Seattle Drain Service

Andrew P.

Bryce is one of those rare people you meet in this profession who actually loves his job, treats his customers right, and isn't out to gouge you. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience.

I had Bryce and his guys put in a french drain and new sewer line along the north side of my house. Then the plan was to put in the french drain and at the same time put in a new sewer line by pipe-burst from my house down to the street. Bryce gave me a fair price in the estimate and the job began with no problems, but hit some snags a couple of days in. Turns out that my sewer line wasn't exactly where we expected it to be (a little deeper, a little further out from my house) which meant his guys couldn't access it without digging a lot deeper down than originally expected. No problem, Bryce goes ahead and pipe-bursts the entire sewer line, basically 30 feet more than expected, because he could see it was the only way to get the job done.

Well, I about had a heart attack when I heard that we had to burst 30 feet more of my sewer than expected. At this point I was thinking maybe I was wrong about Bryce and now he was going to gouge me for the additional work that had to be done (pipe-bursting is expensive). Nope, when I asked him what it would set me back he said nothing, the price of the job was set in stone and I had nothing to worry about. I think that about says it all.

Great job, great team of guys, would definitely hire Bryce and crew again.

Braden L.

It was a summer day and my son started throwing wipes down the toilette and flushing it while i was away for a few minutes. I used yelp to find a plumber. Called two people but they were unavailable.

Great service. They did a nice job unclogging my bathroom sink/toilette. They were on time and gave me a reasonable price.

Randall M.

Seattle Drain is fantastic. I've had drainage problems leading to humidity problems in crawl spaces leading to dry rot, and numerous other problems. I've had a dozen different companies come out and try to address these issues. Bryce came up with a plan in 15 min, implemented it, and fixed the problem. He had about 5 people working nearly 3 days, and the charges were very fair. I would recommend them very highly

David R.

EXPERT, COMPREHENSIVE, FAST + MONEY SAVING!

My water bill went up by $300, indicating a leak somewhere in my 200 foot long water line, which is mostly under an asphalt drive. Five years earlier I had a similar problem and it took a company a couple of weeks to find the leak, a few days to fix the pipe and it cost several thousand dollars: so I was dreading what might come next....

I found Seattle Drain Service by an online search and thought that 'trenchless technology' might be a great way to go, so I sent an email. Bryce phoned right back and said that he would be able to come by for an initial assessment on his way to a job in progress. He was immediately helpful and spent quite a bit of time carefully assessing the problem.

I had also contacted another company and they came out later that morning and they explained how they would replace the water line: the bid which followed was $8400+tax and extras!

Bryce said that because of the good quality of my waterline (copper pipe), that a repair would likely be the better way proceed. Furthermore, he suspected that the leak was most likely at the site of previous repair. He spent a couple of hours trying to find the leak - at no charge. Because of the complexity of signals where several underground utilities crossed, Bryce suggested that a leak detection service would be helpful in this instance. (He said he is usually able to find leaks with his own specialized equipment).
The detection service confirmed that the leak was at the site of previous repair!

Bryce and his crew found the leak straight away, and showed me why the previous repair had failed. He used a much stronger repair method, and he and his crew were able to do the entire job in less than a half-day.

The total cost was much less than the job five years earlier.

Bryce and his crew are great folks and obviously enjoy their work. Bryce's assessment and recommendation saved me thousands of dollars and his superior repair method have put my mind at ease.

Jean D.

Bryce came to evaluate our clogged underground pipe. I was so pleased with his honesty and all the time he spent helping me evaluate all the options and discussing various plumbing companies I could call. I highly recommend calling him first!

Bruce M.

Please be patient and read the whole review and you will understand why I recommend Seattle Drain Service so highly. I am not mentioning the names of the other contractors I spoke with because the purpose of this review is not to slam people with whom I've had limited contact. I simply want to share my experience with Seattle Drain Service.

