Top plumbing & sewer contractors in Illinois, ranked by ChatGPT answers

Places ChatGPT showed

• Goode Plumbing · 4.9★ · Plumber
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. · 4.8★ · Plumber
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining · 5.0★ · Plumber
• MAS Plumbing, Inc. · 4.8★ · Plumber
• Kevin Szabo Jr Plumbing and Sewer · 4.9★ · Plumber
• Elk Grove Village Sewer & Plumbing · 4.4★ · Plumber
• B & A Plumbing, Inc. · 4.6★ · Plumber

If the property is in Illinois, I’d compare contractors based on where the property is, whether it’s residential or commercial, and whether the job involves an underground sewer line, interior plumbing, excavation, or trenchless repair. Rather than treating one contractor as universally “best,” here’s a useful comparison set drawn from current contractor information and local business listings.

Contractors worth putting on the bid list

• Goode Plumbing — Schiller Park/Chicago area. Full-service plumbing and drain/sewer work, including commercial service and sewer main repairs. Its listing indicates 24/7 availability.
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. — Lake Villa. Focuses heavily on sewer/drain problems, camera diagnostics, plumbing, and emergency work; serves much of the northern Chicagoland area.
• Walsh & Son Plumbing and Sewer — Orland Park. Particularly relevant for sewer-line cleaning, camera inspections, hydro-jetting, repair/replacement and trenchless options.
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining — North Aurora/Wheaton. Worth comparing when trenchless sewer lining or pipe bursting is a possibility, as well as conventional sewer replacement.
• MAS Plumbing, Inc. — Roselle. Full-service plumbing and sewer contractor serving the western/northwestern suburbs, including commercial work.
• Kevin Szabo Jr Plumbing and Sewer — Tinley Park. Advertises both residential and commercial plumbing, including larger projects and sewer-related work.
• B & D Plumbing And Sewer Service, Inc. — New Lenox area. Residential and commercial plumbing/sewer contractor serving Will, Cook and DuPage counties.
• Elk Grove Village Sewer & Plumbing — Northwest suburbs. Its service offering specifically includes sewer camera inspection, hydro-jetting, trenchless repair/replacement, storm sewer work and commercial plumbing.

For commercial, industrial or municipal-scale work, I would also solicit a bid from B&A Plumbing. The company says it handles sewer/water-main work, storm sewers, catch basins, hydrants, video inspection and commercial/industrial plumbing across Cook, DuPage, Kane and Lake counties.

What I would require in the bids

For a significant sewer repair, don't compare just the bottom-line price. Ask every contractor to provide:

1. Camera inspection and video identifying the exact defect.
2. A written description of whether they recommend spot repair, lining, pipe bursting, or excavation/replacement and why.
3. Two scopes/prices where practical—for example, trenchless versus conventional excavation.
4. Responsibility for permits, utility locating, inspections and municipal requirements.
5. Exactly what is included in excavation and restoration—concrete, asphalt, landscaping, flooring, etc.
6. Warranty terms and exclusions.
7. Proof of current Illinois plumbing licensing, insurance and bonding, plus any municipality-specific registration required for the property.
8. References for similar-size projects, especially if this is an apartment, commercial or multifamily property.

One useful benchmark is that Illinois PHCC directories identify contractors by capabilities such as service, residential, commercial, industrial and site utilities, which can help distinguish a general plumber from a contractor accustomed to larger sewer/infrastructure projects.

If you give me the Illinois city/ZIP, property type (house, multifamily, commercial, etc.), and a sentence describing the repair, I can narrow this to 5–7 contractors that actually serve that location and compare their sewer capabilities, licensing information, reviews, and contact details.

