Etobicoke service area
Plumbing in Alderwood
Alderwood is a neighbourhood of tidy post-war bungalows on generous lots, many shaded by trees planted when the houses were new. Those trees are now big, and their roots know exactly where the sewer laterals run.
- Housing: Mostly 1950s bungalows plus a scattering of one-and-a-half-storey houses
- Laterals: Commonly clay tile
- Supply: Original galvanized or early copper
- Landmarks: Alderwood Park, Sherway Gardens nearby, Brown’s Line
- Licensed, insured trade work (details confirmed when you call)
- Diagnosis before anything is cut
- Emergency calls taken
- Etobicoke and the west end
Plumbing profile
- Housing
- Mostly 1950s bungalows plus a scattering of one-and-a-half-storey houses
- Laterals
- Commonly clay tile
- Supply
- Original galvanized or early copper
- Landmarks
- Alderwood Park, Sherway Gardens nearby, Brown’s Line
Roots and clay laterals
The typical Alderwood call is a basement floor drain that backs up in the fall. The cable comes back with fine roots wrapped around the cutter. Clay tile joints from the 1950s open slightly over time, and the trees on the lawn and the boulevard find them.
- Cutting the roots restores flow, but a camera reveals how many joints are open and whether a section repair would end the yearly visits.
Original supply lines
Many bungalows still have some galvanized pipe, often a short run between the meter and the first copper fitting, or in walls that were never opened. Low pressure upstairs or rusty water after the main is shut off are the usual hints.
- We trace the remaining galvanized sections and replace them during other work where possible.
Finished basements over old drains
Many basements here were finished decades ago, which hides the cleanout behind drywall. When the main blocks, we need that access. We recommend a removable panel over the cleanout and the main shut-off, which saves time and drywall.
- If you are finishing a basement now, have the lateral filmed first.
Before you finish the basement
Alderwood basements were mostly built as storage and laundry space. When owners finish them, the plumbing questions arrive all at once: where to put a bathroom, whether the existing stack can take it, whether the floor drain is low enough, and whether the clay lateral is fit to carry more. A camera pass, a look at the stack, and a plan for a backwater valve before the drywall is hung is far cheaper than cutting into a finished room later.
- We also mark the main shut-off and cleanout locations so the finishing crew can leave tidy access panels.
Calls we often get here
- Floor drain backing up every autumn
- Root hairs on the cleared cable
- Weak flow at upstairs fixtures
- Cleanout hidden behind drywall
- Wet patches on the lawn over the sewer route