Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Long Island homeowners dealing with water damage or basement flooding who want plumbing and restoration handled by a single crew instead of coordinating multiple contractors.
Best for
- Farmingdale and Long Island homeowners who need water damage and mold work handled under one contract without coordinating separate companies.
- Basement flooding emergencies at 2 AM — they staff around the clock and typically dispatch within hours.
- Owners of pre-war Long Island homes with aging cast iron or galvanized pipes who need both diagnosis (camera inspection) and repair in a single visit.
- Commercial property managers in Nassau or Suffolk counties who need scalable water damage restoration with insurance documentation.
- Homeowners who discover mold during a water damage cleanup and want the same crew to transition directly into remediation.
About this company
Roto-Rooter's Farmingdale location sits at 241 Central Ave and serves as the hub for Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties across Long Island. This is a franchise of the national chain founded in 1935, managed locally by Frank Martellucci with licensed plumber Terence R. O'Shea holding Nassau, Suffolk, and NYC plumbing licenses. They handle plumbing, drain cleaning, water damage restoration, and mold remediation — meaning one call covers the full chain from burst pipe to dried-out basement.
What stands out here is the integration between plumbing and restoration. Most restoration companies wait for a third-party plumber before they can start water extraction. Roto-Rooter sends plumbers and restoration crews together, which eliminates that gap. Their water damage technicians hold IICRC certification, and they deploy industrial extraction equipment, air movers, and dehumidifiers. They also handle mold work that surfaces during water damage jobs — containment, removal, surface treatment, and post-remediation assessment. For mold specifically, they identify the moisture source, contain the affected area, and treat surfaces to discourage regrowth.
The Farmingdale office is a BBB A+ rated business and belongs to the Greater NY Chamber of Commerce, the International Facility Management Association, and local plumbing associations in Nassau and Suffolk counties. They run 24/7, 365 days a year, with no extra charge for evenings, weekends, or holidays. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank.
4.8 stars across 1,877 Google reviews is a strong number, especially for a high-volume franchise operation. That rating holds despite a steady stream of pricing complaints, which tells you the majority of customers leave satisfied with the work itself even if some experience sticker shock.
Services
Service area
Headquartered at 241 Central Ave, Farmingdale, NY 11735. Serves Farmingdale, South Farmingdale, Bethpage, Levittown, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Plainview, Hicksville, Syosset, Melville, Deer Park, Huntington, Huntington Station, North Babylon, West Babylon, West Islip, Lindenhurst, Copiague, North Amityville, and Wyandanch. Covers Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties — a broad service area for Long Island, though consistent with what a franchise location of this size would handle.
Review consensus
Steve is the standout. At least ten recent reviews name him specifically — reviewers call him knowledgeable, efficient, and personable, and repeat customers ask for him by name (L Boschetto: "We've used RR for past few years and always ask for Steve"). Juan also draws strong praise for late-night drain work, with multiple reviewers noting his friendliness and reasonable pricing. Richie, Stephen, Abraham, Anill, Nick, Vincent, and Ryan each receive individual positive mentions. The operational strength reviewers cite most often is fast response time — multiple reviewers describe same-day or within-hours arrival, including weekends and holidays. Several water damage customers praise the restoration team's care with personal property during cleanup.
15 found across 1877 total reviews at 4.8★. Pricing dominates the complaints. Eyal Isaac paid $1,200 to snake a toilet. Holly Rennhack paid $811 for a 30-40 minute kitchen sink snaking. Jeremy Karmel paid over $700 for a single drain cleaning. Tennis Lover paid $791.35 across two visits for a kitchen faucet leak that was never fixed — a second company came in and properly sealed and tightened the work Roto-Rooter left loose. Yelena A paid nearly $1,000 for two drains and says Johnny and his team did not clear them properly; when the issue returned weeks later, Roto-Rooter refused to honor their warranty. Christopher Laurence describes Brian spending three hours unable to diagnose a slow tub drain, then Peter arriving and charging $452 without fixing the problem. Ron describes an enzyme bottle added to his bill for $100 without approval, followed by a camera upsell. Lisa W and claire bear both describe scheduling failures — tickets not entered, overnight waits, and no one dispatched. Shebuti Rayana says the company started work, quoted a one-week completion, then stopped responding for a month. Dom Scara warns specifically against using them for water cleanup, alleging they overcharge and milk insurance money. Jose Cruz says work was done without his approval and without upfront pricing.
The franchise model creates a split between strong individual technicians and weak institutional controls. Reviewers who get Steve or Juan leave glowing reviews. Reviewers who get a less experienced tech or run into the office scheduling system leave one-star reviews about pricing, botched work, or communication failures. The owner response pattern reinforces this: Pat Swanson, the Customer Satisfaction Manager, responds to nearly every negative review (95% response rate) with a near-identical template directing the reviewer to email pat.swanson@rrsc.com. The responses rarely engage with the specifics of the complaint — no pricing justification, no acknowledgment of scheduling failures, no explanation of warranty policies. Two reviews where the owner says they cannot find the customer's record (Airsoft quads, Christopher Laurence) could indicate fake reviews or could indicate record-keeping gaps at the Farmingdale office.
Steve (plumber/technician — strongly positive across 10+ reviews, repeat customers request him by name). Juan (plumber — positive across 5+ reviews, praised for friendliness and late-night work). Richie (technician — positive). Stephen (technician — positive). Abraham (plumber — positive, praised for promptness). Anill (technician — positive, praised for being informative). Nick (technician — positive). Vincent (technician — positive). Ryan (technician — positive). Marc #331 (technician — positive). Ed (plumber — positive). AJ (technician — positive, cesspool work). Bill Nason (plumber — strongly positive). Andrew (technician — positive across 2 reviews). Frank #3611 (technician — positive). Matt #470 (plumber — positive, emergency response). Tom (restoration team lead — positive, water damage). Will (plumber — positive). Johnny (plumber — negative, Yelena A says drains not cleared properly). Brian (plumber — negative, Christopher Laurence says he spent 3 hours unable to diagnose a slow drain). Peter (plumber — negative, Christopher Laurence says he charged $452 without fixing the problem). Pat Swanson (Customer Satisfaction Manager — responds to nearly all negative reviews with template language).
Ask for Steve or Juan by name when you book. Get the total price in writing before any work starts — the most common regret among unhappy customers is agreeing to work without a firm quote. If you need mold remediation, ask upfront whether post-remediation testing will be done by an independent third party or by Roto-Rooter's own team.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation. When the same company tests and remediates, they have a financial incentive to find problems. Ask whether they use an independent third party for post-remediation verification.
- Pricing is the single most common complaint in recent reviews. Multiple reviewers report paying $700 to $1,200 for drain cleaning or snaking jobs that took under an hour. Get a written quote before work begins and compare it to at least one local plumber.
- Several reviewers describe upselling patterns — a camera inspection presented as a free follow-up that leads to a pitch for thousands in additional work, or an enzyme treatment added to the bill without approval. Ask what is included in the quoted price and decline add-ons you did not request.
- Two reviewers in early 2026 reported scheduling failures where their service tickets were never entered, leaving them waiting overnight with no one dispatched. Confirm your appointment by phone before waiting.
- This is a national franchise. The Farmingdale office operates under the Roto-Rooter brand but is managed locally. Service quality can vary between individual technicians — several reviews highlight specific technicians who excelled and others who did not.