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How Your Drain-Waste-Vent System Works

Fixture drains — sinks, tubs, and toilets
Main stack — collects branch lines and vents through the roof
Vent — keeps trap seals from siphoning dry
Cleanout — access point for snaking or jetting a clog
Building sewer — carries wastewater to the street main

Clogged kitchen sink, slow shower, backed-up toilet or a main line that will not drain — RJC Plumbing clears drains and repairs the toilets and faucets behind them, often the same day, for homes across Augusta and Central Maine.

Which drains do we clear?

Kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, tubs and showers, floor drains, washing-machine standpipes and the main sewer line. If a drain is slow, gurgles or backs up, we clear it and check what caused it.

A single slow fixture is a local clog. Several drains backing up at once — or sewage in the lowest drain — points to the main line, and we treat that as a priority call.

Why do drains keep clogging?

Kitchen lines clog with grease and food; bathroom lines with hair and soap scum; main lines with roots, a belly in the pipe, or a section of old cast iron that has scaled inside. Clearing the clog without fixing the cause means we will be back.

When a line clogs repeatedly we tell you why and what it would take to fix it permanently — sometimes a proper cleanout, sometimes replacing a section of pipe.

Toilet repair and replacement

Running toilets, weak flushes, toilets that rock or leak at the base, and clogs a plunger cannot reach are all quick calls. Flappers, fill valves and wax rings are on the truck.

If the toilet is cracked or an old high-volume model, we will quote a replacement — installed, tested, and the old one hauled away.

Faucet and fixture repair

Dripping faucets, shower valves that will not shut off, and outdoor spigots that leak all fall under the same call. Most are a cartridge or seal; we carry the common ones and replace the fixture if it is beyond repair.

Please skip the chemical drain cleaner before we arrive. It rarely clears a real blockage, damages older pipe and seals, and makes the line hazardous to open.

What does drain cleaning cost in Maine?

$150–$500

Typical range for clearing a single clogged drain. Main sewer line clogs and toilet or faucet replacements are quoted separately. You get the price before we start.

Every job starts with a free, no-obligation estimate — you get the exact price before any work begins.

Call (207) 549-0064 Request a Free Estimate

Google reviews

What drain cleaning customers say

Dave Corcoran
August 2025
“Great service from RJC Plumbing! I had a leak in the drain pipe coming from the upstairs bathrooms. Riley identified the source, as well as another issue with that pipe, and replaced the bad sections. No more leaks! Very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable.”
Carrie Chadbourne
July 2025
“I had issue with my shower that wouldn't stop running and he came over very quickly after I called, was very nice and professional. Fixed it brand new . Would recommend them for any plumbing issues.”
Shawn McFarland
August 2024
“My wife and I were having some plumbing issues, after calling the "Big" companies (which will remain un-named), their responses to me was to have my septic dug up and pumped. An option that we simply didn't have at this moment.”

Drain Cleaning: Snaking, Jetting & When to Look With a Camera

Most clogged drains are a simple snaking job, but a drain that clogs again a few weeks later — or one that's connected to a septic system rather than town sewer — is worth diagnosing properly before repeating the same fix and expecting a different result.

Snaking vs. Hydro Jetting

Snaking and jetting compared
Method	How it works	Best for
Snaking (cable auger)	A flexible cable with a cutting or corkscrew head is fed into the line to break up or hook the clog and pull it back, or punch a path through it	A single, localized clog — hair in a bathroom line, a toy or object in a toilet, roots at one specific joint
Hydro jetting	A high-pressure water hose with a specialized nozzle scours the full interior diameter of the pipe, front to back, rather than punching a single path through the clog	Grease-lined kitchen lines, a pattern of recurring clogs, or a line with buildup along its whole length rather than one blockage point

Plumber feeding a sewer inspection camera into a basement drain line with the monitor open beside him

Why the Same Drain Keeps Clogging

Snaking clears a path through a clog; it doesn't necessarily clear the buildup lining the rest of the pipe that narrowed it in the first place. A kitchen line with years of grease coating its walls, or a main line with root intrusion at several joints, will often clog again within weeks of a snaking-only visit — not because the repair failed, but because the underlying buildup was never addressed. That's the situation hydro jetting is built for.

A drain that clogs repeatedly at the same fixture, on the other hand, more often points to something structural — a low spot (belly) in the line, a partially crushed pipe, or a fitting installed at too shallow an angle — that no amount of cleaning fixes on its own.

Camera Inspection: Seeing the Actual Problem

A sewer camera is a waterproof, flexible camera fed into the line that shows exactly what's happening inside — root intrusion, a cracked or offset joint, a bellied section holding standing water, or simply confirmation that a line is clear and the problem is elsewhere. For a recurring clog, a home purchase, or a main line back-up, a camera inspection replaces guesswork with an actual answer, and lets us recommend the right fix instead of the most common one.

RJC plumber responding to a general service and repair call

Sewer Line vs. Septic System

A backup on town sewer and a backup on a private septic system get diagnosed differently, and it matters which one you have before any work starts. On town sewer, a clog is almost always somewhere in your own lateral line between the house and the street main. On a septic system, a slow drain or backup can also mean the tank needs pumping or the leach field is failing — problems a septic pumping and inspection company handles, not a drain cleaning visit — so the first question we ask on any drain call outside the immediate Augusta area is which system the house is on.

Many homes around the Kennebec County towns we serve are on private septic systems rather than town sewer, so we always confirm this before recommending jetting or excavation on a main line — jetting a septic lateral incorrectly can do more harm than the clog itself.

Electric drum auger drain-cleaning machine with coiled cable on a wheeled cart

Cast-iron sewer cleanout access cover set in a paved outdoor walkway

Drain Cleaning questions from Augusta homeowners

Can you clear a clogged drain the same day?

Often, yes. Drain backups — especially a main line — go to the front of the schedule. Call (207) 549-0064 in the morning and we will do our best to be there today.

Is a chemical drain cleaner safe to try first?

We recommend against it. Caustic cleaners damage older pipes and seals, rarely clear a real blockage, and make the job hazardous for the plumber who opens the line. A plunger is fine; if that fails, call.

How do I know if the main sewer line is clogged?

More than one drain backing up, gurgling toilets when a sink drains, or water coming up in a basement floor drain or shower are the signs. Stop running water and call.

Do you repair toilets or only replace them?

Both. Flappers, fill valves, flush valves, wax rings and supply lines are repaired on the spot. We replace a toilet when it is cracked, leaking at the tank bolts, or an old model that keeps clogging.

Can you fix a dripping faucet without replacing it?

Usually. Most drips are a worn cartridge or seat washer. If the faucet body is corroded or parts are no longer available, we will quote a replacement.

Do you clean drains for homes on septic systems?

Yes. Many homes outside Augusta are on septic. We clear the house drain lines; if the problem is the septic tank or leach field itself we will tell you so you can call a septic contractor.

Related plumbing services

Drain Cleaning across Central Maine

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