This week

One slow drain. A branch line clog, and often a plunger job.

One drain means the blockage is local. It will not flood the house unless you keep running water into it.

What is probably happening

• Hair and soap in a tub or bathroom sink. Grease and food in a kitchen sink.
• The clog is in the trap under the fixture or the branch pipe just past it.
• If a second fixture nearby is also slow, the clog is further down the branch. If every drain is slow, that is the main line, a different answer.

Do this in the next five minutes

1. Pull the stopper and clear hair from the drain opening.
2. Plunge with a cup plunger. Block the overflow hole on a tub or sink with a wet rag first.
3. Try a plastic drain strip or a hand snake through the trap.
4. Kitchen sink: run hot water and dish soap for a few minutes after clearing to move grease along.
5. If it does not clear, stop and call. Do not keep adding water.

Do not

• Do not pour chemical drain cleaner. It damages pipes and the plumber has to work in it if it fails.
• Do not pay an emergency rate. One slow drain waits for business hours.
• Do not accept a main line jetting quote for one slow sink.

Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out

Tap each one as you ask it.

• Is this a flat price per drain, and does it include the trip fee?
• Will you snake through the cleanout or the fixture, and will you remove and clean the trap?
• What did you pull out, and is there anything about the pipe I should know?
• What is the warranty if it clogs again in 30 days?

End the call if

• A camera inspection and hydro jet sold for a single slow sink.
• A repipe recommendation with no evidence.
• An emergency premium on a weekday afternoon.

Where this comes from

• Angi, drain cleaning cost, updated August 2026