Drain Cleaning Service in San Francisco, Palo Alto & San Mateo
JK Plumbing clears clogged drains, slow drains, and backed-up sewer lines across San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and the SF Peninsula. Same-day service Monday through Saturday — most calls scheduled within 2 hours. Snaking, hydro jetting, camera diagnosis, written quote before any work starts, flat-rate pricing on standard clears. Licensed master plumbers since 2007. CA License #1080266.
By Alik, Owner & Master Plumber · Last updated June 2026
Rated 5 stars on Google · 19+ Years in Business
A licensed plumber answers, not a call center.
Signs You Need a Drain Cleaning Service
Some clogs you can plunge. These you can’t:
- One drain that’s been slow for weeks. A drain that takes longer and longer to empty isn’t going to fix itself. It’s narrowing from buildup — hair, soap scum, grease, or scale — and waiting until it stops completely just means doing it at the worst possible time.
- Gurgling sounds when water drains. Air being pulled past a partial blockage. The clog is downstream of the fixture, often in the branch line or the main.
- Bad smells coming up from drains. Organic buildup (food, hair, soap, grease) decomposing in the line. A snake clears the matter; a hydro jet scours the pipe walls so the smell doesn’t come back in two weeks.
- Water backing up in unexpected places. Run the washing machine and the shower fills with water. Flush the toilet and the tub gurgles. That’s a main line problem, not a fixture problem — and chemical drain cleaner won’t touch it.
- Standing water in the shower or tub. If water pools above your ankles during a 5-minute shower, you have a partial blockage in the trap, branch line, or vent stack.
- Repeat clogs in the same drain. If you’ve snaked the same drain three times in six months, the clog isn’t the problem — the pipe is. Either there’s scale narrowing the line, roots intruding, or a section that needs lining or replacement. A camera tells you which.
- Toilet backs up when you run the dishwasher or laundry. Almost always a main sewer line issue, not a toilet issue. The drain cleaning service needs to be on the main line, not the fixture.
If you’re seeing one of these, call (415) 359-4588. We’ll ask enough over the phone to tell you whether this is a tonight problem or a this-week problem before we send a truck.
Our Drain Cleaning Services
From a slow bathroom sink to a backed-up main line, here’s everything we handle. Click any service below for full details and how it works.
Kitchen Drain Cleaning
Grease, food particles, and soap residue build up where the kitchen drain leaves the cabinet and turns horizontal — that's where 90% of kitchen clogs live. We clear the line, check the disposal connection, and tell you if the buildup pattern points to a branch-line issue rather than a sink-trap issue.
Bathroom & Shower Drain Cleaning
Hair, soap scum, and toothpaste glue together in bathroom drains. We clear sink, tub, and shower drains, and inspect the vent stack when multiple bathroom drains are slow at once (which usually points to a vent problem, not a clog).
Main Sewer Line Cleaning
When multiple drains are slow at the same time, the clog is in the main line, not the fixtures. We snake or jet the line from the cleanout to the city tap and run a camera afterward to confirm the line is clear and the pipe itself is sound. If the camera shows structural damage, we tell you — and we tell you whether it actually needs repair or can wait.
Drain Snaking & Cabling
Mechanical clearing with a power auger or drum cable. The right tool for most residential clogs — hair, soap, food, paper. Fast, no water pressure required, and the standard first attempt before stepping up to hydro jetting.
Hydro Jet Drain Cleaning
High-pressure water jetting (up to 4,000 PSI) for grease, scale, and root intrusion that a snake can't fully remove. Restaurant kitchen lines, older homes with cast-iron drains, and any line where the snake clears the immediate blockage but the problem keeps coming back.
Drain Camera Inspection
When a drain has been cleared but keeps clogging, the camera tells you why. We push a video camera down the line, record the full run, and show you what's actually happening inside the pipe. You keep the footage.
How a Drain Cleaning Service Call Works
You call, a real plumber answers
Call (415) 359-4588. A licensed plumber asks which fixtures are affected, how long it’s been going on, and whether anything is currently overflowing. Most calls get a 2-hour arrival window for same-day service.
On-site diagnosis, written quote
We arrive with a text when we’re on the way. We confirm the affected line, identify whether it’s a fixture, branch, or main-line issue, and write the price down before any work starts. Most standard drain clears are flat-rate — you know the number before we open a cabinet.
Clear the line, confirm it's clear, leave the work area clean.
We clear the line, run water to confirm full flow has returned, and clean up the work area. If the line keeps clogging despite a successful clear, the next step is camera inspection — we’ll quote that separately so you can decide whether to escalate.
Popular Plumbing Brands We Sell and Service
How Our Drain Cleaning Service Pricing Works
Most homeowners want a number before they call — and for standard drain cleaning, we can usually give you one. But there’s a reason we ask questions first instead of quoting a flat “$X drain cleaning” across the board: a hair clog in a bathroom sink is a different job than a grease clog in a main line that needs hydro jetting. Here’s how we actually price the work.
Phone qualification first. We ask which fixture, how many drains are affected, how long it’s been slow, and whether there’s a visible cleanout. From that, a licensed plumber can usually quote a range over the phone.
Flat-rate on standard clears. For most single-fixture clogs — bathroom sink, kitchen sink, shower, tub — we quote a flat rate before we arrive. You know the price. We don’t bill hourly while we work.
