Roto-Rooter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roto-Rooter is a United States company which originally specialized in clearing tree roots and other obstructions from sewer lines. It is the largest plumbing and drain cleaning company in North America.[1]
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[edit] History
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In the late 1920s Samuel Blanc (1883-1964) was motivated by a stubborn clogged drain in his son's apartment in Des Moines, Iowa, to seek a better solution.
By 1933 Blanc had fashioned a sewer-cleaning machine from a washing machine motor, roller skate wheels and 3/8" steel cable. The cable rotated sharp blades to cut tree roots out of sewer lines, elimininating the tedious and expensive need to dig. Blanc's wife Lettie called his invention, a heavy-duty plumber's snake, the "Roto-Rooter."
By the mid-1930s Blanc was producing "Roto-Rooter" machines, which sold for $250. Many were eager for work in those Depression years and started their own Roto-Rooter businesses throughout the upper Midwest, the Great Plains and the Northeast.
Roto-Rooter guaranteed results without having to dig up the lawn to reach underground sewer pipes.
In 1980, the Blanc family sold Roto-Rooter Corporation to Cincinnati-based Chemed Corporation. Chemed began purchasing some independent Roto-Rooter franchises and operating them as company-owned locations under the newly formed Roto-Rooter Services Company, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
[edit] Advertising
Roto-Rooter has carved a niche in advertising history and pop culture.
At first, service vehicles bore the slogan: "Roto-Rooter's patented cutting blades slice through roots and cut them away...Razor-Kleen!"
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By the 1950s, however, radio jingles began to dominate advertising, and Roto-Rooter created one of the longest-running musical jingles in the history of advertising: "Call Roto-Rooter, that's the name, and away go troubles down the drain." The memorable bass voice in the commercial was that of Tom Fouts, more widely known as Captain Stubby of Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers.
[edit] Recent
In the 1980s some Roto-Rooter franchises, and company-owned locations, began to offer around-the-clock service and general plumbing repair for both residential and commercial customers. Today, plumbing service represents approximately half of the company's business while the other half is sewer and drain cleaning work.
Roto-Rooter is North America's largest provider of plumbing and drain cleaning services. Most of the work is repair and replacement. Roto-Rooter does very little new construction plumbing work. The company estimates that they offer services to 90% of the US population and 41% of the Canadian population through more than 110 company-owned locations (Roto-Rooter Services Company) and 500 independent franchises.
Franchise operations have been established in Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore.
Roto-Rooter Corporation, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, maintains a manufacturing plant, which produces Roto-Rooter tools and machinery for the plumbing and drain cleaning industry. The company also produces two line of commercial drain care products, which are available through Roto-Rooter locations and select retailers. 2005 marked the company's 70th anniversary. Employees of Roto-Rooter are mostly non-union.
[edit] Humor
- The animated television show Futurama parodied the Roto-Rooter jingle in an advertisement satire for a robotic drain-clearing service: Call robo-rooter if you flush a towel. We can also help with that impacted bowel.
- The "Mr. Plow" jingle from The Simpsons episode of the same name also greatly resembles the Roto-Rooter jingle.
Images courtesy Roto-Rooter
[edit] Notes
- ^ Abrams, Paul. Roto-Rooter Information Sheet for Reporters. Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain Service. Retrieved on October 8, 2006.