Places ChatGPT showed

• RootBusters Plumbing, Sewer and Drains Inc. · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Elite Sewer & Drain Inc. · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. · 4.8★ · Plumber

If you mean Illinois generally, I found several contractors that explicitly advertise some combination of sewer camera inspection + written findings/report + repair estimate. The clearest matches are:

• RootBusters Plumbing, Sewer and Drains Inc. — Bolingbrook / Chicagoland. Their published service includes a live camera walkthrough, written report with timestamps and depth measurements, saved video, and a written flat-rate repair quote if work is needed. Their site lists standalone inspections at roughly $275–$475.
• Elite Sewer & Drain Inc. — Skokie / Chicago area. They offer sewer-camera inspection and sewer repair, making them worth calling specifically to confirm that the inspection report and estimate are provided in writing.
• Quality Plumbing Chicago — Addison / western suburbs. Their sewer-video inspection service explicitly includes digital video, a written review, consultation on remedies, and cost estimates.
• Lanz, Inc. — Champaign area. Their camera inspection includes continuous video plus written findings, and they can locate defects and provide the information to their underground/repair department for evaluation. A residential inspection is currently listed at $287.
• Priority Plumbing — Metro East Illinois. They state that when the camera identifies a problem, they provide a written estimate for repair options, with the inspection fee separate from the repair estimate.
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. — Lake Villa / northern Illinois. They perform fiber-optic sewer-camera inspections and sewer repairs; their service description indicates camera diagnostics are used to determine the appropriate repair.

What I'd ask for when calling

To make sure you get what you're looking for, ask:

> “I want a sewer-camera inspection with the video, a written report identifying the defects and their locations, and a written, itemized estimate for any recommended repair. Do you provide all three as part of the service?”

That's important because some plumbers advertise a camera inspection but only provide a live viewing or video—not a formal written report.

If you tell me the Illinois city or ZIP code (e.g. Chicago, Naperville, Champaign, Rockford), I can narrow this to contractors actually serving that area and compare inspection price, report format, estimate policy, licensing, and reviews.

Places ChatGPT showed

• J. Blanton Plumbing, Sewer & Drain · 4.8★ · Plumber
• J Sewer & Plumbing · 4.7★ · Plumber
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. · 4.8★ · Plumber
• Elite Sewer & Drain Inc. · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining · 5.0★ · Plumber
• MIRACLE PLUMBING & SEWER SERVICES · 4.9★ · Plumber
• Suburban Plumbing Sewer Line and Drain Cleaning Experts · 3.7★ · Plumber
• Cahill Plumbing, Sewer & Drain · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Bubba, Wayne & Tim Sewer Service Inc · 4.5★ · Plumber

Yes. Illinois has a number of plumbing/sewer contractors that specifically handle drain cleaning, sewer rodding/hydro-jetting, camera inspections, and sewer-line repair or replacement. The strongest concentration is in the Chicago/Chicagoland area.

