyard trees send roots into the joints of old terra cotta and cast iron laterals. Roots grow into a net that catches paper and waste until the line stops. We cut roots with a cable machine or jetter and use a camera to show how much of the pipe is affected.

Grease and Sludge Buildup

Cooking grease cools and hardens inside pipes, layering up until the opening is a fraction of its size. It is the top cause of kitchen line clogs in homes and restaurants. Snaking pokes a hole through it; hydro jetting scours the pipe wall clean so the problem does not come right back.

Floor Drain and House Trap Backups

Basement floor drains, laundry standpipes and rowhome house traps sit at the lowest point of the system, so they are where trouble shows up first. Lint, debris and a dried out trap cause smells and slow drainage. Water rising from a floor drain usually means the main line is blocked further downstream.

Old Pipe and Scale Problems

Cast iron rusts and scales on the inside, Orangeburg pipe deforms, and clay sections can crack or sag into bellies that hold water and waste. Cleaning restores flow, and a camera inspection shows whether the pipe can keep going or needs repair. We tell you what we see, not what sells.

Know the warning signs

Signs You Need Drain Cleaning

  • Water drains slowly from sinks, tubs or showers even after you have tried a plunger.
  • More than one fixture is clogged at the same time, especially on the lowest floor.
  • Water or sewage comes up through the basement floor drain when you run the washer or flush.
  • Toilets gurgle or bubble when a nearby sink or tub drains.
  • You smell sewer gas in the basement or near the front wall where the house trap sits.
  • The same drain clogs again within weeks of the last time you cleared it.
What is included

What Our Drain Cleaning Service Covers

  • Diagnosis of which fixtures and lines are affected before any work starts
  • Upfront quote with the recommended method explained in plain language
  • Clearing of sink, tub, shower, toilet, floor drain, house trap and main line clogs
  • Hydro jetting for grease, sludge, scale and root intrusion when needed
  • Sewer camera inspection with live view for recurring or main line problems
  • Flow testing at the fixtures and full clean up of the work area
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How it works

Our Drain Cleaning Process

Listen and Inspect

We ask what you have noticed, which fixtures are affected and when it started. Then we run water at several fixtures to tell a single fixture clog from a main line problem. That one step tells us whether the blockage is in a branch line, the house trap, or the lateral out to the street.

Upfront Quote

Before any machine comes off the truck, you get a clear upfront quote for the work we recommend. We explain what we think is causing the clog and why we chose that method. You decide whether to go ahead. No work starts until you have approved the quote.

Clear the Line

We use the right tool for the clog: a hand auger for a sink or tub, a sectional or drum machine through a cleanout or the house trap for main lines, or a hydro jetter for grease, sludge, scale and roots. We run the line until water flows at full volume.

Verify and Clean Up

We flush the line and test the fixtures to confirm the drain runs freely. If the line has a history of trouble, we offer a sewer camera inspection with live view so you see the pipe yourself. We clean up the work area and leave you with advice to prevent a repeat.

Philadelphia drains

Why Drain Cleaning in Philadelphia Is Different

Philadelphia is a rowhome city, and rowhome drains follow a pattern. In many older homes the main drain runs along the basement floor to the front wall, passes through a house trap, and exits under the sidewalk as a terra cotta or cast iron lateral that connects to the city main. The house trap is a common clog point because it is a U shaped bend that holds water by design, so debris settles there. A missing or loose cleanout plug on the trap can also let sewer gas into the basement. Knowing that layout lets us go straight to the likely problem instead of guessing. And because the property owner is generally responsible for the lateral from the house out to the city main, a clear diagnosis matters for your wallet.

Much of older Philadelphia is also served by a combined sewer system, where stormwater and sewage share the same pipes run by the Philadelphia Water Department. During heavy summer downpours and spring storms, that system can push water back toward the lowest drains in a basement. A partially clogged lateral makes it worse. Add mature street trees whose roots find clay joints, and you get the classic Philadelphia call: water in the basement after a storm, or a toilet that will not flush on a Sunday morning. We see these patterns in South Philly, the Northeast and the suburbs alike, and we plan the fix around them.