First I did not know Bryce from Seattle Drain Service before he came at my request to diagnose why our sewer was clogged and bid on fixing it. I found him just by GOOGLing for sewer repair services in Seattle. Only after that did I look for reviews on Yelp. SDS's web site is not flashy but it is very informative. Other websites are mostly marketing

One well-rated on Yelp service who reviewed the problem said it would cost about $16,000 to replace the line, but because the contractor could not see past where an obstruction was with his camera, there could be an additional cost of $20,000 if there was a problem that required digging in the street, but he would not know until the line was dug up. Pretty scary for us.

Another well rated on Yelp contractor said that he would have to have a technician come and make a video of the line and then provide an estimate based on the video. The charge for the technician's visit and the video would be $250.

Two other contractors came to evaluate the problem. They brought their own video cameras and they all found the obstruction in about the same place. They each had slightly different recommendations for further diagnosing the problem and fixing it but their solutions all involved digging up part of the line with a minimum cost of $4000. I have not heard back from either of these contractors.

After Bryce used his camera to view the inside of the line he got to the same obstruction as the other contractors but Bryce said that based on the roots he saw in the line before the blockage, he believed that the blockage was a big root tangle and that hydrojetting could probably clear the line. He said that if the piping was in otherwise good shape the hydrojetting plus annual $100 root treatment would probably fix the problem and that I could always decide to do a more permanent fix later. The cost for hydrojetting would be $655 including tax.

Bryce said that he could not further estimate costs without knowing if there was a major break in the piping but that the hydrojetting would reveal that. Bryce referred me to several of his before and after hydrojetting videos on Youtube. I found them interesting and convincing.

Today Bryce hydrojetted the line until it was almost completely clear of roots that had been extensive and severely tangled. and found the clay pipe line to be in otherwise acceptable shape for its 100 plus year age.

To ensure that the sewer line is as clear as possible when hydrojetting Bryce uses his video camera to periodically evaluate how complete a section of the pipe is before moving on to another section of the pipe.

Based on what I saw when watching the process today, if a contractor does not evaluate the pipe using video during or after hydrojetting, you cannot be sure that roots have been cleared as much as possible. If you are considering hydrojetting as a solution ask the contractors you talk with if they evaluate the line during or after hydrojetting with video, and if you can see the video.

In summary, Bryce was able to clear a severely root-blocked sewer line in about 2.5 hours of hydrojetting. He saved my wife and me thousands of dollars. He arrived on time for his appointments and he was able to do exactly what he thought he could. I can't ask for any more from a contractor.

Catherine F.

I usually don't take the time to give Yelp reviews. But Bryce & his company really deserve it. He doesn't solicit Yelp reviews probably because he has more than enough business. Like me, others have likely found that he's a rare breed in an industry full of shady characters trying to make a fast buck.

I had gotten another bid from someone highly reviewed on Yelp, who was located in West Seattle. While that other person got a lot of positive reviews, his approach was sleazy (asked for all cash up front & claimed that permitting was unneeded for my smaller project). Bryce, on the other hand, is incredibly well spoken and sounds more like a professor rather than a plumber. Never did I feel like he was selling me on anything. I just knew that I had to get part of my sewer line repaired. He educated me on what the problem was & gave me a reasonable quote. And no, he never suggested that I pay him all cash before beginning the job. Moreover, he explained why even simple sewer line repairs *require* a permit. No biggie for Bryce, as he managed everything in a prompt & efficient manner. While I hope never to have another sewer/plumbing issue, I know who I'll call if I ever do.

Jeff B.

TLDR: best service-related experience I've ever had.

A few months ago, we were in the process of selling our house and the inspection uncovered several fractures our sewer line so I contacted as many sewer repair companies as I could find. But first I did my research and learned all I could about sewer lines, what makes them fail, the types and classifications of defects/failures and the techniques used to repair them. After talking to 7 different companies, only half of them called me back within several hours to come and look at the situation. Five of these companies were recommended to me by the previous inspection, agent or other sewer companies and the other two I found via Yelp. Bryce and Seattle Drain Service was one of the companies I found myself. Each company bid on the project and they came in a various price points as well as how they would approach and fix the issues in the line. Several of these (big name companies you see advertising all over the place) had bids that were double all the other bids. It was insane. Bryce and two other companies had similar bids and approaches to the problem. So why did I choose Bryce? Everyone else made the job seem simple and straightforward - we'll dig here, demolish the concrete here, do this and that and we'll be done. Bryce, in contrast, walked through all the options. He said these things are never easy because you don't know what you'll find under the ground. He said he'd try to dig under the concrete first to see if he could reach the broken pipe that way and he'd only resort to demolishing the concrete as a last resort. Bryce was also personable and unpretentious, never acted like a salesman and answered all of my many questions, patiently! As a homeowner, I wanted easy and cheap and simple but based on my conversations with Bryce and the glowing reviews on Yelp, I took a chance with him and I'm totally glad I did.

