Hartford's housing stock runs old, and that means a lot of cast iron and clay sewer lines that have been in the ground for 60, 80, even 100 years. Add in tree roots along the older streets in West End, Frog Hollow, and Asylum Hill, and you get a steady stream of clogged drains and backed-up sewer laterals. This category covers the 8 companies in the metro area that handle everything from a slow kitchen sink to a full sewer line replacement.
What this service actually covers
Drain cleaning ranges from simple work, like snaking a clogged bathroom or kitchen line, to bigger jobs: hydro jetting to strip grease and roots out of a main sewer line, camera inspections to find breaks or bellies in the pipe, and excavation or trenchless repair when a line has collapsed or separated. A lot of Hartford's older homes also deal with cast iron pipes that have corroded down to a rough, narrowing bore, which makes recurring clogs a different problem than a one-time hair or grease blockage.
What to look for before you hire
Ask whether the company does a camera inspection before quoting sewer work rather than guessing. Check if they carry a hydro jetter (not just a cable machine), since jetting clears grease and roots more completely than snaking alone. Get a clear answer on whether the quote is flat-rate or hourly, and whether they warranty the work if the same drain backs up again within a set period.
How we score these companies
Our ranking weighs licensing, response time, equipment on hand, and how businesses handle repeat issues and pricing transparency. See the full breakdown of factors on our methodology page, and check the ranked guide to Hartford's best drain cleaning and sewer companies for how each of the 8 stacks up.
