Owner-operated drain & sewer service in Ballard, Seattle

Clogged Toilet, Shower & Tub Drains in Seattle

A toilet that will not flush, a shower that leaves you standing in water, a tub that takes an hour to empty. We clear the bathroom line, not just the trap, show you what was in it and tell you how to keep it from coming back.

Owner answers 8 AM to 8 PM, seven days · Book online 24/7

Toilet pulled off its flange with flushable wipes and debris removed from the drain on the bathroom floor
Field photo · Toilet pulled, wipes out of the line

The short answer

A clogged toilet is usually wipes or too much paper in the trapway; a slow shower or tub is usually hair and soap in the trap and branch. We clear the fixture’s whole branch line, flow-test it and show you the cause. Bathroom drain cleaning in Seattle: $200–$600 flat, no trip fee.

$200–$600

Toilet, shower, tub or sink

Whole branch

Not just the trap

$0 trip fee

Same rate evenings & weekends

What bathroom drain cleaning includes, and what it costs

One flat price per drain, for the fixture and the branch line behind it.

We clear the fixture with the right tool, a toilet auger or a small drum machine, run the cable through the branch to where it joins the main drain, then flow-test so you see it drain at full speed.

If the toilet backs up when the tub drains, or two bathrooms slow together, the clog is past the bathroom in the shared drain. That is main drain cleaning, and we will say so on the phone. For one stopped drain anywhere in the house, see clogged drain service.

Our flat price

$200–$600

flat per drain

Flat price, approved before work starts. No trip fee, no after-hours rate.

Clears
Toilets, showers, tubs and bathroom sinks
Tools
Toilet auger, small drum machine, camera on request
You see
What came out, and what caused it
Hours
Phones 8 AM to 8 PM daily; online booking any hour

Not our workLeak repairs, new fixtures or valves

WA contractor #DRAINDA756MA · Owner-operated from Ballard

Four bathroom drains, four different clogs

Each fixture fails in its own way. The fix follows the fixture.

Before you call: what is safe to try

A few things fix a simple clog without risk. Past them, you are more likely to make the job bigger.

Safe to try first

  1. Stop using the fixture

    If the toilet is rising, do not flush again. One more flush is how a clog becomes a flood.

  2. Plunge the right way

    A flange plunger for the toilet, a flat cup for a tub or sink. Cover the tub or sink overflow so the pressure goes down, not up.

  3. Pull what you can reach

    Lift the stopper or the shower strainer and clear the hair you can see. Most shower clogs start within a few inches of the drain.

  4. Skip the chemicals

    Caustic cleaners can damage older pipes, and if the drain stays clogged they sit in the trap for whoever opens it next.

What goes in a toilet, and what does not

Most toilet clogs we clear are something that should have gone in the trash. King County’s rule is simple.

Goes in the toilet

  • Toilet paper
  • What your body makes
  • Nothing else

That’s the whole list.

Goes in the trash

  • Wipes, even “flushable” ones
  • Tissues and paper towels
  • Tampons, pads and other hygiene products
  • Medications
  • Grease and cooking oil
  • Household chemicals and paint
  • Anything that will not break down like toilet paper

King County: by only flushing toilet paper, you protect your home, the sewer system and the environment. King County: Don’t flush trash

Why bathroom drains clog in Seattle homes

Small pipes, lots of hair, and a habit of flushing things that do not dissolve.

Black cat inspecting the brass P-trap under a bathroom vanity during a drain call, cordless drill on the tile
Field photo · Under the vanity, with supervision.

The rule

Only toilet paper goes down the toilet, per King County

  1. Wipes do not break down

    King County says wipes and other trash can build up in the sewer system and cause overflows that might damage property, even when the label says flushable.

    King County, Don’t Flush Trash
  2. Only toilet paper

    Seattle Public Utilities’ side sewer guidance is short: flush only toilet paper and properly dispose of grease.

    SPU, Side Sewer Maintenance
  3. Caustic cleaners and old pipe

    An N.C. Cooperative Extension urban forester notes that highly caustic drain cleaners can damage older sewer pipes.

