Provider profile
Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Renton and greater Seattle homeowners dealing with water damage that leads to mold, who want one company to handle plumbing repair, water extraction, and mold remediation under the same dispatch.
Best for
- Renton, Kent, Auburn, and south King County homeowners who need mold remediation tied to an active water damage event — burst pipe, sewer backup, or basement flood.
- Property owners who want a single company to handle the plumbing fix, water extraction, structural drying, and mold work without coordinating multiple contractors.
- Commercial property managers across the Seattle metro who need scalable water damage and mold response with insurance documentation built into the process.
- Homeowners with after-hours emergencies — the 24/7 dispatch means someone shows up at 2 AM, and multiple reviewers confirm fast overnight response.
About this company
Roto-Rooter in Renton is a franchise location of the national Roto-Rooter brand, headquartered at 4508 NE 4th St. Mold remediation is one piece of a much larger operation — they are primarily a plumbing and water damage restoration company that added mold services. Manager Joshua Callon runs the Renton office, which shares operations with the Seattle metro branch. They handle plumbing, drain cleaning, water extraction, structural drying, and mold remediation all under one roof.
The standout here is that single-source model. When a pipe bursts and causes water damage that grows mold, Roto-Rooter sends its own plumbers to fix the source, its own restoration crew to dry the structure, and its own remediation team to address the mold. They use IICRC S500 and S520 standards for water and mold work, and their website references HEPA filtration, air scrubbers, dehumidifiers, and antimicrobial treatments. The company also references AMRT (Applied Microbial Remediation Technician) training for mold crews.
Roto-Rooter has operated nationally since 1935, so this is not a small local shop. The Renton location covers a sprawling service area across 9 counties in the Puget Sound region, from Thurston to Skagit. They run 24/7 with no extra charge for nights and weekends, and they offer financing through Synchrony Bank.
4.8 stars across 676 Google reviews is a strong number for a high-volume franchise operation. Most of the recent reviews praise the plumbing side — drain clearing and sewer work — rather than mold remediation specifically. The company does get mold-related calls, but mold is clearly a secondary service behind plumbing and water damage.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Renton, Washington, with a shared Seattle metro operation at 121 Lakeside Ave, Seattle. Claims service across 9 counties: King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Kittitas, Mason, Skagit, and Grays Harbor. Named cities include Renton, Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Kent, Auburn, Federal Way, Tacoma, Olympia, Everett, and Marysville. This is an exceptionally broad area — over 150 miles from end to end — and response times at the edges will differ from the Renton/Seattle core.
Review consensus
Giovanni (also called Gio) dominates the positive reviews — he appears in more than 20 recent reviews for drain clearing, sewer line work, and camera inspections. Reviewers consistently praise his communication, speed, and willingness to explain what he finds on camera. Toan appears in 6+ reviews with similar praise for fast response and clear explanations. Both technicians get credited with arriving ahead of schedule. Roan, Sean, Peyman, Marcel, Matt, Armando, Ashley, and John each appear in individual positive reviews. The dispatch system draws praise — multiple reviewers report same-day service, and several note technicians arriving within 30 minutes to an hour of calling. On the water damage side, Sam Landstrom's review describes Peyman and Marcel working as a coordinated plumbing-plus-restoration team on a middle-of-the-night pipe burst.
7 found across 676 total reviews at 4.8★. Pricing is the core complaint. Drew McNichols paid $1,000 for a mainline snake and was quoted $600 more when the snake caused a secondary backup. Dima Kalchevsky was quoted $1,400 for what turned out to be a simple copper pipe replacement — the technician pushed an unnecessary recirculation pump replacement, and Dima fixed it himself for far less. Jebarson paid $530 for a coupling leak fix and was quoted $3,500 for pipe replacement; the owner response could not locate the customer in their system. Adam XTC paid over $500 for a toilet repair that did not fix the problem. Calvin C had valve replacements that caused a secondary leak and water damage — the company told him to file with his insurance rather than covering the damage from their own work. Calvin's review details a dispute where Roto-Rooter knew hardened gaskets were a common issue but did not warn him or offer supply line replacements upfront. Amanda Megonnell (3 stars) praised the plumbers but described the water damage sales representative as pushy, unwilling to provide a self-pay quote, and using scare tactics. Justin H (3 stars) reported a rude phone representative despite good field service.
Owner responses follow a rigid template. All 7 negative reviews received a response from Pat Swanson, Customer Satisfaction Manager, directing the reviewer to email pat.swanson@rrsc.com with their address and a copy of the review. None of the responses engage with the specific complaint details or offer a concrete resolution. In one case (Jebarson), the response states they could not find the customer in their system. This pattern suggests centralized reputation management rather than local problem-solving. The split between field technicians (who draw praise) and the office/sales side (which draws complaints about pricing, phone manner, and pushy sales tactics) is a structural issue common to franchise operations where the people doing the work and the people setting the prices operate independently.
Giovanni/Gio (plumber/drain technician — overwhelmingly positive across 20+ reviews). Toan (plumber/drain technician — positive across 6+ reviews). Roan (plumber — positive). Matt (water damage — positive). Peyman (plumber — positive). Marcel (water damage restoration — positive). Ron (plumber — positive). Sean (plumber — positive). John (plumber — positive). Ashley (water damage restoration — positive). Armando (water damage restoration — positive). Joshua/Josh (plumber/manager — positive). Pat Swanson (Customer Satisfaction Manager — responds to all negatives with template replies).
Ask for Giovanni or Toan by name if your job involves drain clearing or sewer work — their track record across dozens of reviews is strong. For mold remediation specifically, ask who will perform the assessment and whether the testing is done by an independent party. Get the full price breakdown in writing before any work starts, and get a second quote if the number exceeds $500 — the pricing complaints are too consistent to ignore.
Keep in mind
- Roto-Rooter does both mold testing and mold remediation, which creates a conflict of interest. The company that finds the mold also profits from removing it. Their website says an 'indoor environmental professional' tests the area when mold is suspected, but ask whether that tester is a Roto-Rooter employee or an independent third party.
- Pricing complaints are the dominant theme in negative reviews. Multiple reviewers report quotes they considered inflated — $1,400 for a pipe leak, $3,500 for water heater pipes, $1,200 for a toilet unclog. One reviewer replaced the part himself for a fraction of the quote. Get a second estimate before approving any work over $500.
- The water damage sales team operates separately from the plumbing technicians, and one reviewer described the sales representative as 'way too pushy' with insurance-focused pricing and 'fear tactics.' The plumbers and the sales team are different experiences at this company.
- The 9-county service area claim stretches from Grays Harbor to Skagit — over 150 miles apart. Confirm that the crew dispatched for your job is actually local to your area and not driving from the other side of the region.
- Mold remediation is a secondary service here. Most of the review volume covers drain cleaning and plumbing. If your mold problem is unrelated to water damage or plumbing, a dedicated mold remediation company may be a better fit.