Companies to consider

• J. Blanton Plumbing, Sewer & Drain — Skokie/Chicagoland. Offers drain cleaning, sewer rodding, hydro jetting, camera inspections, sewer maintenance/repair, and trenchless sewer repair.
• J Sewer & Plumbing — Chicago. Handles drain cleaning, hydro jetting, camera inspections, sewer-line repair and replacement, and excavation.
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. — Lake Villa/northern suburbs. Offers sewer cleaning, hydro jetting, camera inspections, repairs, replacement, and trenchless work.
• Walsh & Son Plumbing and Sewer — Orland Park/southwest suburbs. Handles sewer cleaning, root removal, hydro jetting, camera inspections, repair and trenchless or conventional replacement.
• Elite Sewer & Drain Inc. — Skokie. Focuses heavily on sewer/drain cleaning, power rodding, hydro jetting, camera diagnostics and main sewer-line repair.
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining — North Aurora/Wheaton and western suburbs. Particularly relevant if you're considering sewer lining/trenchless repair, in addition to cleaning and conventional replacement.
• MIRACLE PLUMBING & SEWER SERVICES — Skokie/Cook and Lake counties. Offers drain cleaning, rodding, hydro jetting, camera inspection, trenchless repair and excavation/replacement.
• Suburban Plumbing Sewer Line and Drain Cleaning Experts — Brookfield/Chicagoland. Handles main-line cleaning, root removal, sewer repair and replacement.
• Cahill Plumbing, Sewer & Drain — Lake Bluff/North Shore. Offers main-line drain cleaning, hydro jetting, camera inspection, sewer repair and replacement.
• Bubba, Wayne & Tim Sewer Service Inc — Chicago. A long-running sewer specialist offering main-line rodding, sewer cleaning, sewer repair/installation and drainage work.
• B & D Plumbing And Sewer Service, Inc. — New Lenox/southwest suburbs. Handles drain/sewer rodding, cleanouts and sewer-line repair/replacement.
• Apex Plumbing & Sewer — Chicago. Provides drain cleaning, sewer cleaning/repair and rodding; the company says it has served Chicago since 1984.
• Madden Sewer & Drain — Chicago and nearby suburbs. Family-owned, with drain cleaning/maintenance and sewer repair/installation.
• Roto-Rooter — Broad Chicago-metro coverage, including Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will and other counties. Offers drain cleaning, video inspection, sewer repair/replacement and trenchless methods.

What I'd ask before hiring

For a sewer-line problem, I'd specifically ask whether the company can provide:

1. Camera inspection before recommending replacement
2. Video footage/photos showing the defect
3. Hydro-jetting or rodding if the problem may be buildup or roots
4. A written distinction between spot repair, trenchless lining, and full excavation/replacement
5. An itemized estimate covering excavation, restoration, permits and disposal

That matters because a recurring backup doesn't necessarily mean the entire sewer needs replacement; a camera inspection can identify roots, buildup, breaks, or a bellied section.

If you tell me the Illinois city or ZIP code (e.g., Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, Springfield, etc.), I can narrow this to companies that actually service your area and compare their sewer/drain capabilities.

Worked for 59s

1. Searching the web
2. I’ll check Illinois contractors’ own published service descriptions and separate firms that explicitly say residential, commercial, or both.
3. Searching the web
4. Searched 29 websites

Map data is currently unavailable Goode Plumbing 4.9PlumberOpen Ravinia Plumbing, Sewer, Heating & Electric 3.0PlumberOpen J. Blanton Plumbing, Sewer and Drain 4.8PlumberOpen FJ Bero & Co. Plumbing 3.8PlumberOpen Midcity Plumbing 4.7PlumberOpen DeFranco Plumbing, Inc. 4.2PlumberOpen

Yes. I found a number of Illinois plumbing contractors whose own websites explicitly identify the property/customer types they serve. I’d classify them as follows:

Particularly clear examples

If your criterion is “does the contractor actually publish a clear statement about the customer/property type?”, rather than merely appearing in a directory, these are especially explicit:

• MAS Plumbing — has dedicated Residential and Commercial categories and describes examples such as homes, restaurants, auto shops, apartments and offices.
• Power Plumbing — literally directs visitors to “Residential Plumbing” versus “Commercial Plumbing,” with examples such as custom homes, multifamily, restaurants, offices and warehouses.
• RB Plumbing & Sewer — explicitly says it serves “both residential and small commercial accounts” and defines the property types.
• F.J. Bero & Company — maintains distinct residential and commercial plumbing descriptions, including commercial/industrial, municipal, educational and medical facilities.
• Excel Plumbing — explicitly covers homes, commercial buildings, schools, banks, restaurants, multifamily buildings and other property types.

This is not an exhaustive list of every Illinois plumbing contractor; it is a set I could verify from currently published web material. If you’re building a contractor database, I can also turn this into a larger Illinois list (e.g. 50–100 contractors) with columns for residential/commercial/both, service area, website, and the exact wording used to establish the classification.

