Plumbing in Eringate-Centennial

Plumbing profile

Housing

Split-levels, backsplits, bungalows from the 1960s

Typical pipe

Copper supply, cast iron and early ABS drains

Risk spot

Pipes over unheated garages

Landmarks

Centennial Park, Eringate Park, Rathburn Road

Bathrooms over the garage

In many split-levels, an upper bathroom sits over the garage, and its drain and supply lines run through the garage ceiling. In a cold snap, those pipes can freeze. Insulation, air sealing at the garage door wall, and sometimes rerouting are the lasting fixes.

• A sudden ceiling leak in the garage in January is almost always this.

Lower-level laundry and drains

Laundry rooms on the lowest level drain into floor drains or short standpipes that collect lint. When the main is partly blocked, these are the first to back up. We clear the line and fit lint traps where laundry tubs drain to the floor.

• If a laundry standpipe is shorter than the washer requires, it can siphon or overflow.

Sixties copper

Copper from this era is usually sound but can develop pinholes on hot lines. Green crust at fittings and small drips in the basement ceiling are early warning signs. We repair and look for patterns.

• Many homes here still have original main shut-off gate valves worth replacing.

Backsplit drain layouts

In a backsplit, the kitchen often sits on the main level while the family room is a half-level below, with the laundry at the lowest point.

• Drains from the upper bathroom drop through two levels before reaching the main, and long vertical drops with tight turns can make toilets gurgle or traps siphon.
• When we see these symptoms we check the venting as well as the drain, since a blocked roof vent is a common cause in houses of this vintage.

Calls we often get here

• Frozen pipes over the garage
• Laundry backing up into the floor drain
• Pinhole drips on hot lines
• Stiff original shut-off valves
• Gurgling drains in the half-levels