Good Neighbor Podcast: Orange County

Honest Plumbing, Real Neighbors

• Rachel Fyffe & Robert Hopkins

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Need a plumber you can actually trust when water starts misbehaving? Meet Robert Hopkins of Reliable Rooter and Plumbing, a second-generation pro who grew up in the trade and now leads a 33-year family business with one simple promise: fair work, fair pay, and solutions that last. We dig into the realities homeowners face, from slab leak detection and repipes to the everyday clogs that turn into emergencies at the worst time, and we unpack the mindset that keeps customers calling for decades.

Robert shares the moment he became a hands-on problem solver at 13, learning from old-school plumbers who prized precision and pride in their craft. That training shows up in the way he tackles one of the most feared issues: roots in your sewer line. Instead of pushing costly digs by default, he explains why steady maintenance—like annual cabling and timely camera inspections—can keep your line open, preserve trenchless options, and prevent a backyard excavation. It’s practical, budget-wise guidance you can act on today.

We also talk straight about marketing and trust. Reliable Rooter barely advertises because neighbors do the talking, recommending a team that repairs when others rush to replace. When a high-end fixture can be saved, Robert saves it; when replacement is the only safe path, he explains why and stands behind the work. Along the way, he opens up about trying YouTube, preferring real conversations over polished videos, and balancing business with a full house of young kids. It’s a candid look at how craftsmanship, communication, and consistency build a reputation you can bank on.

If you care about preventing expensive surprises, protecting your home, and choosing the right pro for the job, you’ll walk away with clear steps: schedule root maintenance, ask for repair-versus-replace options, and value accountability over the lowest bid. Enjoy the conversation—and if it helps, share it with a neighbor who could use a reliable number on the fridge. Subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us the biggest plumbing myth you want busted next.

SPEAKER_01:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Rachel Five.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Now, if you are in need of a reliable plumbing contractor offering a wide array of plumbing services to solve your small or very large plumbing issue, well, that resource is closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Robert Hopkins with Reliable Rooter and Plumbing. Robert, how is it going?

SPEAKER_00:

It's good. Um, busy, extremely busy, but good.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, wonderful. Well, you know, we're really, really excited to learn about your business. So tell us all about it.

SPEAKER_00:

Most definitely, we're a small family-ran business. Um, my dad, Robert Hopkins Sr., uh, he was the founder. He started it 33 years ago. Um, I took it over roughly two, three years ago, something like that. Um, you know, we're just a small family-run business. We take care of all things plumbing. So essentially, if it's got water running through it, we do it. Um, you know, from slab leak detection all the way to repipes, all the way down to just clearing drains. Um, so we do it all.

SPEAKER_02:

Wonderful. Well, I guess since it's a family business, I like to say, well, how did you get into this business? So can you expand on that a little bit?

SPEAKER_00:

Most definitely. Um, I'm not a book smart person. Uh, school was not my forte. Um so when I didn't go to school, I went with my dad to work. And it actually worked out in my favor, thank God. Um, you know, it's uh one of those things I was never going to be somebody that was able to sit behind a desk all day, and it worked out in my favor that I was able to end up being somebody that worked with my hands. Um I've always been really good with my hands. And uh when I was younger and told from the school that you had to stay home for a couple days, my dad was like, Well, you're not gonna sit at home. So he dragged me to work. You know, I changed uh my first uh well did my first job at 13 years old, um, changing cartridges and stuff like that inside a shower valve and uh basically off and running from there.

SPEAKER_02:

Wonderful, wonderful. Well, now what do you think are maybe some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_00:

Um that's a good question. Um I think the biggest thing, or not the biggest thing, but one of the bigger things is roots. Uh roots in a sewer line to me. Um I'm not the guy that sits there and sells everybody on the the most expensive item. Um, with that being said, sometimes that is the that is what's needed. But um as far as like roots in a system, I always tell people that roots don't always necessarily mean it needs to be dug up, but it does mean it needs to be maintained. Um, because I have a lot of uh new customers and customers that are my actual continuous customers that that will sit there and they're like, well, we've got roots in the line, but we won't deal with it for three or four years. Well, then by the time it it causes an issue, now it's so far overgrown that it you can't do anything but dig it up. But if they would have maintained them through the entirety of the time, you know, throwing a cable down once a year, it's a relatively cost-effective insurance, is all it is. You know, it helps prevent the big problem from occurring. If you let roots continue to attack your sewer line over and over and over and just never maintain it, what it will eventually happen is it's gonna overtake the sewer line, you're not gonna be able to clear it out, you're gonna have to dig it up, you know. And and then, you know, the no-dig option that a lot of places, including ourselves, are offering, no longer become valid because if you can't get through it, you the only option you have is to dig it up. So, you know, people will automatically assume that roots have to be dug up, but that's not the case. Um, you know, it's it's just it's very certain you need to maintain it. You don't necessarily have to dig it though.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, good. That's a good one. So um now we know marketing is really the heart of every business. So how are you finding your customers?

