Drains By James Inc.

Drains by James is a Wilmington, MA drain and sewer specialist that shows up fast — reviewers repeatedly describe technicians arriving within an hour, including calls placed at 1am, after 10pm, and during a Nor'easter. BBB has accredited the company since 2008 with an A+ grade, and it carries a 4.8-star Google rating from 231 ratings. The volume here is substantial — 172 reviews since 2021 — and the overwhelming majority describe the same thing: a technician (Roger, Kyle, Mike T, Shane, Nelson and Steve come up again and again by name) diagnosing the actual cause of a clog or backup rather than just clearing it and leaving. In a 2026 review, one customer described a competitor quoting $28,000 to open a totally blocked main line before Drains by James resolved it; in a 2021 review, another described a technician working over three hours to clear roots from a main sewer line and refusing to leave until a camera confirmed the pipe was clear to the street. Bigger jobs come up too — a full sleeve insertion into a main line performed inside a finished basement without disturbing furniture or landscaping, and a 100-foot snake to clear a clog at a small business while clients were on site. The record isn't spotless. In a July 2026 review, a customer said a technician broke a snake inside the pipe, left a mess, and was still charged despite the clog not being fixed — a second company had to finish the job. A September 2025 review described a promised drain-inspection report, ordered ahead of a home purchase, that never arrived on schedule. And a couple of reviews, from 2024 and 2025, describe feeling charged for add-on work they didn't think they needed. For a clogged or backed-up drain, especially an after-hours emergency, this is a company with a long, well-documented track record — just get the scope and price in writing up front, particularly for anything beyond a routine clear.