The average cost of drain unblocking in the UK : analysis

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Are your drains clogged, and your home has that unpleasant sewer smell? You've tried everything, but despite your best efforts with a plunger and a lot of elbow grease, nothing seems to work. Your drains are making life difficult.

On Yoojo, with hundreds of plumbers ready to serve you, we know a thing or two about drain unblocking services, as we've helped more than 200 clients unclogging their pipes.

I've gone through all our statistics to give you detailed information on the average prices we offer, along with a comparison to market rates.

Let’s dive in!

Drain unblocking prices in 2024

I’ll compare prices between specialised companies and individual service providers like me.

Here are the prices for unblocking your drains:

* How these hourly rates are calculated:

• For traditional drain unblocking companies: I averaged all the prices I found online.

• For Yoojo plumbers: I averaged all the unblocking jobs completed on Yoojo during 2022.

Who to choose: A specialised company or Yoojo?

In addition to the services offered, there are big differences in costs and billing methods. Let me explain:

Prices by type of drain

As you might expect, a home service plumber will be available for smaller jobs, whereas a drain unblocking company wouldn’t even show up for minor issues. The risk for you is getting an expensive bill for a small job.

Let’s take a look at the most requested services and their average prices:

 

What kind of drains can we unblock?

No matter the type of drain in your home, whether cast iron or PVC, our plumbers can clear it. We can even descale your pipes while we’re at it. Here’s a list of the types of drains we unblock most often:

Sinks

For blocked sinks, the unblocking is done at the siphon level.

Shower drains

Shower drains, over time, become clogged with hair and debris.

Toilets

Sanitary products and poor maintenance are the main causes of blocked toilets.

Bathtubs

Like shower drains, hair is the main cause of blockages.

Different prices depending on the unblocking technique used!

When you request a service, several factors come into play that can affect the price. The methods your plumber uses can increase or decrease the final cost.

Here are the techniques used by our plumbers and the average prices:

Dismantling a siphon allows for the removal of blockages caused by waste build-up. It’s typically the method used to unblock a sink.

Dismantling a siphon can be tricky due to limited access, which can affect the price you’re quoted.

Because dismantling a siphon is sometimes difficult, the price can vary between:

£16 to £38*

*Expect to pay a bit more if descaling 

A bucket, a sponge, put everything back together, and it's done!

A classic! When there’s a blockage in our toilets, we grab the trusty plunger and start pumping. But when it’s no longer effective, it’s time for the auger or pump unblocker.

The auger is a long cable with a head designed to reach up to 6 miles down your pipes. The pump unblocker is like a more powerful plunger, used for unblocking showers, bathtubs, and more.

If your drains are deeply clogged, and the plunger won’t cut it, your plumber will switch to the auger or pump unblocker, but at a higher cost.

For plunger unblocking, the price ranges between:

£25 to £50*

*Prices may increase with descaling or additional product usage.

The plunger – a traditional weapon for unblocking toilets.

For unblocking with an auger or pump unblocker, prices range from:

£47 to £81*

*Expect higher prices if descaling or extra products are required.

A surgical unblocking operation!

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