Hayes Plumbing offers drain cleaning in Pickering for homes across the city, from West Shore, Bay Ridges and Rosebank in the south end through Amberlea, Liverpool, Highbush, Dunbarton and Brock Ridge to Duffin Heights and Seaton. Our licensed plumbers are based at our shop in Oshawa. Most blockages give way to a powered drain snake; a pipe lined with grease is a job for hydro jetting, and one that keeps blocking deserves a camera inspection before anyone suggests a repair. Quotes are free and always written down before work starts.
When it is more than one blocked drain
A single slow fixture usually means a clog in that fixture's trap or branch pipe. These signs point further along, to the main drain or the pipe out to the street:
- Two or more fixtures on the lowest floor drain slowly at the same time.
- The toilet bubbles, or the tub gurgles, while the washing machine is emptying.
- Water rises around the basement floor drain when fixtures upstairs are used.
- A sewage smell comes from the floor drain or the laundry tub.
City, Region or homeowner: who handles which pipe
The City of Pickering's basement flooding page explains which system is which. The floor drain in your basement, your dishwasher and washing machine, and every toilet, sink, tub and shower feed the sanitary sewer, with the Region of Durham responsible for planning, building, running and maintaining that system. The sewage is treated at the Region's plant at Duffin Creek, on McKay Road. Rain and snowmelt are the City's side, carried away by catch basins, ditches, culverts, storm sewers and ponds.
When a house backs up, Region crews will clear its sewer connection out at the street end, between the main and the property line, if that is where they find the blockage. The Region also fixes a broken house connection up to one metre short of the foundation, starting from the property line. The rest, including everything inside the house, is yours to keep clear, and that is the part we clean.
From the lakeshore to Seaton
Pickering has everything from older houses to brand-new construction. The City is planning the Seaton community in the north for about 61,000 residents, and Duffin Heights is still being built out. Older houses can have cast iron drains, which roughen inside over the years and give grease and paper something to snag on. A camera shows whether that, roots or a shifted joint is behind a clog that keeps coming back.
New construction is not immune. A brand-new pipe blocks just as readily as an old one when fat, wipes and leftovers are washed into it, so the same habits matter in a Seaton townhouse as in an older bungalow near the lake.
Habits that keep a cleared drain clear
- Scrape plates into the green bin before rinsing them, and soak up pan grease with paper towel.
- Put cat litter, cotton balls and pads, hygiene products and every type of wipe in the garbage. The Region lists all of them as things not to flush, whatever the package says.
- Fit strainers in tub and shower drains. Hair is on the Region's do-not-flush list too.
- Never pour paint, solvents, motor oil or antifreeze into a sink or toilet; the Region names those as well.
Price, quotes and permits in Pickering
Our 2026 Oshawa plumbing cost guide shows drain cleaning costing $150 to $400. The figure moves with the clog's severity and how difficult it is to reach. Jetting and camera inspections are quoted after a look at the line, and if the camera finds a broken section, the guide's range for a spot repair to a drain line is $500 to $1,500.
A cleaning visit leaves your plumbing as it was, but repairing or rerouting a pipe can need approval. The City of Pickering's list of projects that may require a building permit includes putting in or altering plumbing systems; its Building Services office is at 905.420.4631.
Related services in Pickering
- Sewer Repair in Pickering
- Drain Line Repair in Pickering
- Pipe Repair in Pickering
- Hydro Jetting in Pickering