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Drain Cleaning & Hydro Jetting Services

Not every clog needs the same fix. Our team clears simple blockages with a drain auger, but for grease buildup, root intrusion, or recurring backups, we bring in hydro jetting equipment that blasts water at 3,000+ PSI to scour the inside of the pipe clean. We match the tool to the problem.

20+ Years of Drain Cleaning Expertise

Gabriel Ruiz, owner of Royalty Plumbing Inc, has spent 20+ years in the plumbing trade, and drain calls are some of the most common jobs our crews run across Ontario, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, and Eastvale. In our experience, most clogged drains fall into one of two camps: the quick, everyday kind and the kind that keeps coming back no matter how many times a store-bought product gets poured down the line. We built our drain cleaning process around figuring out which one we’re dealing with before we start, so the fix actually holds.

Two tools

Drain Auger vs. Hydro Jetting

A drain auger, sometimes called a plumber’s snake, is a flexible cable with a cutting or corkscrew head on the end. We feed it into the line to break up or pull out whatever is blocking the pipe, hair, a wad of paper, a buildup of soap scum. It’s fast, it’s effective on a single, localized clog, and it’s usually our first move on a kitchen sink or bathroom drain that’s draining slow.

Hydro jetting is a different tool for a different job. Instead of pushing through a blockage, it uses a high-pressure hose to blast water at 3,000+ PSI along the full length of the pipe, stripping grease, scale, and root hair off the interior walls rather than just punching a hole through the middle. We reach for hydro jetting when a drain keeps clogging every few months, when a camera inspection shows heavy grease buildup, or when tree roots have worked their way into a line. Our team will tell you plainly which approach fits your situation before we recommend one over the other.

See inside the pipe

Camera Inspection for Recurring Clogs

If a drain has backed up more than once in a short stretch, we recommend a camera inspection before running any equipment through the line. A flexible camera on a cable lets our team see exactly what’s going on inside the pipe, whether it’s a cracked section, a bellied line holding standing water, roots that have grown through a joint, or years of grease coating the walls.

We’ve found that skipping this step is how homeowners end up paying for the same drain cleaning call every six months. A camera inspection tells us whether a simple cleaning will hold, whether hydro jetting is the better long-term fix, or whether the line has damage that cleaning alone won’t solve, which is when a whole-house re-drain conversation starts to make sense.

What causes it

Common Causes of Clogged Drains

Grease & Cooking Fat

Grease and cooking fat are among the most common culprits in kitchen lines, especially when they’re poured down the drain while still warm and then harden further along the pipe. Fats, oils, and grease poured down kitchen drains are one of the leading nationwide causes of sewer line blockages (Source: EPA, 2024).

Hair & Soap Scum

Hair and soap scum are the usual suspects in bathroom sinks, tubs, and showers, building up in layers until water barely moves.

Tree Root Intrusion

Tree roots are a common cause outside the home, especially on older properties across Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, and Riverside where mature landscaping sits close to the sewer line. Roots seek out any moisture, and a hairline crack or loose joint is often all it takes for them to work their way inside.

Flushed wipes, feminine hygiene products, and other items that aren’t actually flushable round out the list, along with aging cast iron or clay pipe that has simply worn down over the decades.

Warning signs

Signs You Need Professional Drain Cleaning

A drain that gurgles, drains slowly, or backs up more than once in a few months is telling you something beyond a quick plunge.

Multiple slow drains at once

Especially if they're on different floors or in different rooms, this often points to a problem in the main line rather than an isolated fixture.

Sewage odor near a floor drain or cleanout

water backing up into a tub when the washing machine runs

Bubbling when another fixture drains

A toilet that bubbles when a sink or shower drains is a sign the blockage sits further down the line than a store-bought snake can reach.

Related services

Also Serving Your Whole-Home Plumbing Needs

Sometimes a camera inspection reveals a bigger issue than a clogged line, aging pipe that’s cracked, collapsed, or corroded through in multiple spots. When that’s the case, cleaning becomes a repeat expense rather than a real fix. Our whole-house re-drainpage walks through when a full drain line replacement makes more sense than another cleaning visit, and what that process looks like from start to finish. And if a clogged drain is just one of several small plumbing issues on your list, our plumbing services page covers the everyday repairs we handle beyond drains, from faucets to toilets to main line work.

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I need a drain auger or hydro jetting?

If it’s a single, isolated clog, a drain auger usually clears it in one visit. If the same drain keeps backing up every few months, or a camera inspection shows grease buildup or root intrusion along the pipe, hydro jetting does a more thorough job because it cleans the entire interior wall of the pipe rather than punching through the center of the blockage. Our team will walk you through which option fits after taking a look.

Is hydro jetting safe for older pipes?

It depends on the pipe’s condition, which is why we recommend a camera inspection first on older homes across Ontario, Fontana, and the surrounding area. Modern PVC and properly maintained cast iron generally handle hydro jetting well. A line that’s already cracked, corroded, or bellied may need repair or replacement instead of jetting, and we’ll tell you honestly if that’s what we’re seeing.

Can I use a store-bought drain cleaner instead of calling a plumber?

Chemical drain cleaners can offer short-term relief for a minor clog, but they often don’t reach the actual source of a recurring blockage, and repeated use can damage certain pipe materials over time. If a drain has needed more than one bottle of cleaner in the past few months, that’s usually a sign the clog is deeper in the line than a chemical treatment can reach.

How often should drains be professionally cleaned to prevent clogs?

It varies by household and by the age of the plumbing, but homes with mature trees near the sewer line, older cast iron pipe, or a history of grease-heavy cooking tend to benefit from a periodic hydro jetting service to keep drains flowing before a backup happens. We can recommend a schedule once we’ve seen the specific line.

What’s the difference between a clogged drain and a sewer line backup?

A clogged drain usually affects one fixture, like a single slow sink or tub. A sewer line backup shows up in multiple fixtures at once, often the lowest drain in the house, and can bring sewage odor or water backing up into a tub or shower when another fixture runs. Sewer line backups need prompt attention since they affect the whole home’s plumbing.

Do you offer drain cleaning for kitchen sinks specifically, or just main lines?

We handle both. Kitchen sink clogs from grease and food buildup are some of the most common calls we get, and we also clear bathroom drains, tub and shower lines, and main sewer lines. The tool and approach change depending on which line is affected, but the same team handles all of it.

Get a Straight Answer on Your Drain

If a drain in your home keeps backing up, or you’re not sure whether it needs a simple cleaning or something more, our team can take a look and give you a written, honest recommendation before any work starts. Request a quote today and we’ll get back to you the same day to schedule a visit across Ontario, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, or Eastvale.