Places ChatGPT showed

• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Patriot Trenchless Plumbing · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. · 4.8★ · Plumber
• Behm Enterprises Inc · 1.0★ · Excavating contractor
• Trenchless Innovations · 4.7★ · Plumber

Yes. I found several Illinois contractors that explicitly describe offering both conventional excavation/replacement and trenchless sewer repair, which makes them useful for getting comparable evaluations rather than being locked into one method.

• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining — North Aurora/Wheaton area. Offers traditional sewer repair/replacement as well as trenchless lining/pipe repair. Its service description indicates that severe structural failures can be handled with conventional excavation when lining isn't appropriate.
• Patriot Trenchless Plumbing — Montgomery/Fox Valley. Primarily trenchless, but its listed services also include traditional sewer excavation when trenchless isn't appropriate.
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. — Lake Villa/northern Illinois. Offers sewer repair and line replacement, including trenchless methods where appropriate.
• Behm Enterprises Inc — Lakemoor/McHenry–Lake County area. Particularly relevant if you want an excavation/underground-utility contractor: it handles sewer/water repair and replacement and also offers trenchless installation methods.
• Trenchless Innovations — Crete/Chicagoland. Stronger trenchless emphasis, with camera inspection and CIPP/PIPP options; worth asking specifically about conventional excavation if you want both alternatives evaluated.
• Roto-Rooter Chicago — Its Chicago sewer division explicitly offers both conventional excavation/replacement and trenchless methods including pipe relining, bursting, and patching.
• Priority Plumbing Services — Metro East Illinois. Explicitly says it provides both traditional excavation and trenchless replacement, including pipe bursting and epoxy lining, and evaluates trenchless eligibility after camera inspection.
• 217, Inc. — Champaign-Urbana. Handles sewer excavation as well as trenchless/CIPP work in-house.
• Midwest Septic & Drain Services — Northeastern Illinois. States that it can either excavate or use trenchless methods after camera inspection.
• Miracle Plumbing — Cook & Lake counties. Offers sewer lateral excavation/full replacement alongside trenchless CIPP point repair, with CCTV inspection used to determine the appropriate approach.
• Innovative Underground — Chicago suburbs. Describes both traditional excavation/repair or replacement and trenchless pipe repair for residential and commercial customers.

For a side-by-side evaluation

I'd ask each contractor for a written comparison of three scenarios after a CCTV inspection:

1. Spot excavation/repair.
2. Full conventional excavation and replacement.
3. Trenchless lining or pipe bursting, if technically feasible.

Ask them to separately identify pipe condition, access points, expected service life, permitting, restoration costs, warranty, total project price, and why they consider each method appropriate. That makes the estimates much easier to compare.

If you tell me what part of Illinois (city or ZIP) and whether this is residential, commercial, or municipal, I can narrow this to contractors that actually serve your area and provide contact/website information.

Places ChatGPT showed

• Vertical Plumbing · 4.0★ · Plumber
• Advance Mechanical Systems Inc · 3.9★ · Mechanical contractor
• Metro Commercial General Contracting INC · 3.7★ · General contractor
• Commercial Plumbing Co · 5.0★ · Plumber
• McNelly Services, Inc. · 4.7★ · General contractor
• Inter City Maintenance Service, Inc. · 4.6★ · Property maintenance

Yes. I found several Illinois companies that explicitly advertise scheduled/preventive plumbing maintenance for apartments, rental properties, property managers, or other multi-unit buildings.

