Blue Monkey Plumbing
Blue Monkey Plumbing
This page is mainly for drain cleaning problems affecting one fixture or one drain - like a blocked kitchen sink, a slow bathroom basin, a shower filling up, or a tub draining badly.
If more than one drain is affected, or sewage and wastewater are backing up where they should not, that is usually a different problem. In that case, go to Sewer Backup Repair.
A business-hours visit starts with a $99 + GST call-out fee covering administration, travel and arrival with a stocked service van. If the blockage is straightforward and the scope is clear, we confirm the price before any work begins.
If your kitchen sink is blocked, the bathroom basin is draining slowly, the shower is filling up around your feet, or the tub is backing up, this is usually where the problem starts.
This page is for local drain problems. If the issue is mainly affecting one fixture, one room, or one drain, drain cleaning is often the right place to start.
Blue Monkey Plumbing provides residential drain cleaning in West Vancouver for clogged drains, blocked drains, slow drains, and fixture drains that keep backing up.
We clear household drain blockages using proper drain cleaning equipment instead of relying on chemical drain cleaners or temporary DIY fixes.
If a kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower, tub, laundry drain, or floor drain is clogged or blocked, we check the symptoms and confirm the right next step.
A business-hours visit starts with the $99 + GST call-out covering administration, travel and arrival with a stocked service van only. Once the scope is clear, we confirm the price before drain cleaning work begins.
Drain problems usually show up in small, annoying ways before they turn into a bigger mess.
Water sits in the sink, drains slowly, or starts backing up again soon after you thought it had cleared.
The sink drains badly, you are constantly fighting hair and buildup, or the problem keeps coming back.
Water gathers around your feet in the shower or takes far too long to leave the tub.
One fixture makes noise when another is used, which can be a sign the drainage is not moving properly.
Persistent drain smells can come from buildup inside the pipe. If the smell is more like sewage, you may also need help with a sewage smell in bathroom problem.
If one sink, tub, or shower keeps giving trouble, the buildup may never have been properly removed.
Most drain problems are not random. They usually come from the same things building up over time until the water stops moving properly.
This is one of the most common causes in bathroom sinks, tubs, and showers. Hair catches, soap sticks to it, and the blockage gets worse over time.
Kitchen drains often clog because grease, bacon fat, oils, and food scraps cool and stick inside the pipe instead of washing away.
Wet wipes, paper towel, hygiene products, and other non-flushable items are a common cause of tougher blockages and sewer-related problems.
Sometimes the problem is not one single object. It is years of residue, scale, sludge, and debris slowly reducing the inside of the drain until flow gets worse and worse.
Store-bought drain cleaners and quick DIY fixes often do not remove the real blockage. Sometimes they just punch a small gap through it, and the problem comes straight back.
The right drain cleaning approach depends on where the blockage is, how severe it is, and which fixture is affected.
We determine whether the problem is limited to one fixture or whether the symptoms suggest a larger drainage issue.
Depending on the fixture, access may be through the drain opening, trap, cleanout, or another appropriate location.
We use professional drain cleaning equipment to remove buildup, debris, grease, hair, soap residue, and other common causes of drain clogs.
Once the blockage is cleared, we test drainage and explain whether the issue appears fully resolved or whether additional investigation is recommended.
Some clogged drains are annoying but contained. Others need faster attention because water or wastewater is backing up into the home.
If a sink, tub, shower, laundry drain, or floor drain is overflowing and you cannot control the water, call Blue Monkey Plumbing for help during business hours.
If more than one fixture is backing up, wastewater is coming up, or sewage is involved, go to Sewer Backup Repair instead of treating it as a simple drain cleaning problem.
Drain problems can look simple when they are not, so we follow a clear process before anything starts.
We start by listening to what is happening - which drain is blocked, whether the same fixture keeps giving trouble, and how the problem is showing up.
A business-hours visit starts with the $99 + GST call-out covering administration, travel and arrival with a stocked service van. Checks and repairs are priced separately for your approval before starting.
If more investigation or access is needed, we explain it and confirm the price before you approve it. That may include checking a vent or inspecting a drain run in a crawlspace.
Once we know what we are dealing with, we explain it clearly and confirm the price or next step before any work begins.