Written quote before stepping up to hydro jet or camera. If the snake doesn’t fully clear the line, or the line clears but the pattern suggests it’ll come back, we stop and quote the next step in writing before doing it.
Three things drive the price on any drain cleaning job:
- Where the clog is — a sink trap is one number; a main line clog with a 60-foot cable run is another
- What method clears it — mechanical snaking is the standard; hydro jetting costs more but it’s what some lines actually need
- Access — a clear cleanout outside the house is the easy job; pulling a toilet to access the line, or running cable through a roof vent, is more work
What you won’t pay for:
- A “diagnostic fee” that mysteriously converts to a deposit you can’t get back
- Hourly clocks running during a standard clear
- A hydro jet upsell when a snake would have done it
If you want a number before we visit, call (415) 359-4588. Describe which drains are slow and how long, and a licensed plumber can give you a range — no obligation.
Drain Cleaning Service Across the Peninsula
We dispatch from Burlingame and run same-day drain cleaning calls across:
Primary service area: San Francisco · Palo Alto · San Mateo · Burlingame · Millbrae · Hillsborough · San Bruno · Belmont · San Carlos · Foster City · Redwood City · Daly City
Extended service area: Berkeley · Oakland · Fremont · San Jose
Looking for drain cleaning service near you? See our city-specific pages: Palo Alto · San Mateo · Redwood City · Daly City (and all 17 service areas).
Lateral Sewer Line Replacement FAQ
How much does professional drain cleaning cost?
For a standard single-fixture clog cleared with a snake — bathroom sink, kitchen sink, shower, tub — we quote a flat rate over the phone before we arrive. Main line cleaning runs higher because it requires a longer cable run, a cleanout, and often a camera afterward to confirm the line is clear. Hydro jet drain cleaning is priced separately because it requires different equipment. Call (415) 359-4588 with the affected fixture and how long it’s been slow and we’ll give you a range
What's the difference between drain snaking and hydro jetting?
A snake (also called a cable or auger) is a mechanical tool that bores through a clog and pulls debris back out. It’s the standard first method and handles most residential clogs. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water (1,500–4,000 PSI) to blast through grease and scale and scour the pipe walls clean. Snaking clears the blockage; hydro jetting cleans the pipe. For a single hair clog, snake. For grease, recurring clogs, or root intrusion, hydro jet.
Why does my drain keep clogging in the same spot?
Repeat clogs in the same drain mean the pipe itself has narrowed — usually from scale, grease, or root intrusion — and a snake is just punching a hole through the buildup rather than removing it. The line clears for a few weeks, then closes back up. The fix is either a hydro jet to scour the walls, or a camera inspection to confirm whether the pipe has structural damage that needs lining or repair.
Can I just use Drano or another chemical drain cleaner?
Chemical drain cleaners are caustic enough to damage older pipes (especially cast iron and galvanized steel, both common in Bay Area homes built before 1980), and they don’t actually remove the underlying buildup — they just etch a path through it. If the chemical doesn’t fully clear the clog, it sits in standing water above the blockage, and we have to deal with hot caustic liquid when we open the line. Skip it. A snake is faster, safer, and actually removes the material.
How often should I have my drains professionally cleaned?
For most homes, every 18–24 months on the main line is enough. Restaurant and commercial kitchens should hydro jet quarterly because of grease load. Homes with mature trees over the lateral path benefit from annual main line cleaning to catch root intrusion before it causes a backup.
Do you offer same-day or emergency drain cleaning?
Yes — Monday through Saturday, 24 hours. We’re closed Sundays for non-emergency work. Most same-day calls get a 2-hour arrival window. For active backups (water on the floor, sewage coming up through a drain), we prioritize the dispatch. Call (415) 359-4588.
Do you handle sewer cleaning near me — main line and outside cleanouts?
Yes. Main sewer line cleaning is one of our most common calls, especially in older San Francisco and Peninsula neighborhoods where cast-iron drains have scaled down internally over 50+ years. We work from the outside cleanout when there is one, and from the roof vent or by pulling a toilet when there isn’t.
Do you do commercial and restaurant drain cleaning?
Yes. Restaurant kitchen grease lines, multi-tenant building risers, and commercial floor drains. Restaurant lines almost always need hydro jetting on a recurring schedule because cooking grease re-coats the pipe walls within weeks of a snake-only clear. We schedule recurring service for restaurants and bars so the line doesn’t back up during service hours.
What's the difference between "drain cleaning" and "sewer repair near me"?
Drain cleaning restores flow to a pipe that’s still structurally sound. Sewer repair fixes a pipe that’s cracked, collapsed, or separated at the joints. A lot of homeowners search “sewer repair near me” when they actually need drain cleaning — the symptoms look similar. The camera tells us which it is. If your pipe needs repair rather than cleaning, see our lateral sewer line replacement page.
Do you guarantee the line will stay clear?
We guarantee the line is clear when we leave — we run water through it and confirm full flow. We don’t guarantee it stays clear, because what happens next depends on what’s going down the drain. If a line we cleared backs up again within 30 days due to a clog in the same spot, we come back at no charge to confirm whether it’s the same blockage (covered) or a new one (new call).
What People says about JK Plumbing
Drain Backed Up? Sink Won't Empty? Call Now.
Same-day drain cleaning across San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and the Peninsula, Monday through Saturday. Licensed master plumbers, flat-rate pricing on standard clears, written quote before any work starts.