Drain and Sewer Specialist — Bellevue Eastside (hydro-jetting + camera)
Drain and sewer specialist focused on the cedar-root intrusion pattern that defines plumbing service in the older Eastside neighborhoods — Bridle Trails, parts of Somerset, Crossroads, and Lake Hills. Days are split between routine drain clearing (sink, tub, main-line cabling) and the heavier specialty work — hydro-jetting on cedar-root sewer laterals, sewer camera inspections with on-the-spot client walkthroughs, and trenchless prep for crews that follow.
What you'd be doing
- Run residential drain clearing across kitchen, lavatory, tub, and main lines
- Operate hydro-jetting trailer on sewer laterals (3000–4000 PSI residential rigs)
- Sewer camera inspections with USB-recorded findings and homeowner walkthrough
- Diagnose cedar-root intrusion and recommend cabling vs. jetting vs. spot repair vs. full lining
- Document everything (camera footage, photos, written findings) for the customer file
- Hand off larger jobs to the trenchless crew with a clear scope of work
What you bring
- WA journeyman plumber license OR documented 3+ years drain-cleaning experience
- Hydro-jetting equipment certification or trainable on a 3-week ride-along
- Driver's license, clean MVR, ability to lift 50 lb regularly
- Comfortable diagnosing sewer issues from a video feed
- Strong customer communication for the camera-walkthrough portion of the job
Skills we're looking for
- Drain clearing (auger, cable machines, jetting)
- Sewer camera operation and interpretation
- Cedar-root intrusion pattern recognition
- Hydro-jetting safety and technique
- Customer walkthrough and findings explanation
Compensation and benefits
- Hourly rate $30–45 depending on license and equipment proficiency
- Specialty-bonus structure for hydro-jetting and camera-driven referral work
- Health insurance, paid time off, and 401k via the contracting company
- Equipped service truck with jetter and camera; specialty tools provided
- Continuing education stipend for NASSCO PACP/MACP certification
Schedule
Full-time, with occasional after-hours emergency drain work
What working in Bellevue looks like
Our network covers all 17 Eastside neighborhoods out of Downtown Bellevue. Most jobs are within a 15-minute drive. The highest-volume areas you'd rotate through:
- Bridle Trails plumber — Wooded lots, mature western red cedars and Douglas firs, and aging cast-iron sewer laterals. Root intrusion is the dominant repair pattern here.
- Somerset plumber — 1980s-90s construction on the hill. Slab leaks, polybutylene supply lines, and high static water pressure from elevation are the recurring patterns.
- Lake Hills plumber — 1960s ranchers with original galvanized plumbing if never redone. The peak galvanized-failure window across all of Bellevue.
- Eastgate plumber — Hillside neighborhoods with significant basement-finishing. Sump pumps are critical equipment for any finished basement in this part of Bellevue.
- Crossroads plumber — Mix of 1960s-70s ranchers and 1990s-2000s infill. Galvanized service lines at end of life are the big pattern here.
The core services you'd be running daily:
- Drain Cleaning and Clog Removal — kitchen, shower, main line. cabled, hydro-jetted, and camera-verified.
- Sewer Line Repair and Replacement — trenchless when possible. camera-first, dig-only-when-needed.
- 24/7 Emergency Plumbing — burst pipes, flooding, sewage backups. real plumbers answer the phone, 365 days a year.
Background reading on the work
Editorial we've published on the kind of jobs that come through this dispatch. Useful context if you want to know what the day-to-day actually looks like:
- Cedar and Douglas fir roots in Eastside sewer lines: signs, repair, and prevention
- Hydro jetting vs cabling in Bellevue: which one actually fixes it (and which one is overkill)
- Kitchen drain clogs in Bellevue: grease, FOG, dishwasher discharge
- Recurring drain clogs in older Bellevue homes: cast iron and bellies
About the hiring contractor
This role is recruited by Bellevue Plumber Pro on behalf of our network of independently licensed Washington State plumbing contractors. Bellevue Plumber Pro screens applications and forwards shortlisted candidates to the contractor partner that will be the direct employer for this position. You'll be introduced to that contractor — by name, with their WA Department of Labor & Industries license number, and an opportunity to verify it at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify — during the interview stage. The contractor handles your hire, paycheck, benefits, and the WA plumbing license you'll work under. Bellevue Plumber Pro operates the dispatch network and the recruiting process; the contractor is the legal employer.
Apply for this role
Fill out the form below and we'll route your application to the hiring contractor. They'll reach out directly to schedule a phone screen — using the email and phone you provide. Please don't call the phone number listed elsewhere on this site — that line is for plumbing service clients, not careers.
Other open positions
Different role might be a better fit? Other current openings in the network:
- Journeyman Plumber — Bellevue Eastside — WA-licensed journeyman plumber, full-time, dispatched out of Downtown Bellevue across the Eastside.
- Apprentice Plumber — Bellevue (WA L&I-registered apprenticeship) — Entry-level apprentice role. Learn the trade under a journeyman with full WA L&I apprenticeship registration.
- Service Plumber — Residential service calls, Bellevue Eastside — Mid-level residential service plumber. Focus on small-to-mid repair calls — leaks, fixtures, water heaters, drains.
- Master Plumber / Lead — Bellevue Eastside (crew lead, PL01) — Senior master-licensed plumber to lead a 2–3 person crew on complex residential and light commercial work.
- Dispatch Coordinator — Phone, scheduling, and customer follow-up — Operations role coordinating residential plumbing dispatch across the Eastside. Not a field plumber role.