Homeowner guide
The homeowner library
Plain guides to the plumbing in your house: which checks to make, how to act in a crisis, and when to hand it over to the trade.
- Plain-language homeowner guides
- What to check before you call
- What to do in a flood or freeze
- When to stop and hand it to a plumber
- Licensed, insured trade work (details confirmed when you call)
- Diagnosis before anything is cut
- Emergency calls taken
- Etobicoke and the west end
Reading these guides
These guides are written for homeowners, not trades. They explain how things work, which jobs are safe to try at home, and the point at which to call.
- Rules and city programs change, so where a guide mentions a permit or subsidy, check the latest rules with the city before acting.
Drains
Things that never belong in a drain
A plain list of what clogs household drains and sewers, from fat and wipes to coffee grounds and paint, and where each one should go instead in Toronto.
Grease and your kitchen drain
How cooking grease turns into a solid clog inside your kitchen drain, why hot water does not fix it, and the simple habits that keep the line open for years.
Sewer smells in the house
Tracking down a sewer smell indoors: dry floor drain traps, failed toilet seals, blocked vents, cracked pipes and the simple fixes for each source.
Flooding
When the basement floods
Step-by-step actions for a flooded Etobicoke basement: staying safe around electricity, stopping the source, documenting for insurance and calling the city.
Basement flooding protection
How backwater valves, sump pumps and downspout disconnection protect Toronto basements, and what to know about permits and the city subsidy program.
Sewers
How camera inspections work
What happens during a sewer camera inspection, what the footage shows about roots, cracks and sags, and when an inspection is worth booking for your home.
Trees, roots and sewer lines
Why tree roots enter older clay sewer laterals in Etobicoke, how often to cut them, when repair makes more sense, and what to plant near the sewer line.
Water supply
Finding your main shut-off
Locating the main valve in an Etobicoke house, condo or townhouse, closing it without breaking it, and what to do if the valve will not turn.
Preventing frozen pipes
Where pipes freeze in Etobicoke bungalows and split-levels, what to do during a cold snap, how to thaw safely, and the fixes that stop repeat bursts.
Copper, PEX and galvanized
How to tell copper, PEX, galvanized, Kitec and lead pipe apart in your Etobicoke home, what each one means for leaks and pressure, and when to replace.
Lead pipes in older homes
Spotting a lead supply pipe in an older Toronto house, how to reduce exposure while you plan, and how replacement on both sides of the line works.