Drains and sewers, diagnosed properly
Penguin Plumbing Drain & Sewer covers rooter work, sewer odors, pressure regulators, freeze protection, septic conversions, and commercial drain plans across San Antonio. We find the cause first, then price the fix.
Licensed & insured · Call to check current availability
Clear it, camera it, then quote it
Drain problems are unusually easy to oversell. A backup looks the same from your kitchen whether it's a root ball we can cut in an hour, a grease-loaded line, or a cracked pipe that needs real work — and the price difference between those runs into the thousands.
So we don't quote a repair from a description. We clear it, camera it, and show you what's actually there. Sometimes that means telling you the cheap recurring fix is genuinely fine and you don't need the big job someone else quoted.
How we workWhat that means for you
- A repair quoted only after someone has seen the pipe
- Camera footage shown to you, not just described
- The cheaper recurring fix named when it genuinely works
- Work outside our licence stated plainly, with a referral
Six things we specialise in
Drain and sewer work, plus the water-side problems that keep showing up alongside it. If yours isn't here, call and we'll point you somewhere honest.
Rooter Service & Root Control
Mechanical cutting for roots that have found their way into the line — plus honest talk about how long it holds.
Read more →Sewer Odor & Vent Line Repair
A sewage smell indoors is almost always a dry trap or a vent problem, not a broken pipe.
Read more →Water Pressure Regulator (PRV) Service
Too much pressure quietly destroys fixtures and water heaters. Too little makes every shower disappointing.
Read more →Freeze Protection & Burst Pipe Repair
San Antonio doesn't freeze often, which is exactly why local plumbing isn't built for it.
Read more →Septic to Sewer Conversion
Connecting a septic property to the city main — permits, abandonment, and the parts nobody warns you about.
Read more →Commercial Drain Maintenance Programs
Scheduled line cleaning for restaurants and multi-tenant properties, so backups stop being a surprise.
Read more →How a job runs
Describe the symptom
Which fixtures, how often, and whether it's one drain or several.
We clear and inspect
Flow restored first, then a camera run to see what caused it.
You see the evidence
The footage goes on a screen in front of you before it goes into a quote.
Fix or schedule
Either the repair, priced flat, or a maintenance interval if that's the honest answer.
Photographs from real jobs
Every image here is from a Penguin Plumbing Drain & Sewer job around San Antonio. Nothing licensed, nothing staged.
Six things worth a call
None of these is automatically serious. All of them are cheaper to look at now than after the next one.
What customers say
“Cut the roots, then showed me the camera and said the joint was fine for now. Didn't try to sell me a replacement.”
“Smell in the back bathroom turned out to be a dry trap. He told me to run water in it monthly and charged the visit, nothing more.”
“We're on a scheduled cleaning now instead of calling in a panic mid-service. They come after we close.”
Comments shared by customers about their service visits.
Where we work
We work from South Zarzamora on the south side and cover San Antonio and the communities around it, generally inside about 25 miles. That takes in Palm Heights, Highland Park, Southtown, downtown, the west and southwest sides, and out toward Von Ormy, Somerset, and Elmendorf.
If you're near the edge of that, call before booking — we'd rather say no on the phone than cancel on the day.
Call (726) 265-2980Frequently asked questions
Do you charge to come out?
Most diagnostic visits carry a trip or diagnostic charge and we tell you the amount when you book, not afterward. Where a quote comes from a walkthrough rather than diagnostics — a maintenance program or a conversion, for example — that visit is usually free.
Will you tell me if the cheap fix is enough?
Yes, and it's most of what we do. A dry trap costs nothing to fix. Root cutting is cheaper than a repair. We'll recommend the smaller option when it genuinely solves the problem and say clearly when it's only buying you time.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes, Penguin Plumbing Drain & Sewer is licensed and insured for plumbing work in the State of Texas. Technicians will show credentials on request.
Why do you camera lines so often?
Because drain and sewer problems look identical from inside the house and cost wildly different amounts to fix. Roots, grease, a bellied section, and a crack all present as a backup. The camera is what turns a guess into a decision you can make.
What areas do you cover?
We're on South Zarzamora and serve San Antonio and surrounding communities, generally within about 25 miles. Call and ask if you're near the edge — you'll get a straight yes or no before booking.
Do you work with restaurants and commercial properties?
Yes. Scheduled drain maintenance for kitchens and multi-tenant properties is one of our six specialties. Mention the property type when you call so we bring the right equipment.
Tell us what the drains are doing
Describe the symptom and we'll tell you what it usually points to, what confirming it takes, and what that costs — before anyone drives out.