Drain Cleaning

Drain cleaning in Maine starts with one question. Is the clog in a single fixture, or is it somewhere deeper in the line? Trenchless Maine clears slow, clogged and backing-up drains and sewer lines for homeowners, property managers and towns. We use jetting and mechanical snaking, and we can look inside the pipe with a camera when you need to know what is really going on. Call (207) 401-7622 or ask for a free inspection and estimate.

Signs your drain or sewer line needs cleaning

Most drain trouble gives you a warning first. You may just get used to it, which is how a slow drain turns into a backup. Watch for these signs.

• Water that drains slowly from a sink, tub or shower
• Gurgling sounds from drains or toilets after water runs elsewhere in the building
• Sewer odors near a floor drain, basement or yard
• Water backing up into a tub, shower or floor drain when you run the washer or flush a toilet
• More than one fixture clogging at the same time

One slow sink usually means a clog in that fixture’s own branch line. Several slow fixtures at once point to the main drain or the sewer line leaving your building. That is a bigger job, and a plunger will not fix it.

What clogs drains in Maine homes and buildings

Clogs have causes, and knowing the cause helps decide how to clear the line and whether it will come back.

Grease and kitchen waste

Cooking grease runs down the drain as a liquid. Then it cools and coats the pipe wall. Food bits stick to that coating, and the opening gets smaller each time you use the sink. Kitchen lines in busy restaurants and cafeterias are the usual trouble spots, though any home kitchen can build up a layer.

Tree roots

Roots grow toward water. A small crack or loose joint in a sewer line gives them a way in, and they thicken inside the pipe. Mature trees and shrubs near a sewer line are a common cause of repeat backups on older properties.

Scale and sediment

Mineral scale builds up on the inside of older iron pipe. Sediment settles in low spots and in lines that do not slope well. Both narrow the pipe slowly, so the drain gets a little worse over time instead of failing all at once.

Debris and flushed items

Hair, soap scum and so-called flushable wipes catch on rough spots and on each other. A clump that starts small can block a line.

Maine adds a few problems of its own. Many homes here have older pipe. Frost and freeze-thaw cycles can shift soil and open up joints. Camps and seasonal properties sit unused for months, and water that sits in a line leaves sediment behind.

How we clear a clogged drain: snaking and jetting

Drain cleaning at Trenchless Maine uses two methods. The right one depends on what is in the pipe.

Mechanical snaking

A snake is a long, flexible cable with a cutting or hooking head. It is fed into the drain and turned as it moves forward. The head breaks through a blockage or pulls it out. Snaking works well when one local stoppage is the problem, such as a hairball, a wad of paper or a small root mass.

Jetting

Jetting uses a hose with a special nozzle that sends water through the pipe. The water carries debris along and scours the wall of the pipe. That makes jetting a good fit for grease, scale and sediment that line the pipe instead of blocking it in one spot. It works best on a pipe that is sound enough to take it, which is one more reason to look inside first.

Sometimes the best answer is both. A line can be snaked to open a path and then cleaned along its length so the buildup that caused the clog does not close back in.

Why a camera belongs in drain cleaning

Clearing a clog treats the symptom. If the line is cracked, sagging or invaded by roots, the clog will likely return. A camera inspection shows the inside of the pipe so you can see the cause instead of guessing at it.

Trenchless Maine does pipe inspection with sewer cameras and specialized equipment. Reports can include images or video of what was found. That gives you something concrete to look at, and something to share with a landlord, a board or a town office.

If a line turns out to be hard to find, we can also use pipe locating. That means electromagnetic locating, acoustic locating and ground penetrating radar (GPR), depending on the situation. Knowing exactly where a pipe runs saves guesswork before any repair.

When cleaning is not enough

Some pipes are past the point where cleaning helps. A collapsed section, a broken joint or a pipe that has shifted out of line will keep catching debris no matter how often it is cleared.

When the camera shows damage, trenchless pipe repair is often the next step. A flexible, epoxy-coated liner goes into the existing pipe through small access points. There is no need for extensive digging, so your lawn, driveway and landscaping stay mostly as they are. In some cases the damage is too severe for lining, and excavation is the better answer. The camera inspection helps sort out which case you have.

Septic system or public sewer

Drain cleaning applies to the pipes. Where those pipes lead makes a difference to what you should expect.

If your home connects to a public sewer, the line between your building and the street main is often the property owner’s responsibility, and a blockage there can back up into your basement. If you have a septic system, a slow drain may come from a clog in the pipes, or from a tank or drain field that is full or failing. Drain cleaning clears pipes. It does not empty or repair a septic tank.

If you are not sure which situation you have, say so when you request an estimate. A camera inspection can help narrow it down.

Drain cleaning for homes, businesses and towns

We work for residential, commercial and municipal customers throughout Maine. The problems look different from one to the next.

• Homeowners call about a kitchen sink that will not drain, a basement floor drain that gurgles, or a main line that backs up when the washer runs.
• Property managers often deal with one main line that serves many units. A single blockage affects every tenant on that line, so finding the cause matters more than clearing it once.
• Businesses with food service or heavy daily use build up grease and debris faster than a typical home does.
• Municipal and facilities staff manage longer runs of sewer line, where inspection and cleaning often go together.

What happens when you request drain cleaning

1. You request a free inspection and estimate on our website. You share your contact details and a short description of the problem.
2. Our team reaches out promptly to schedule.
3. We inspect the line with a camera and other specialized equipment so we can see what is in it.
4. You get a plan based on what we find. That may be cleaning by snaking or jetting. If the pipe is damaged, it may include trenchless lining.

Describe the problem as well as you can. Tell us which fixtures are slow, when the trouble started, and whether it has happened before.

What to do while you wait

A few simple steps can keep a bad situation from getting worse.

• Stop running water into a drain that is backing up. More water means more mess.
• Skip chemical drain openers. They can sit in standing water, can be hard on pipe, and are a hazard for anyone who works on the line afterward.
• Do not flush wipes or paper towels, even if the package says flushable.
• Find your cleanout if you can. It is a capped pipe, often in a basement or near the foundation, that gives direct access to the sewer line.
• Keep the area around floor drains and cleanouts clear so the crew can reach them.

Keeping drains clear after cleaning

Some of what clogs a drain is in your control. Pour cooking grease into a container and put it in the trash, not down the sink. Use drain strainers in kitchens, tubs and showers. Keep wipes, paper towels and hygiene products out of the toilet. Think about where tree roots are headed before you plant near a sewer line.

If you own a camp or seasonal property, run water through every drain when you open it up for the season. Water that has sat in traps and low spots can hold sediment.

If a drain keeps clogging after it has been cleaned, take that seriously. Repeat clogs usually mean something is wrong with the pipe, and a camera inspection is the way to find out.

Request a free inspection and estimate

If you have a slow drain, a backup or a sewer smell you cannot place, start with a look inside the pipe. Request your free inspection and estimate and tell us what you are seeing. You can also call Trenchless Maine at (207) 401-7622, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. We are based at 19 Zoe Ct in Brunswick and serve customers throughout Maine.