Bob Oates Sewer & Rooter

Ryan and Henry were fast and great and super friendly when our pipe was leaking! Really appreciate the great work they did!

This is the best plumbing company we have ever had come to our house. The crew is wonderful. They have done a great, professional job on our main sewer line and kitchen lines. We had a major plumbing problem that was taken care of. We are very happy!

I have had really painful experiences with trades companies. I was recently screwed over by a different plumbing company (I wont name names), so when I needed a new water line run to my refrigerator, I didn't know what to do. I gave it some thought and realized that I see Bob Oates vans around my neighborhood pretty regularly. I gave them a call and they swung by next day to give me an estimate, gave it to me right there on the spot, gave me a tip to save me hundreds of dollars, and were able to come run the line in two business days from then.

They didn't try to pull any tricks, no scheming, no feeling of being taken advantage of because I'm a single female-- it was so refreshing to get work done by a company who treats me with respect, and I was more than happy to give them my business. I'll be calling them if I have any issues in the future. Thank you Corey and Bob Oates team!

Bob Oates Plumbing & Sewer came in November of 2021 to put in an instant hot water tank/sewage lines and gas lines to my stove but in late May of 2022 the job was still incomplete. I am on the verge of having to not only buy a new hot water tank but also having to hire a plumber to put it in because they installed the old one wrong, and it blew up in the middle of winter.

Even though they promised to come out and fix the problems, I'm still waiting for an appointment to finish the job. Making sure the job passes permits and codes for the customer is not high priority for Bob Oates Plumbing. Not sure why Bob Oates walked off the job but I would think twice about hiring a company that without any kind of explanation, just walks away, doesn't return phone calls, doesn't answer texts and doesn't finish what they started.

If you have a faucet leak don't bother calling Bob Oates unless you want to buy a new faucet and have them install it for you. Our kitchen sink faucet was leaking. As someone who hasn't ever done any plumbing work before it was intimidating to think of trying to fix it myself. I called Bob Oates and told them clearly over the phone that our faucet was leaking water.

They sent someone out to give a free estimate based on what they thought was wrong. When the plumber arrived he didn't touch a thing or look under the cabinet or at any pipes and said they didn't repair leaking faucets, they would just replace the faucet with a new one. Which.they could have told me over the phone and saved us all the time!

I was quoted $350 for the installation (not including the price of the faucet). My faucet was only 3 years old. By calling the manufacturer and doing some digging online I found out that it was likely a problem with the cartridge. It took me 20 dollars and 20 minutes to fix myself. (For anyone with a leaking Moen faucet this is a great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEWALEIGJvM) I know not all plumbing problems are that small, but for anyone out there lacking the courage to try DIY on the small stuff: you got this! It's ridiculous that they didn't just tell me their policy over the phone, and it's a ridiculous policy that would have likely cost me around $600 (with the work + the faucet + tax) and put a perfectly good piece of equipment in the landfill.

My garbage disposal wouldn't turn on and I called Bob Oates. They send a plumber who without taking a look tells me that the only way to fix this is to swap out the machine with a new one and gives me an invoice of $600+ dollars. I was disappointed by the lack of research. I asked him, " would you mind spending just five minutes identifying what the problem could be before making a conclusion".

And he says we don't do that. So I let him go and called Joe's 2 sons plumbing. they came, spent 10 minutes and fixed everything for no charge. Unbelievable service and earned my future business by establishing themselves as trusted advisors.

They do not pull permits for work performed. Be careful and make sure they pull permits when required as most work, even replacing a water heater requires permits.

We had been pleased with Bob Oates' sewer work so when our plumber retired I called to ask if they do plumbing. Cory came out, looked at the problem: a burst outdoor copper pipe strangely connected to our old house. He is a builder as well as a plumber and was able to reconfigure and replace the piping. He ran into some unexpected issues and because of his extensive background, was able to solve them. He is polite, timely and delightful. We will use him in the future.

A pipe burst on the rooftop of our 3-story home on Friday afternoon and water leaked down to the first floor. In a panic, we went down the list of search results for plumbers looking for someone that was able to come out right away. Most places were going to charge a flat after hours/emergency fee of close to $500 to come out 3 days later and assess the issue. Ryan arrived within 2 hours of our initial phone call, assessed the leak, purchased parts, and repaired it within 2 hours of arriving at our house.

He also took care of a minor leak in our toilet and showed us how to make the adjustment to prevent the issue in the future. Ryan was professional, friendly, efficient, cleaned up after himself, and so helpful to fairly new homeowners that have just a little bit more than a clue. That would've been enough to win our business until Ryan's retirement but the woman who picked up the phone (Katie?) recommended a water damage specialist that they work with often, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, that showed up about an hour after Ryan and had fans and dehumidifiers set up by the time Ryan was done with the repair.

