Areas We Serve

Areas We Serve

My Drains Gurgle When Water Goes Down—What Does That Mean?

You shut off the sink or shower and instead of quiet, you hear that glug, glug. Weird, right? The sound usually means something isn’t quite right. Doesn’t always mean a big disaster, but it’s worth paying attention to. At 2 Sons Plumbing Tacoma, we get calls about this all the time. Most of the time, the fix is simple once you track down the cause.

Why Drains Start Gurgling

That bubbling sound is air getting trapped and pushed through the water. A couple of common reasons are:

Blocked vent pipe – Plumbing vents let air flow through the system so drains work smoothly. When the vent gets clogged with leaves, debris, or even a bird nest, water struggles to drain and makes noise.
Partial clog in the line – Grease, soap, or hair can narrow the drainpipe, forcing air to bubble through instead of flowing quietly.

Both problems are pretty common in Tacoma homes and usually don’t require major repairs.

Things You Can Try Yourself

If the noise is coming from just one drain, here are some simple checks:

Look at the roof vent. If you can safely get up there, see if anything is blocking it. Clearing out leaves or a nest can solve the problem.
Try an enzyme drain cleaner. Let it sit overnight to help break down organic buildup. It’s safer for your pipes than harsh chemicals.

These fixes can quiet a single gurgling drain, especially if the issue is just minor buildup.

When It’s Time to Call a Plumber

If the sound keeps coming back—or spreads to more than one drain—it’s time for backup. Call 2 Sons Plumbing Tacoma at (206) 487-1757 if:

You start smelling sewer odors inside the house.
Multiple drains gurgle or back up at once.
DIY steps don’t solve it, or the gurgling keeps coming back.
These are signs the problem is deeper in the system, and professional tools like augers or cameras may be needed.

What It Costs to Fix

In Tacoma, most folks end up paying somewhere between $250 and $575 to get a drain or vent cleared. The exact price depends on how bad the clog is and how tricky it is to reach.

And honestly, it’s usually money well spent. A small fix now is a lot cheaper than waiting until that partial clog turns into a full-on backup with bigger repair bills.

Local Drain Experts You Can Rely On

At 2 Sons Plumbing Tacoma, we’ve dealt with every kind of gurgling drain—from a bathroom sink that burps every time it’s used, to main line clogs affecting the whole house. Our plumbers show up with the right tools, clear the blockage, and explain what went wrong in plain terms so you know it’s solved.

Quiet Your Drains Today

Don’t let that gurgling keep nagging at you. Call 2 Sons Plumbing Tacoma at (206) 487-1757, and we’ll send a plumber to find the cause and fix it quickly.

One call, and your drains go back to working the way they should—quiet, smooth, and problem-free.

2 Sons Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air

4.9

Based on 3330 reviews

review us on

Oaktree President

22:17 24 Oct 25

Our house decided to replace our own toilet, but we got stuck halfway through because we didn’t have the right tools and accidentally broke an anchor bolt. I called 2 Sons Plumbing, and they showed up within an hour to help us out. Derek, our plumber, was super friendly, explained everything clearly, and got the job done quickly and professionally. Excellent service all around—highly recommend!

Oaktree President

22:17 24 Oct 25

Victor Garcia

20:12 23 Oct 25

Dave and David came and cleared out a huge clog in my kitchen sink (both sides) that has been plaguing us for a while as well a ton of glass shards that got into the drain when our glass fridge shelf broke. Dave walked us through each step of the process and explained everything which was excellent. He also gave us advice about galvanized piping replacement. They even gave us a few free parts for the sink drain that had eroded away and didn’t charge extra for it!! All around 5 star service!!!

Victor Garcia

20:12 23 Oct 25

Steve P

20:40 21 Oct 25

Fantastic service and communication. Local company. Solved my clogged basement laundry utility sink. Dave and David were courteous, informative, professional and easy to engage with. Scheduling was easy (they came the next day) and they arrived within the expected time window. Transparent pricing and i could also apply a coupon. I will use them again.

Steve P

20:40 21 Oct 25

Ashton Wylde

05:46 21 Oct 25

Great service and Dave their plumber is the best. We have an odd house with even odder plumbing. The pipes are a mess of grandfathered-in open air nonsense, when our pump started making some noises (and a little leaking) after some DIY heat tape adventures (getting ready for colder weather), we were worried that we would need a massive repair but Dave came and looked at it and immediately realized we had unplugged the float plug from the pump plug which was 90% of the problem and the leak just need a little tightening of a flex joint. The company was quick and didn't charge for an estimate or in this case a quick "thats not plugged in right". The experience and the overall professionalism has convinced me that when I do finally need that big repair job, I'll call these guys.

Ashton Wylde

05:46 21 Oct 25

Spencer Charles

05:07 20 Oct 25

Booking an appointment was extremely easy, and we were able to get one just the next day. Communication was excellent with timely reminders and a call before our appointment. Kerry did a fantastic job both advising us and effectively resolving our issue.

Spencer Charles

05:07 20 Oct 25

LuAnn Mitchell

02:38 14 Oct 25

I have all good things to say about 2 Sons Plumbing. My first experience was a few years ago and the whole process went very smoothly. Making the appointment was easy and quick, the repair was done with no problem and I thought the price was fair. Recently, Dave from 2 Sons came out to look at several plumbing problems I was having and, within a matter of minutes, all of the problems were diagnosed. Dave gave me options and estimates all before he left my house. I haven’t had the work done yet but appreciate the information and the prices seemed fair to me. Dave was on time, professional and very knowledgeable. 2 Sons are my go to Plumbers.

LuAnn Mitchell

02:38 14 Oct 25

Kayla Huitt

16:58 13 Oct 25

Bob at 2 Sons Plumbing was amazing! We had a horribly backed up kitchen sink drain and he was able to fix it, and save us some money in the process! He heard what we had to say about our issue and double checked everything. Super friendly and very helpful. Thank you for the amazing work Bob!

Kayla Huitt

16:58 13 Oct 25

Mingmin Zhu

00:31 11 Oct 25

I had great experience with Chase, Riley, Seth, Manu, Nolan with a recent fix. They showed up promptly, transparent about the price upfront, set the expectations right, very professional, got things done perfectly, great communication and very honest and patient to answer all my questions, I will definitely use 2 sons again and will recommend it to my friends and neighbors.

Mingmin Zhu

00:31 11 Oct 25

Arul Menezes

00:41 10 Oct 25

Stellar job by Carey and his team at 2sons today. I had a complex job -- installing a yard hydrant/faucet for a garden across the (private) street. They had to go into the floor of the garage, run piping under the floor, out of the house, across the road. Had to cut into the asphalt, trench down a couple feet, then patch it all up again, including fixing the garage concrete floor. Super job. Looks really clean. Got it all done in a day.

Arul Menezes

00:41 10 Oct 25

First Name

00:04 10 Oct 25

A wonderful experience every time with 2 Sons plumbing. Jake and Angelo helped us with our plumbing issue. They showed up on time and gave a very reasonable estimate for the repair. We ended up replacing a couple of toilets and a part of a sink drain. They came back the next day to complete the work due to our schedule. Excellent communication, prompt, and hard working! Thank you so much Jake and Angelo!! We are very happy with 2 Sons and have used them multiple times.

First Name

00:04 10 Oct 25