diff --git a/synapse/storage/room.py b/synapse/storage/room.py
index cf2c4dae39..fff6652e05 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/room.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/room.py
@@ -16,11 +16,9 @@
 from twisted.internet import defer
 
 from synapse.api.errors import StoreError
+from synapse.storage.search import SearchStore
 from synapse.util.caches.descriptors import cached, cachedInlineCallbacks
 
-from ._base import SQLBaseStore
-from .engines import PostgresEngine, Sqlite3Engine
-
 import collections
 import logging
 import ujson as json
@@ -40,7 +38,7 @@ RatelimitOverride = collections.namedtuple(
 )
 
 
-class RoomStore(SQLBaseStore):
+class RoomStore(SearchStore):
 
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def store_room(self, room_id, room_creator_user_id, is_public):
@@ -263,8 +261,8 @@ class RoomStore(SQLBaseStore):
                 },
             )
 
-            self._store_event_search_txn(
-                txn, event, "content.topic", event.content["topic"]
+            self.store_event_search_txn(
+                txn, event, "content.topic", event.content["topic"],
             )
 
     def _store_room_name_txn(self, txn, event):
@@ -279,14 +277,14 @@ class RoomStore(SQLBaseStore):
                 }
             )
 
-            self._store_event_search_txn(
-                txn, event, "content.name", event.content["name"]
+            self.store_event_search_txn(
+                txn, event, "content.name", event.content["name"],
             )
 
     def _store_room_message_txn(self, txn, event):
         if hasattr(event, "content") and "body" in event.content:
-            self._store_event_search_txn(
-                txn, event, "content.body", event.content["body"]
+            self.store_event_search_txn(
+                txn, event, "content.body", event.content["body"],
             )
 
     def _store_history_visibility_txn(self, txn, event):
@@ -308,31 +306,6 @@ class RoomStore(SQLBaseStore):
                 event.content[key]
             ))
 
-    def _store_event_search_txn(self, txn, event, key, value):
-        if isinstance(self.database_engine, PostgresEngine):
-            sql = (
-                "INSERT INTO event_search"
-                " (event_id, room_id, key, vector, stream_ordering, origin_server_ts)"
-                " VALUES (?,?,?,to_tsvector('english', ?),?,?)"
-            )
-            txn.execute(
-                sql,
-                (
-                    event.event_id, event.room_id, key, value,
-                    event.internal_metadata.stream_ordering,
-                    event.origin_server_ts,
-                )
-            )
-        elif isinstance(self.database_engine, Sqlite3Engine):
-            sql = (
-                "INSERT INTO event_search (event_id, room_id, key, value)"
-                " VALUES (?,?,?,?)"
-            )
-            txn.execute(sql, (event.event_id, event.room_id, key, value,))
-        else:
-            # This should be unreachable.
-            raise Exception("Unrecognized database engine")
-
     def add_event_report(self, room_id, event_id, user_id, reason, content,
                          received_ts):
         next_id = self._event_reports_id_gen.get_next()
diff --git a/synapse/storage/search.py b/synapse/storage/search.py
index 479b04c636..4f38a587c8 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/search.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/search.py
@@ -242,6 +242,39 @@ class SearchStore(BackgroundUpdateStore):
 
         defer.returnValue(num_rows)
 
+    def store_event_search_txn(self, txn, event, key, value):
+        """Add event to the search table
+
+        Args:
+            txn (cursor):
+            event (EventBase):
+            key (str):
+            value (str):
+        """
+        if isinstance(self.database_engine, PostgresEngine):
+            sql = (
+                "INSERT INTO event_search"
+                " (event_id, room_id, key, vector, stream_ordering, origin_server_ts)"
+                " VALUES (?,?,?,to_tsvector('english', ?),?,?)"
+            )
+            txn.execute(
+                sql,
+                (
+                    event.event_id, event.room_id, key, value,
+                    event.internal_metadata.stream_ordering,
+                    event.origin_server_ts,
+                )
+            )
+        elif isinstance(self.database_engine, Sqlite3Engine):
+            sql = (
+                "INSERT INTO event_search (event_id, room_id, key, value)"
+                " VALUES (?,?,?,?)"
+            )
+            txn.execute(sql, (event.event_id, event.room_id, key, value,))
+        else:
+            # This should be unreachable.
+            raise Exception("Unrecognized database engine")
+
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def search_msgs(self, room_ids, search_term, keys):
         """Performs a full text search over events with given keys.