We use the equipment suited to the approved service: hand tools or a hand-cranked auger for basic local clearing, or powered equipment for more involved drain cleaning.
Most people are not looking for a long speech. They want the blockage cleared properly, the house treated with respect, and a straight answer if the problem is not the simple clog they thought it was.
A slow bathroom sink, a shower backing up, and a blocked kitchen sink are not always the same kind of problem. We look at how it is behaving before deciding the right next step.
We do not just poke at the drain and hope for the best. We clear the blockage properly and tell you if the symptoms suggest you need a different service page or next step.
Drain problems usually happen in kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, and other lived-in spaces. We work neatly, protect the area, and keep the job as controlled as possible.
A business-hours visit starts with the $99 + GST call-out covering administration, travel and arrival with a stocked service van only. If the scope is clear, we confirm the price before work begins. If it is not clear, we explain the next step before going further.
Costs, clearing options and what happens when the same drain keeps blocking.
Our standard examples, including one $99 business-hours call-out, are $294 + GST for basic clearing of one bathroom drain, $439 + GST for basic kitchen sink clearing, and $504 + GST for high-speed cleaning of an accessible kitchen branch drain. These are different scopes, not prices for every blockage.
We check the drain and confirm the appropriate service before you approve it. See the prices and what each service includes.
Basic clearing deals with a minor, local blockage using hand tools or a small hand-cranked auger. It is not a whole-line clean. High-speed equipment cleans the walls of a suitable accessible branch drain to remove buildup. We select and price the service that fits the blockage and access.
Grease and food buildup can remain further along the branch drain even when water starts flowing again. A recurring blockage can also point to a pipe or drainage problem. We assess the cause rather than assume another basic clearing will solve it. Crawlspace work or cutting pipes is separately priced.
Camera inspection is included in our approved combined sewer-clearing packages; otherwise it is separately priced. We explain the purpose, access, scope and price before you approve it.
Sewer clearing and camera options: Sewer clearing plus camera inspection and sonde locating is $1,600 through a suitable existing cleanout (CLR-012), or $2,000 including toilet removal and reset (CLR-011). The camera upgrade is $750 on the same visit through the same suitable cleanout, or before the toilet is reset. Replace the clearing-only line; do not charge the same clearing or access work twice. One applicable call-out and GST are extra. Standalone cleanout camera inspection is $810; camera inspection with toilet removal/reset is $930 only when there is no active backup and no suitable cleanout. Root cutting is separately quoted for the cleanout soft-clearing package; toilet-access clearing includes root cutting needed to restore flow. See inclusions, exclusions and current pricing.
Inspection and recurring clogs: Camera inspection includes sonde locating and marking of identified roots or defects where a reliable signal is available, with no separate locating charge. Position and depth are approximate; inspection is limited to accessible, visible pipework. A camera can reveal a sewer belly—a sag or low section holding water—where access and visibility permit. Bellies can retain waste and contribute to recurring clogs. Clearing does not correct the pipe grade. If a confirmed belly or other underlying defect is left unrepaired, recurring blockages remain likely. Further clearing and pipe repair or replacement require separate approval.
Clearing risks: Uncommonly, roots or damaged pipe can catch the snake/cable or cutting head, and heavy wipes can wrap around it so it cannot be withdrawn. If safe retrieval is not possible, excavation, pipe access and repair may be required at the homeowner’s expense under a separately approved scope and price. Entrapment due to existing defects, roots or accumulated wipes is not, by itself, faulty workmanship. We remain responsible for our own negligent or defective work, and applicable consumer rights remain.
Stop using the affected drainage system and call. Several fixtures backing up can indicate a shared branch or sewer problem, not the basic single-fixture service. See sewer backup help in West Vancouver.
Drain cleaning, unclogging and recurring blockages are excluded from the 3-Year Workmanship Guarantee.
Some drainage problems need a different page or a different next step.
Looking for other residential plumbing services in West Vancouver? Visit our main West Vancouver plumber page to explore drain cleaning, leak repairs, toilets, water heaters, water pressure problems, emergency plumbing, and more.
Call to arrange a visit. We explain the proposed work and its price before you approve.