Plumbing in Smithfield

Plumbing profile

Housing

Semi-detached houses, townhouses, some detached

Era

Late 1960s–1970s

Drains

Cast iron stacks with early ABS branches

Landmarks

Smithfield Park, Albion Road, Humber College north campus nearby

Repeated layouts

Because so many houses here share a design, we know where the stack runs, where the cleanout usually hides, and which bathroom branch tends to sag. That makes diagnosis quicker. It also means common weak points, like a particular joint or vent, show up again and again.

• If your neighbour had a stack leak, it is worth checking yours.

Laundry and floor drains

Lower-level laundry rooms with short standpipes can overflow when the line is partly blocked by lint. We clear them, add lint traps where needed and check the standpipe height.

• Floor drains that have dried out can let sewer smells into the basement.

Fixtures from the seventies

Original toilets, tub valves and faucets from this era are often worn and hard to source parts for. Replacing them with modern equivalents improves reliability and reduces water use.

• We replace shut-off valves at the same time.

Water heaters in semis

Many Smithfield semis still use chimney-vented tank heaters in small furnace rooms. When the furnace has been changed to a sealed high-efficiency model, the old chimney may be too big for the water heater alone, which can lead to poor draft and condensation. A power-vented tank or a liner may be needed. We check this whenever we replace a heater in these homes.

• Rental tank owners should contact their rental company first.

Calls we often get here

• Same leak as the neighbour
• Laundry standpipe overflowing
• Sewer smell from a dry floor drain
• Old tub valve dripping
• Toilet running constantly