Gary's Guaranteed Rooter

Erica D.

Amazing service. Quick, dependable and reasonably priced. I would not hesitate to call them again for any plumbing needs!

Coba W.

It all started when my dad flushed the toilet, on a Sunday morning, the third day of his visit to me and the house I just bought, just before he was to leave town again. At first, it wouldn't flush. But my dad was determined. Fix it he would, before his plane left!

With no real tool at hand to suit the job, he made do with a length of electrical wire and refused to let me anywhere near the bathroom. After patiently but vainly waiting for him to give up, I softly suggested that if I was to run out to Home Depot and buy a more appropriate tool on time for him to use it, have lunch, and make his flight, then now was the time.

The visit to HD got us a plunger and a big, scary-looking toilet-sized handheld sewer auger. These tools, no doubt, will be of some use in the future, as they are certainly adequate for most toilet malfunctions.

By now, water was backing up into both bathtubs, the other toilet wouldn't flush either, and water started to come out of a mystery plastic bit in the concrete patio behind the house. Removing the mystery plastic bit revealed a big wallop of water polluted with things one doesn't describe in a Yelp review (does one?).

You can probably see where this is going, now, and indeed neither the plunger nor the auger did us any good at all. At this point, I decided it was time for lunch, as well as a real plumber.

Gary picked up the phone right away and offered to come within an hour. I ended up asking him to come later, so I could deal with the aforementioned lunch and flight first. After waving my dad good-bye at the airport, I came home and met Gary.

Gary knows what he's doing, he's friendly, and he's communicative. He went straight for the back yard overflow, which he identified as the clean-out point for the sewer, and opined that if it was overflowing, the blockage must be downstream from it in the pipe connecting the house to the municipal sewage system. This required getting out the *big* auger. And no kidding, it's BIG.

He offered as an option to also go in there with a camera to see what the actual problem was, but stressed that he was in no way implying I had to. The charge for the camera was considerable ($150), but I decided to do it, because I wanted to know what's actually causing the problem and what to expect in the future.

The big, big auger certainly did clear the blockage. The camera revealed that there was no single big problem, like a tree root or some such, but rather a diffuse minor problem: the pipe was not clay, iron, or plastic, but rather something called ""Orangeburg."" As Gary explained, and the interwebs confirm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangeburg_pipe, http://goo.gl/ZXqhY), Orangeburg pipe, which is essentially cardboard soaked in tar, is not very durable. Wikipedia says it was made from the 1860s to the 1970s, but according to Gary it was used in this area mostly in the 40s and 50s. We saw many places where the pipe was dented, reducing its diameter and increasing the likelihood of blockage.

Given, though, that cleaning out the pipe (on a weekday, and without the camera) will cost about a few hundred dollars, whereas replacing it (it runs under a concrete slab) would be a few thousand, Gary advised and I decided to just wait and see. Given the price differential, I estimate that replacing it isn't really cost-effective as long as it doesn't need to be cleaned more than once a year, and now that I know what it means when water seeps out of that clean-out I should be able to notice things going wrong before anything catastrophic happens.

Gary also did some minor (but surprisingly strenuous) work in the bathroom, fixing a drain plug that wouldn't close and diagnosing a problem with the shower valve, for no extra charge. All in all, with the Sunday fee and the camera, the whole thing wasn't cheap, but not only did things get fixed, I also know what's wrong and why and what my options are for keeping the sewer working in the future.

Garrett B.

Got ripped off, $450 for a snake job? Wont be calling these guys again. Make sure you get a second quote. I should have. These guys see a zip code and the price gets jacked up. Be aware...

Justin P.

I found Gary's Plumbing via Yelp Reviews...the right choice. We needed to replace our water heater ASAP. A large company came out and gave us this ridiculous estimate. They also tried to tell us our PSI from the city was too high. Along with the ridiculous water heater estimate, the ""scare tactic"" estimate to ""protect our home"" was shocking.

Gary came out the next morning and worked on our water heater for more than 4 hours. The work was impecable and the cost was $1,100 less than the large company. He was very nice, honest, and went out of his way to ensure we knew what we were getting and what we were paying for.

He also tested our water o confirm that the large company was actually lying about our PSI. He could have confirmed a high PSI and sold me the same fix for less. He also fixed the handle on our bathroom toilet for no cost.

Call Gary!!

Juri K.

""The buck stops here!"" I had a bad kitchen back up that two other plumbers we hired had given up. Gary's Rooter had the right solution and a great service. I was so impressed! Ed saved my day!!!

Nicole B.

Brilliant. BEST plumber ever: Garys guy Ed H. Sweet, efficient, well-mannered. He did the tough stuff for a reasonable price and then showed me what parts to buy and where to buy them for the minor projects so I didin't have to pay his labor. Get this, he also killed a ginormous spider my daughter had just found in another room. Way cool.

Sophie A.

These are not only skilled plumbers, but kind, patient, honest, and sympathetic people. When Ed came out to repair an old sewage line, he understood how worried I was about the cost and the scope of work that had to be done. He and his team not only purchased all the materials but finished a two day job in one day, and then actually reduced the cost without me even asking them to do so! Who does that nowadays?? I cannot emphasize enough how reassuring and dependable these people are. A huge thanks to Ed and his team!

Jennifer L.

Dependable, quick, and honest.

Kitchen sink was backed up. Water was all over the floor. I did a quick search for plumbers in the area. I didn't have time to do much research, and called the first number that popped up. I reached a message on their company phone, and was told that if it's an emergency, I can call Ed's cell. When I called Ed's cell, he was with another client, but promised to give me a call back soon. When I got a call back, I explained the situation, and he arrived in half an hour.

After he was done, he explained how we can uncap the clean-out so that the water won't flood our floors in the future.

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed the quick response and work. Hope we don't have to call them back, but if we do, I know I can depend on Ed to do the job!

Emma G.

Gary was terrific: responsive, friendly, and reasonable. And George was great too. Both saved us, quickly replacing our water heater. A particularly challenging location in a small basement. Fantastic job, I'm happy to recommend them.

Mehmet G.

Called them today with an issue regarding a leaky pipe in the back-yard (Sunday, 2:00 pm!). Gary answered the phone and gave me a window when the plumber would be at my place (between 3:00 and 4:00 pm). George called me at 2:45 pm with an arrival estimate (3.20 pm). He arrived spot on.
Have you ever heard of that happening?

He then went on to diagnose the problem. We quickly discovered that the issue had to do with the sprinklers and not the plumbing. By the time we arrived at this conclusion, he had already worked for 45 minutes and was covered in mud.

We decided that I need to talk to the landscapers. When I asked what I owe him, he said ""nothing, this is a free estimate"".

Now that is what I call customer service.

They did not earn money from me this time - but they sure have a new and loyal customer !

Excellent job guys!