    N.C. Cooperative Extension

Read the symptom, find the line

Whether it is one fixture or several tells us whether it is a bathroom job or a main drain job, and how fast to move.

How soon

Book when convenient

Book this week

Call today

  • Toilet rises, nothing else is affected

    Likely cause

    In the toilet trapway

    What we do

    Toilet auger, flow-test

    Book this week

    $200–$600

  • Toilet clogs again within weeks

    Likely cause

    Past the toilet, in the branch

    What we do

    Pull the toilet, cable the line below

    Book this week

    $200–$600

  • Shower or tub drains slowly

    Likely cause

    Hair and soap in the trap or branch

    What we do

    Clear the trap, cable the branch

    Book when convenient

    $200–$600

  • Tub gurgles when the toilet flushes

    Likely cause

    Shared bathroom branch or building drain

    What we do

    Cable from the closest access

    Call today

    Main drain

  • Water comes up in a basement shower or floor drain

    Likely cause

    The building drain or side sewer

    What we do

    Clear from the cleanout, camera

    Call today

    Main line

Flat Seattle prices for standard service, no trip fee, same rate evenings and weekends.

Plunger, auger or cable?

A plunger moves water. An auger and a cable move the clog. Here is where each one stops.

Compare Plunger, at home Our visitAuger or drum machine, our visit
Reaches Plunger, at homeThe trap, a few inches in Auger or drum machine, our visitThe trapway, the branch and the stack it joins
Clears Plunger, at homeSoft paper clogs near the fixture Auger or drum machine, our visitWipes, hair mats, objects, buildup past the trap
Toilet porcelain Plunger, at homeSafe Auger or drum machine, our visitSafe; a toilet auger sleeve protects the bowl
If it comes back Plunger, at homeSame clog, further down Auger or drum machine, our visitWe see what came out and tell you why
Cost Plunger, at homeFree Auger or drum machine, our visit$200–$600 flat, no trip fee

A plunger that works twice a month is not working. Something is building in the branch behind that fixture, and the fix is to clear the branch, not to plunge harder.

The Drain Authority, Ballard

What comes out of bathroom drains

We show you what was in the line. The first two are from our own calls.

The right tool for the fixture

A toilet auger protects the porcelain; a small drum machine fits a shower or tub branch.

The whole branch, not just the trap

Clearing only the first foot is why a drain is slow again a month later.

Proof before we leave

Every fixture we touched is run until it drains at full speed.

Hair and sludge clog pulled out of a bathroom sink drain on a drain cable
Hair and sludge off the cable
Black debris flushed into a basin while a bathroom drain was cleared
What the line held, flushed out
Plunger standing on the floor beside a toilet
The first tool, used the right way
Close view of a chrome bathtub drain strainer
A tub strainer, where hair collects

How much does it cost to unclog a toilet or shower in Seattle?

One flat price per bathroom drain, for the fixture and the branch behind it.

Our flat price

$200–$600

Per drain: toilet, shower, tub or sink

  • Toilet auger or drum machine
  • Branch cabled to the main drain
  • Flow test before we leave
  • Same price evenings and weekends

Unclogging a toilet, shower, tub or bathroom sink costs $200 to $600 in Seattle with The Drain Authority, as one flat price per drain. That covers clearing the fixture and its branch line and a flow test, with no trip fee and no evening or weekend surcharge.

$0$200$400$600$800Our price, per bathroom drain$200$600Angi 2026 Seattle drain cleaning$210$536avg $373
$0$200$400$600$800Our price, per bathroom drain$200$600Angi 2026 Seattle drain cleaning$210$536avg $373
Our flat price Angi 2026 Seattle range
Seattle average
Angi’s 2026 Seattle data puts drain cleaning at $210–$536, averaging $373. Angi: Seattle drain cleaning cost
Never added
A trip fee, an hourly meter, or an evening or weekend surcharge
If it is past the bathroom
Main drain cleaning, also $200–$600
Not included
Leak repairs, new fixtures or valves

How a bathroom drain call works

One visit for nearly every bathroom clog.