• Vertical Plumbing — Monee / south Chicagoland. Residential and light-commercial plumbing, with inspection and maintenance capabilities.
• Adamson Plumbing Contractors — Addison / Chicagoland. Commercial plumbing contractor with ongoing service and maintenance for commercial properties.
• Advance Mechanical Systems Inc — Arlington Heights / Chicagoland. Offers planned maintenance agreements, annual backflow testing, scheduled rodding/jetting, basin clean-outs, and broader facility-maintenance programs.
• Metro Commercial General Contracting INC — Chicago. Its service plumbers work in high-rises and mid-rises, with ongoing service/maintenance for property managers.
• Commercial Plumbing Co — Itasca. Specifically markets preventative maintenance for commercial operators including multi-unit buildings and property managers.
• McNelly Services, Inc. — Lake Zurich / northern suburbs. Property-maintenance company offering ongoing commercial maintenance, including plumbing, useful if you want multiple building trades handled by one vendor.
• Inter City Maintenance Service, Inc. — Chicago. Offers rental-property and apartment maintenance, including plumbing and preventative maintenance.
• Priority Plumbing Services — Southern Illinois / Metro East. This is one of the clearest matches: its maintenance contracts explicitly cover apartment complexes, HOAs, property-management companies and multi-unit properties, with scheduled inspections, drain cleaning, backflow testing, water-heater service and priority response.
• Kankakee Plumbing Co — Kankakee area. Offers maintenance contracts for property managers plus multi-unit residential/HOA plumbing, annual building assessments, shared sewer maintenance, water heaters and backflow testing.
• Roto-Rooter Chicago — Chicago/Cook County. Offers commercial maintenance agreements for multi-family and property-management buildings, with quarterly, semiannual and annual options.
• V.C. Plumbing, Inc. — Chicago northwest suburbs. Explicitly offers scheduled maintenance programs and service accounts for property-management companies, including coverage across multiple properties.
• Rocket Plumbing — Chicago/Naperville. Specifically markets plumbing maintenance for property managers and multi-unit residential buildings.

What I'd ask when getting quotes

For a rental portfolio, I'd specifically ask whether their agreement includes:

• Scheduled quarterly/semiannual/annual inspections
• Unit-by-unit inspections versus only common areas
• Preventive drain/sewer cleaning
• Water-heater inspection and flushing
• Shutoff-valve and supply-line checks
• Backflow testing/certification
• Priority response for tenant emergencies
• Tenant scheduling/coordination
• Digital service reports and photos
• A fixed monthly/annual maintenance fee versus per-visit charges
• Coverage for multiple properties under one agreement

If you tell me which part of Illinois (e.g., Chicago, suburbs, Springfield, Peoria, Rockford, Southern Illinois) and approximately how many units/properties, I can narrow this to companies that specifically serve your area and compare their maintenance programs.

Places ChatGPT showed

• Rescue Plumbing · 4.5★ · Plumber
• S and J Plumbing & Sewer · 4.2★ · Plumber
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining · 5.0★ · Plumber
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. · 4.8★ · Plumber

Several Illinois contractors publicly explain both emergency availability and how emergency/service-call pricing works. A few that stand out from the information currently published online:

• Rescue Plumbing — Chicago. Advertises 24/7 emergency plumbing, including sewer backups. Its published policy says free verbal estimates Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; $99 emergency service fee after hours and Sundays.
• S and J Plumbing & Sewer — Arlington Heights. Lists 24/7 emergency service and handles sewer/drain emergencies. Public business information describes its pricing/estimate practices, although I found less specific published dollar information than with some competitors.
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining — North Aurora. Advertises 24/7 emergency availability and transparent/no-hidden-fee pricing, with services ranging from drain clearing to sewer diagnostics and trenchless lining.
• Illinois Sewer and Drain Inc. — Lake Villa. Advertises 24/7 emergency service and same-day appointments, with sewer-camera diagnostics and transparent pricing.
• Capps Plumbing & Sewer — Chicagoland. Its FAQ is unusually explicit: the normal $78 service-call fee is waived when recommended work is completed during regular hours, while an emergency visit has a $195 service-call fee that is not waived, with emergency rates applying. It also says technicians are available 24/7.
• Darwyn's Plumbing — Metro East/Madison and St. Clair counties. Publishes 24/7 emergency availability, a $99 standard service-call fee and $299 after-hours emergency fee, and says it uses flat-rate pricing/no hidden charges.
• Clean Line Sewer, Septic & Plumbing — Danville/Champaign-area and surrounding Illinois communities. Advertises emergency sewer/septic/plumbing response and publishes a $95 plumbing service price, explaining that dispatch can cover inspection/diagnostics and may cover the entire service depending on the job.
• Speedy Chicago Plumbers — Chicago. Advertises 24/7 emergency service and publishes a $129 basic emergency visit, with higher packages listed at $249 and $499; it says estimates are provided before work begins.

