Plumbing for condos, apartments and townhouse complexes

At a glance

Building types

High-rise condos at Humber Bay Shores, mid-rise rentals, stacked and row townhouses

Common calls

Kitchen stack backups, seized riser valves, leaks into the suite below, hot water complaints

Who decides

The condominium declaration sets what is unit and what is common element

Access

We coordinate suite entry and shut-downs through management

Kitchen stacks: the classic shared-building clog

In a tower, every kitchen on a vertical line usually drains into the same stack. Grease from twenty kitchens coats that pipe, and the backup tends to appear in the lowest suite on the line, often someone who never pours grease at all. Clearing the one sink does not fix it; the stack needs to be jetted from the top or from a cleanout.

• We jet the full stack, check the horizontal offset at the bottom where most of the build-up sits, and recommend an interval based on what came out.

Risers, shut-offs and planned shut-downs

Riser valves left untouched for a decade tend to seize part-way, which means a simple suite repair turns into a building shut-down. We replace seized valves during planned shut-downs so that the next leak can be isolated to one suite instead of a whole floor or tower.

• We plan the work with management so notices go out in time, the building goes without water for the least possible time and the system is refilled and bled properly afterwards.

Leaks that cross suite lines

Water travels along slabs, inside walls and down pipe sleeves before it shows up, so the wet ceiling is often not under the leak. We check the suites above and beside, run fixtures one at a time, and use moisture readings to follow the path back to the source.

• Because responsibility can sit with an owner, a neighbour or the corporation, we write down exactly what failed and where so the people deciding who pays have facts to work from.

Habits that keep a building calmer

• Label every riser and floor valve and test them yearly.
• Jet kitchen stacks on a schedule rather than after a flood.
• Ask owners to swap rubber washer hoses for braided ones.
• Keep a list of suites with water heaters, softeners or extra fixtures.

Signs a building system is struggling

• Several suites on one line reporting slow kitchen sinks
• Water staining on a ceiling below a suite that reports no leak
• Riser valves that will not turn or will not hold
• Hot water slow to arrive on upper floors
• Repeated backups in the lowest suite on a stack

How we work with management

1. Call from the super or manager

   We take the address, suites affected and building contact.

2. Plan access

   Suite entry and shut-downs arranged through the office.

3. Fix and isolate

   Repair made with the fewest suites out of water.

4. Write it up

   A clear report for the board, manager and any insurer.