  1. 3–5 min

    The call

    Which fixture, how long it has been slow, and whether anything else is affected.

  2. Same day

    Arrival window

    A window, not a whole day, when the schedule allows.

  3. ~10 min

    Flat price

    Floors covered, the fixture checked, one price approved first.

  4. 20–60 min

    Clear the line

    Auger or drum machine through the fixture and its branch.

  5. ~10 min

    Prove it

    Run until it drains at full speed; you see what came out.

Toilet or shower stopped?

Book a slot online any hour, or call and the owner answers 8 AM to 8 PM. Same flat price evenings and weekends.

Book bathroom drain cleaning

Water coming up somewhere else? Call (206) 590-1455

Bathroom drain prices and what comes next

Flat Seattle prices for the drain, and for the lines behind it.

Seattle and King County on what goes down the drain

The rules are about the sewer, and they protect your pipes too.

$150,000+

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division spent this in one year just hauling wipes, tampons and other flushed trash from its treatment plants to a landfill.

King County: Don’t flush trash

  • Toilet paper only

    King County: use a trash can for wipes, tissues, hygiene products and other items that don’t break down in water like toilet paper. King County: Don’t flush trash

  • Medications go back to the pharmacy

    King County says not to put unwanted medications down the toilet or sink; many pharmacies take them back. King County: Don’t flush trash

  • Your side sewer, your responsibility

    SPU: if you own your home, you own your side sewer until it connects to the public sewer pipe. SPU: Your Side Sewer

  • Check who you hire

    Washington L&I lists every registered contractor. Verify a contractor; ours is #DRAINDA756MA.

Bathroom drain FAQ

Toilets, showers, tubs, wipes and chemicals. More in the Seattle drain & sewer FAQ.

Still have a question?

Shane answers the phone himself, 8 AM to 8 PM, seven days a week.

How much does it cost to unclog a toilet or shower drain in Seattle?

Ours is $200–$600 flat for a toilet, shower, tub or bathroom sink, cleared through the branch line and flow-tested. There is no trip fee and no evening or weekend surcharge.

Why does my shower drain keep clogging?

Hair and soap. Hair catches on the stopper and the trap, soap binds it into a mat, and the mat slows the drain a little more every week. Clearing the trap helps for a while; cabling the branch removes what has built up past it.

Are flushable wipes safe to flush?

No. King County says wipes, even when labeled flushable, can clog sewer equipment and the pipes in your home, and should go in the trash. Only toilet paper should be flushed.

Should I use a chemical drain cleaner on a clogged tub or toilet?

We advise against it. An N.C. Cooperative Extension urban forester notes highly caustic drain cleaners can damage older sewer pipes, and a drain that stays clogged leaves the chemical sitting in the trap for whoever opens it next.

When is a clogged toilet more than a toilet problem?

When other fixtures are involved. If the tub gurgles when you flush, or water rises in the shower or a floor drain, the blockage is past the toilet in the shared drain, and that is main drain or main sewer line work.

Can you clear a toilet without removing it?

Usually. A toilet auger clears most clogs in the trapway. If an object is stuck in the porcelain or the clog is past the toilet, the toilet comes off its flange so we can clear the line below, and it goes back with a new wax ring.

Do you fix leaking toilets or replace fixtures?

No. We clear drains and run cameras. Leaks, new fixtures and valves are plumbing repairs, and we will tell you if what we see needs a plumber.

Sources and Seattle references

Flushing guidance and outside cost figures on this page come from these public sources. Our prices are flat Seattle rates for standard service, reviewed October 2026.

Bathroom drain stopped? Tell us which one.

The fixture, how long it has been slow and whether anything else gurgles is enough for a flat price.

  • Which fixture is clogged
  • How long it has been slow
  • Anything else gurgling or rising
  • What you have already tried

The Drain Authority

5608 17th Ave NW, Suite 2025
Seattle, WA 98107
Hours
Daily, 8 AM to 8 PM
Booking
Online, 24/7
License
WA contractor #DRAINDA756MA