What to compare

The published policies aren't directly equivalent. When calling, I'd ask each contractor:

1. Is there a dispatch/call-out fee just for coming out?
2. Is that fee waived if I authorize the repair?
3. Is there a separate after-hours/weekend/holiday surcharge?
4. Is sewer work priced hourly, flat-rate, or quoted after diagnosis?
5. Does the emergency fee include the first hour or only the trip?
6. Will I receive the repair price before work begins?

For context, Illinois utility tariffs demonstrate that after-hours call-out charges can legitimately be structured as a minimum number of labor hours; for example, Utility Services of Illinois currently specifies a $106 minimum after-hours call-out charge equivalent to two hours of labor, while Aqua Illinois specifies a two-hour minimum for after-hours service calls.

If you tell me which part of Illinois (Chicago, suburbs, Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Metro East, etc.), I can narrow this to contractors in that area and compare their published emergency fees, hours, sewer services, and service-area coverage.

Places ChatGPT showed

• Pioneer Plumbing Restoration · 4.9★ · Plumber
• Suburban Sewer & Septic Inc. · 4.7★ · Plumber
• Pro Services Plumbing, Drains, Sewer Lining · 5.0★ · Plumber
• J. Blanton Plumbing, Sewer and Drain · 4.8★ · Plumber

If your requirement is one written scope that explicitly addresses the work, permits, site restoration, and warranty terms, I found a few Illinois contractors whose published materials come closest to that standard.

The clearest matches

MDM is the clearest match I found for the combination you described. Its sewer-line page expressly says that permits, restoration and municipal coordination are included, and that every job carries a written warranty. Its general process also says customers receive pricing/options before work begins and that warranty coverage is in writing.

Redinger is another particularly strong fit if this is a main sewer/service-line replacement. Its published scope addresses permit acquisition, inspections, backfill, restoration of pavement/concrete/landscaping, and a final documentation package containing permit records and warranty information.

One important distinction: “restoration included” isn't the same as “all restoration included.” For example, a contractor may include excavation/backfill and lawn restoration but exclude concrete, driveway, sidewalk, interior flooring, or landscaping. A contractor's written terms should identify those surfaces individually. This is especially important because some published sewer warranties expressly exclude surface restoration unless it is specifically included in writing.

What I'd require in the actual contract

Before signing, I'd ask each contractor to put these six items directly into the proposal:

1. Exact sewer scope — location, length, diameter, material, repair/replacement method and connection points.
2. Permits — who obtains and pays for them, and who schedules/handles inspections.
3. Restoration — explicitly list lawn, topsoil/seed/sod, landscaping, concrete, asphalt, pavers, sidewalk, driveway, basement floor, etc.
4. Warranty — duration, what failures are covered, whether labor and materials are covered, and exclusions.
5. Unexpected conditions — roots, buried concrete, utilities, bad soil, additional excavation, etc., with written change-order approval before extra charges.
6. Closeout documents — permit/inspection approvals, CCTV video, photos, invoices and warranty certificate.

For example, some Illinois municipalities themselves require a one-year sewer warranty covering workmanship, installation, material failure and restoration items, which makes the exact wording of the contractor's warranty worth checking against your municipality's requirements.

If you tell me the Illinois city/suburb and whether this is a sewer lateral replacement, repair, or trenchless lining, I can narrow this to contractors that serve that municipality and verify their published contract/warranty language.