Within 4 hours of the incident, we were repaired and set up to dry out the house. As someone who is used to having someone who knows somebody for jobs like these but is fairly new to Seattle, I feel lucky that we got Ryan last night and I can't recommend him and the folks at Bob Oates more.

Discovered that my toilet wasn't draining and that water was coming up into the bathtub of my DADU Airbnb after my guest checked out. I suspected it was the sewer ejection pump but I wasn't familiar with it and I needed someone to come fast before my next guest checked-in 2 hours later. Bob Oates sent someone right away and he arrived 20 minutes later. Henry was knowledgeable and opened up the ejection pump and fixed the issue. Turns out a lot of gunk had gotten stuck onto the float preventing it from working properly.

While the job wasn't super technical, Henry saved the day and patiently taught me all about the pump so I could maintain and prevent this issue in the future. While the "fix" was NOT cheap, I do appreciate Henry's friendly nature and his patience in teaching me.

Henry Immel was fantastic and came right out when we needed him! Great guy! Thanks so much for y'all's help

With street access cut off due to the steep slope and 7 inches of snow, our call to Bob Oates answered a prayer. Three other plumbers we were familiar with said they would not park down at the bottom of our street and walk halfway up the street on a steep grade lugging equipment, but these guys were not daunted. We had a drain clog in the washing machine while with a house full of guests. Denero was the plumber who showed up. He was clear and articulate about the problem, quick about the fix, and very pleasant to work with. Could not be happier!

Very responsive. Helped diagnose a drain clog. Gave us a great recommendation, completed the work, was timely, professional, and clean. Would definitely recommend and work with again.

Timothy was on-time, friendly, and clean. We asked for a snake-out of a slow-draining bathroom sink that we had lived with for decades. He found the problem, talked with us about how to care for the pipes more safely, and fixed it. It drains PERFECTLY now! We paid exactly what we had expected and received a great service in return. I highly, highly recommend this company.

I used them for a quick plumbing job. Very happy with the service I received. They were able to quickly come out and quick to ID my problem. I've used them twice. The first time the plumber was faster than the second plumber. the first plumber went above and beyond, so I guess Bob Oates Plumber can vary. Still second was good but first was better.

Had a minor issue with a washing machine hookup and Cory with Bob Oates was very helpful. Thank you.

This company charged $289.41 to clear a downspout drain. Job took about 3 minutes. Price was high, but I agreed to it because I needed it cleared. However, they advertise a $50 discount for mentioning Yelp. I did mention Yelp when I contacted them. When I asked about the $50 credit, I was told they it would be processed on July 12th. I made two other inquiries (on July 19thand July 22nd), and was completely ghosted by the company. Seems to me they should not advertise something then fail to deliver, even when they put in writing that you are entitled to the price they advertise. It's your money, you decide if this is the type of company with which you want to do business.

Ryan was great! He came on time and helped us understand how a macerating toilet operates, as well as tips to maintain it properly.

I just had a plumber over for a problem that I thought was going to be a big deal costing a thousand or more, maybe much more. The problem, as it turns out, was NOT a leak inside the wall! It was an old (and crappy to begin with) line from the toilet tank to the wall fixture that was very close to bursting and making a huge mess. Fixed! $173.64! Woo hoo! They were quick to get me an appointment and communicated well too. I recommend asking for Luis Jeovany Martinez Arias.

Michael is amazing. He was polite, cheerful, good at communicating, and fixed our problem in no time. I invited him to lunch, but he said he'd have to charge me for the hour. Good sense of humor too.

Requested a quote from this company for a property I manage and was very disappointed with the service level. Would not recommend and please note, I rarely write poor reviews but feel people should be warned. The technician came out as scheduled and didn't even look at or test the appliance in question (was having a drainage issue with a dishwasher). Stated the entire air gap needed to be replaced without even checking if the air gap was obstructed or not (which it wasn't).

Just said that's the "usual case". Again, did absolutely NOTHING to diagnose the problem, didn't even look at the air gap, and provided no evidence as to why they would need to do work but were happy to charge for it. After our own troubleshooting, once the technician left, we found a small piece of glass that was preventing the pump from rotating.

Which would have had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the air gap. Very happy we didn't waste money paying Bob Oates to complete unnecessary work. I feel bad should someone be completely unknowledgeable in a situation and get scammed for unnecessary work by this company. BEWARE!