SPEAKER_00:

So actually, we're uh we're pretty lucky. Um when senior, Robert Sr. actually started the company. Um we were in a very good time um where you didn't have to market quite as much as you would now. Um I'm lucky in that aspect. Um, so we don't really do much marketing. Most of our stuff is just word of mouth. Um, and it has been, you know, don't get me wrong, you know, we've done the the Yelp and you know, Google advertising, little small things here and there, but 99% of our marketing is literally just one neighbor telling another neighbor, hey, you know, this is my plumber, this is who I trust. And then they they stick with us most of the time. You know, we're not the cheapest guy in town, but we're certainly not the most expensive. And I always like to reiterate to people, you know, that you don't want the cheapest guy in town in your house working on something that could cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. You know, that's just the reality of it. Um, but as far as marketing goes, you know, we're we're very lucky in the aspect of we haven't really had to do a ton of marketing.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, wonderful. Now I have to ask, have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_00:

Um so not a podcast specifically. I've thought about doing like the YouTube channel thing. Um, in fact, I actually have a few YouTube videos up, but I can't do it. I I have a hard time with like even here now, seeing myself on a screen, it it causes your brain to do things, and I'm not I'm not good at that. Um I also have a hard time, like I can I can talk to somebody and explain exactly what I think right then and there, but it's really hard for me to sit there and it and try to be teacher mode or anything like that um after the fact. Yeah, yeah um, you know, it's like here here we have a conversation, we're having a conversation about something specific, but I I I couldn't I I just couldn't see myself being able to actually succeed at doing it. You know, I'm a good plumber, I'm not a good tech person, and uh I mean hence the YouTube thing is just not working.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, all right, now um outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_00:

So I have uh well, I have three kids. Um I have a seven-year-old, a two, well, he just turned three the 11th, so just a couple days ago, and then I have a uh one-year-old. Um, so you know, I just like playing with my kids at home. With that being said, me myself, like if I was gonna go do something just for myself, I love going out to the desert and riding out there. That's just that's my go-to before Biden, basically.

SPEAKER_02:

Wonderful, good little ballots there. So, um, Robert, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about reliable router and plumbing.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, you know, we believe in an honest day's work for an honest day's wage. Uh, we're not the cheapest guy in town, but we're certainly not the most expensive. You know, I go back to that on a regular basis. Um, that's my biggest thing. I I we're not gonna get rich off of one customer one time. You know, we're not we're not the guy that's coming out fly by night company that's coming out trying to get rich. You know, that's just not the way we are. We want to have a fair day's work for fair days pay. And at the end of the day, we want you to be happy or the customer anyways, to be happy that they called us and not called the other guy. You know, and and we stand behind our product, you know, whether that be, you know, a a leaking faucet or a full repipe, you know, we stand behind our work and we take pride in our work, you know, that's which I to be honest, I feel like is something that we're kind of missing in the industry nowadays is is people really taking pride in in what they do. You know, I'm I'm lucky enough that I was brought up from a young age with a lot of really old school plumbers. You know, nowadays we we have this the way I feel, anyways, is is it's actually my generation, ironically, but I was lucky enough to be brought up with a younger or an older uh generation of plumber. Nowadays it seems like everybody's just hit and run, you know. We do repairs versus a lot of people nowadays are just saying replace, replace over repair. You know, there's some really nice fixtures out there that are extremely expensive when you buy it. And you get some kid who comes in there and he's just like, Well, I'm not 100% sure how to fix it, so let's just replace it. Won't tell you that, he'll just say he needs to replace it. You know, we come in and we we will make the repair if it is able to be done. If it's not able to be done, it is what it is, but you know, that's not always the case. You know, there's a lot of very nice fixtures out there that they can still be re you know repaired versus replacing them. And uh I guess that's that's my main thing, is we're not we're not a company out here just trying to take the most money we can out of your pocket right off the bat. You know, we're here to to do uh honest days work for an honest day's pay, and that's that's what we believe in.

SPEAKER_02:

That's wonderful. That's wonderful. Well, how can our listeners learn more about reliable router and plumbing?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, you know, to be honest, I think our our website is probably gonna be the best uh avenue, which would be reliablero.com. Um, you know, because that that'll have kind of a small description as to what we're all about and everything. Um with that being said, always, you know, I'd say call and and set up an appointment. If uh, you know, we are uh always out here and always willing to help new customers. Um it's the only thing that keeps all small businesses alive, and uh that's that would be it.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, wonderful. Well, Robert, gosh, I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and your business, gosh, all the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00:

Most definitely. Well, thank you very much. We appreciate being on here as well and for this opportunity.

SPEAKER_02:

Wonderful.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnporgecounty.com. That's gnpoorangecounty.com or call 714 941 2862.