GNY EP.156 | feat. Joey Ruffino from Sewercuse Plumbing

Sewercuse’s Joey Rafino on Drain Clogs, Flushable Wipes, and Growing a Syracuse Drain Business Host Noah Chrysler interviews Joey Rafino of Syracuse Drain Solutions (“Sewercuse”), a Syracuse-based drain-cleaning specialist handling clogs in sinks, tubs, dishwashers, and main sewers. Joey says homeowners most often damage drains by putting the wrong things down them—especially “flushable” wipes (an everyday problem), grease that solidifies in cold pipes, and food/oils rinsed off plates; Syracuse’s old pipes also invite tree-root intrusions that can cause basement backups through floor drains. He explains how he differentiates from typical plumbers by doing camera inspections and descaling with a flex-shaft chain knocker rather than just snaking a hole through. Joey discusses recording jobs for Instagram/TikTok, learning what drives engagement, and using myths like eggshells “sharpening” disposals to spark comments. He warns Drano can work but may damage old lines, describes disposing bacon grease with tinfoil, shares a story of helping a cash-strapped resident by coordinating free city excavation, and says his next step is hiring help for calls and workload. 00:00 Meet Sewer Cuse 01:01 Common Drain Mistakes 01:09 Wipes Grease Roots 02:09 Basement Backup Signs 02:32 Origin Story and Name 03:32 Instagram Growth Playbook 06:02 Real Drain Pro Tools 07:57 Customer Win Story 08:52 Plumber Hot Takes 10:24 Draino and Water Heaters 12:17 Ban Flushable Wipes 12:49 Whats Next for Business 13:43 Wrap Up and Thanks