Let me tell you what happened.

Within 2 days, Bryce and his crew were at the house. Instead of tearing up the yard with a backhoe, they brought in this really powerful air-shooting-thing that cut up the soil and they vacuumed it up. The surveyor indicated the line was ~5-6' deep but it ended up being something like 8-9' deep! The surveyor's markings were also off but Bryce kept at the job and located the line. He did like twice the amount of work and DIDN'T CHARGE ME A SINGLE PENNY more than his original bid. Throughout the job, Bryce and his crew approached this as a challenge. They clearly love their craft and it shows. I even felt a bit bad that they did as much work for what I was charged.

That's honesty. That's customer-focused. That's ownership and it sums up Bryce and his company. I couldn't be happier with the work and if I ever have another sewer issue (I really hope I don't). I'll be calling Bryce. Every other person in the service industry should pay close attention to what Bryce does, how he does it and how he runs his business. It's proof that you can run a business in an honest way and succeed through word of mouth instead of through overcharging and spending tons of money on advertisements.

Susan C.

I can't believe the happiest five-star review I'm giving on Yelp so far is for a drainage company in Seattle. Out of all the yummy foods I've had, places I've seen, and things I've experienced, it comes down to a broken sewer in a house that's older than the excuses most sewer companies give homeowners - ""The pipe's broken all the way to the main line, it's gonna cost $60k"", ""If you don't replace this sewer, there's gonna be a sinkhole in the middle of your street big enough to eat up your nine-year old"", etc., etc.

I found Bryce and his crew on Yelp and took a chance. After calling about 3 other companies - one of whom was recommended by a friend, I chose Bryce as I had no other options: Nobody else returned my calls.

The receptionist on the phone was thorough and professional, Bryce came out a few days later to do a free estimate, going so far as to snake his camera down the toilet in question. He then gave me the different options and possibilities and prices. Being that it was an old house with very compromised drainage, Bryce never made any promises in advance till he could access the entire situation.

Without any deposit beforehand, he and his crew came and dug out the very tough dirt on the side of my place within two days revealing the drain pipe. Instead of suggesting I replace the entire pipe, which is what most companies would do, he suggested patching the compromised areas, as were only one or two. We'd also found that roots had gotten to the pipe at one point. But instead of digging up that area (which was underneath a sidewalk on a busy commercial street), he came on a Sunday and tried to whack away at the roots for hours. He finally succeeded, saving me yet another tens of thousands of dollars.

Bryce truly stands out among a crowd of questionable drainage people I've encountered in the past. He's truly passionate about his work, always thinks from the homeowner's point of view (ie. Trying to help homeowners save money WITHOUT cutting corners, instead of suggesting the most expensive options), and is straightforward and honest about what can or can't be done. When you call him, he'll return your calls promptly, and his follow up is great.

That being said, I really hope never to encounter Bryce again, as this means I'll be having some drainage issue of some sort. But I won't stop at recommending him to people who need a good drainage company.

Eric M.

I just had Seattle Drain Service fix a broken sewer line on the side of my house in View Ridge. Bryce and his team were fantastic. The were very professional and very knowledgeable. There was a great deal of trouble shooting to do as the project was more complex than originally thought. He was great at that. When he showed up to give me a bid he actually stayed quite some time to see what was wrong. He saved us money and hassle by telling me that we did not need to move out of the house. This was an emergency and his crew was fast. Just all in all a great experience. Bryce was also a really nice person, funny and affable. And he really cares. And you know that expression about not judging a book by it's cover. Don't judge him by the how plain is web site looks. That web site has more useful information than lots of other web sites with more fluff.