Bob came highly suggested from our neighbor, thankful for Bob's team, he got to our plumbing issue in record speed and had reasonable and fair prices too. It has been hard to find quality work during Covid so had to share a good review for a business that is still working hard with great customer service during these times.

I initially had another plumbing service diagnose my clogged kitchen drainage issue and they didn't have the necessary tools to fix the problem so they pointed me in the direction of Bob Oates Sewer and Rooter. Just two hours after calling, Henry arrived and got to work. Because I live in condominiums and I don't have easy access to an outdoor hose hookup for the tool he was using, he went out of his way to look around to find a location that had one and went out to gather additional tools to get the job done. Henry was very friendly, easy to work with, and provided fantastic service. I highly recommend this company.

We recently had an emergency plumbing situation that has been 'baffling' plumbers sent out from our landlords that continues to leave us without the ONE toilet we have in a household of four. Due to this emergency situation, Bob Oates sent out a technician named TJ Bruckshen to triage this on going issue. Not only was TJ thorough, informative, professional and knowledgeable, he reflected the values and abilities of the professionals hired onto this team by this family owned business.

I say this because when hiring a ech like this, they know what they are doing and trust in his integrity in my opinion and that is few and far between in my past experiences. He gave a thorough explanation along with video footage and a descriptive summary of why these issues are on-going so our landlord can now address the real problem. I didn't tell this technician that I have prior plumbing experience (as one shouldn't when trying to seek out and honest opinion with prior knowledge until the time is right) and though his knowledge was beyond the level of training I have received, I knew enough to know I was not being bs'd.

I grabbed his card so I can directly contact him for services in the future, I highly recommend Bob Oates for a real, honest, professional inspection and if you're in the downtown Seattle area, TJ is a great tech to have in your wallet.

Bob Oates was referred to me by another company for work they could not do. I didn't wind up hiring them because he suggested a much less expensive and ultimately less messy resolution to the problem, one that he recommended I do myself. The 5 stars is for having been so honest and helpful.

TJ from Bob Oates Sewer & Rooter dropped by our home right on time to help me diagnose and estimate cost for servicing a clogged external storm drain (city wouldn't touch) and two internal house drains that were slow-draining. TJ was super friendly and professional; what's more, he was able to show me a few quick tricks to improve the flow and left without needing to charge me for an expensive snaking job at this time. If our drains get to the point of needing a professional cleaning, I'll be calling up Bob Oates to come service them!

I called Bob Oates to address an urgent drain issue in my basement and storm drain. Even though it was right after a multi-day period of heavy rain (when I assume lots of other were having plumbing issues too), they came out immediately. The repairs ended up being substantial and conducted over a 2-3 week period, but the result was that the problem was fixed expertly and the process was extremely professional. Casey the project lead was super responsive and transparent about all aspects of the job (timing, cost, etc.) and the team members were very courteous and observant of Covid protocol. I heartily recommend Bob Oates and would use them again for any variety of plumbing need.

I reached out to them twice by phone on a Sunday morning due to an urgent outdoor drain issue. They never got back to me. I was hoping to support a local business. I ended up hiring a larger chain company as they answered the phone and had someone out same day.

THEY RUPTERED A GAS LINE! DO NOT HIRE! My neighbor hired them to do a sewer project and they struck a gas line while digging because apparently these "professionals" don't know how to call 811 before they dig. I wasn't home at the time, but my girlfriend had to evacuate. A bunch of firemen pounded on the door and told her she had 5 minutes to gather her things and go somewhere else for 5 hours.

This was during her workday and she didn't have many options of places to go due to the pandemic. The scariest part is that if she would have turned the stove on or lit a match, the entire house could have blown up and she would have died. It has been over a week and they have offered no compensation and not even an apology. I can't believe they still have a license to operate - they should be shut down permanently. You can look up the incident on real time 911 dispatch to verify: 11/11/20 at 3:17pm - Battalion Chief 6, Engine 21, Ladder 8 F200111608

Why am I paying money for incorrect consultation and no problem fixed?! I had building handyman come later who fixed my sink for free since it was a small thing with air gap (I paid $60 to Bob oats for just the consultation/service - which just involved looking under the sink and turning on tap to see water drains from garbage disposal ok. They suggested they could put a snake to clean but that's another $250, but with no guarantee that it would fix the thing.

We might still have to call real plumbers.?) Jeremy who came over was knowledgable and it could be a one time fluke. My problem was mostly with their pricing model. I don't think the 10 min check should have costed me the money - I would have been more forgiving towards the mistake then.

They wanted $900 for the same camera+hydro-jetting job that several other places quoted $589-$650 for. Too high a price for a simple job. Look elsewhere unless their prices come down.