Costs of removing blockages

Do you suffer from water that remains in the shower? Is the toilet not flushing properly? These are very annoying problems for which you need to find a solution as quickly as possible. A plumber can often solve this problem in under half an hour. Are you also dealing with a blockage and would you like to have it fixed? Then keep on reading!

How much does it cost to solve a blockage?

The cost price you have to pay for the removal of a blockage mainly depends on the hourly wage of the plumber. Solving a blockage is the most common work. This means that the costs are often fixed. We’d like to give you a clear picture of the various possible unblocking jobs, as well as their cost price in the table below.

Price structure of getting rid of blockage

The price structure for the removal of a blockage consists of two parts. There are labor costs, which account for 65% of the total cost and call-out costs account for the remaining 35%. The fact that as much as 65 percent of the total cost price is spent on labor costs means that by comparing the hourly rates of the various professionals, you can save a lot. This is definitely worthwhile.

Choices that influence the price of fixing a blockage

It is always important to keep in mind that various factors can cause the cost of removing a blockage to be higher or lower. We’ve listed these factors for you:

Choice 1: Fixed price or pay per hour

The first thing that has an impact on the cost of removing a blockage lies in the fact that sometimes an hourly wage is charged and sometimes a fixed price is charged. As a standard rule, one needs about half an hour to resolve a blockage. That’s why in most cases it’s financially more interesting to have the plumber charge an hourly rate excluding the call-out costs. Make sure that the plumber can keep working. Too many additional problems or delays can make a fixed price more financially interesting.

Choice 2: The nature of the blockage

The nature of the blockage is important in determining the price charged by a plumber. If we take this into account, it’s suddenly a lot less interesting when the plumber invoices his work per hour. The more complex the blockage, the longer it takes to solve it and the more costs will be charged. Please note, however, that even in the case of a fixed rate, a surcharge may be charged in the case of very complex works. Often the fixed rate only includes work that can be solved within the hour. The average cost for half an hour is about 40 to 45 dollars.

Choice 3: Possible extra inspection by plumber

If you’ve chosen to use a plumber for the removal of a blockage, the plumber may want to carry out an additional inspection in certain situations. This extra inspection is comes with a surcharge, but it may ensure that many future problems will be prevented. It goes without saying that any required inspection(s) will always be carried out in consultation with the client. A standard leak detection will cost about $195. A camera inspection will cost about 220 dollars.

Interesting savings tips

Despite the fact that solving a blockage certainly doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, the standard cost price can still be a thorn in the side for many people. Fortunately, you can choose to make use of some interesting saving tips that may significantly reduce the price tag. We would like to list these savings tips for you:

• Choose a local plumber. The first important saving tip we can give you is to use the services of a local plumber. As you’ve already read on this page, a plumber invariably charges high call-out costs. By opting for a local plumber, these costs are considerably reduced, which means that you can save quite a bit.
• Freeing up space for the plumber. Especially when the plumber works on the basis of a fixed price per hour, it is important to ensure that he can work without any hassle and obstacles. That’s why you should remove any obstacles in advance. This is the only way to ensure that the plumber doesn’t have to waste any time, allowing you to save money.
• Combining activities. Now that you do have a plumber in your house, it might be interesting to have him look at any other problems you have to deal with. By combining activities, call-out costs are only charged once. Combining activities and having them fixed all at once by a plumber is therefore highly recommended.