Plumbing in Thistletown

Plumbing profile

Housing

Older village homes, post-war bungalows, later infill

Terrain

Valley slopes near the Humber

Drains

Clay and cast iron laterals

Landmarks

Humber Arboretum vicinity, Albion Road, Thistletown Collegiate area

Valley lots and groundwater

Lots sloping toward the Humber can carry groundwater toward the foundation. Sump pits collect it, and pumps can run often after rain. Good discharge routing and a working pump are essential.

• A check valve and a backup plan for outages are worth the small cost.

Older laterals

Sewer laterals in older homes may be clay with mortar joints. Roots and shifting soil on slopes can open those joints. Regular backups after storms or in autumn suggest root intrusion.

• Camera inspection with depth locating helps plan any repair on sloped ground.

Frozen pipes

Older houses and additions may have pipes in exterior walls or crawlspaces. Cold winds off the valley can freeze vulnerable runs. We fix the burst and address the cold source.

• Disconnecting hoses and draining outdoor taps prevents many spring leaks.

Older village houses

A few of Thistletown’s older homes pre-date the subdivisions around them and have unusual plumbing: lines added piece by piece, a basement dug out after the fact, or a drain that was once connected to something other than the city sewer. We take time to trace how things actually run before recommending changes, and we will tell you when an old arrangement should be brought up to current standards.

• Camera work and patient tracing save a lot of guesswork in these houses.

Calls we often get here

• Sump pump running frequently
• Backups in the autumn
• Frozen pipes in exterior walls
• Water seeping into the basement
• Old clay lateral blockages