Pricing

What Affects the Cost of Drain Cleaning

The cost of drain cleaning depends on where the clog is, what is causing it and how we have to reach it. A single fixture clog cleared with a hand auger is a smaller job than a main line cleared through a house trap or roof vent. Tree roots, hardened grease and scale may call for hydro jetting instead of a cable machine. Access matters too: a missing cleanout, a finished basement or a buried trap adds time. A camera inspection is an added step when the line has a history. You get an upfront quote before any work starts.

Call (518) 776-7838 for an upfront quote. We answer 24/7 and explain the price before any work starts.

Drain Cleaning Cost in Philadelphia
Prevention

How to Keep It From Coming Back

  • Never pour cooking grease down the kitchen sink; let it cool and throw it in the trash.
  • Flush only toilet paper, and keep wipes, even ones labeled flushable, out of the toilet.
  • Put hair catchers on tub and shower drains and empty them every week.
  • Keep a lint trap on the washing machine discharge hose if it drains to a laundry sink or floor drain.
  • Run water into seldom used basement floor drains every month so the trap does not dry out and let sewer gas in.
Real photos from our jobs

Recent Drain and Sewer Jobs

No stock photos here. These are our own technicians, our own equipment and real repairs.

Fullerton drain cleaning machine with cable running into a backed up basement floor drain
Drain machine clearing a backed up basement floor drain
Fullerton plumber in work gloves feeding a drain cleaning cable into a floor drain
Feeding a drain cable by hand to clear a floor drain
Two wall mounted tankless water heaters installed by Fullerton with new copper water piping
Dual tankless water heater installation with new copper piping
Two new tank water heaters side by side in a commercial mechanical room installed by Fullerton
Twin tank water heaters installed for a commercial building
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Local service

Drain Cleaning Near You

We provide drain cleaning across Philadelphia and Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties.

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FAQ

Drain Cleaning Questions, Answered

Professional drain cleaning includes finding where the blockage is, clearing it with the right tool, and confirming the line flows freely. We start by testing fixtures to tell a single clog from a main line problem, give you an upfront quote, then clear the line with an auger, cable machine or hydro jetter. For repeat clogs we offer a camera inspection with live view. We clean up before we leave.

If only one fixture is slow, the clog is almost always in that fixture's branch line. If several fixtures back up together, or water rises from the basement floor drain when you flush or run the washer, the blockage is likely in the main line, house trap or lateral. In Philadelphia rowhomes the house trap near the front wall is a frequent culprit.

Snaking is best for clearing a blockage quickly, like a hair clog, a toilet clog or a wad of paper in the main line. Hydro jetting is better when the pipe walls are coated with grease, sludge or scale, or when roots keep returning, because high pressure water scours the whole pipe. We recommend the method based on what we find and explain why.

In Philadelphia the property owner is generally responsible for the sewer lateral, the pipe that runs from the house out to the city main under the street. The Philadelphia Water Department handles the city sewer main itself. That means a clog in your lateral, even under the sidewalk, is usually yours to clear. A camera inspection helps show where the problem actually is.

Much of older Philadelphia uses a combined sewer system that carries both stormwater and sewage. In heavy rain the system fills and can push water back toward the lowest drains, often the basement floor drain. A partially clogged lateral or house trap makes backups worse. Cleaning the line restores capacity, and a backwater valve can help keep city water from coming back in.

Yes. Old cast iron and terra cotta pipes are what most Philadelphia homes have, and we clean them every day. We match the cutter size and water pressure to the pipe material and condition so we clear the clog without damaging fragile sections. If the camera shows cracks, offset joints or heavy scale, we tell you before deciding on further work.

Yes. Fullerton Plumbing and Drain Cleaning is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including nights, weekends and holidays. When a toilet will not flush or the basement drain is backing up at midnight, call (518) 776-7838 and we will dispatch the nearest available technician with a drain machine, jetter and camera on the truck.

We recommend against it. Chemical drain cleaners rarely clear a real blockage, they can sit in the pipe and attack old cast iron and fittings, and they create a hazard for anyone who has to open the line afterward. A plunger is fine for a simple clog. If that does not work, call a drain cleaning service and tell us what you poured in.

Most homes only need main line cleaning when there is a problem. Homes with street trees over clay laterals, a history of house trap clogs, or heavy kitchen use often benefit from scheduled cleaning every one to two years. A camera inspection shows how fast roots or grease are coming back, which tells us a sensible interval for your house.

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