- Area
- East Gwillimbury
- Local focus
- North of Green Lane
- Common calls
- Drains, supply pipe, heaters, sumps
- Booking
- By telephone
Homes and plumbing in East Gwillimbury
The town takes in Holland Landing, Sharon, Queensville and Mount Albert, along with rural roads in between. Recent subdivisions near Green Lane and Leslie Street are on municipal water and sewer and are plumbed with PEX and ABS. Out on the concession roads, many homes draw from a private well and pipe their waste to an on-lot septic system.
Those two worlds call for different thinking. A slow drain in a new subdivision is a simple clog; the same symptom on a rural property could mean the septic tank is overdue for a pump-out.
Trouble spots in these houses
- Main drain blockages in new homes where construction debris, wipes or grease have settled in the lateral.
- Aging gas water heaters in homes from the 1980s and 1990s, many of them still rentals.
- Well pressure problems on rural properties, from failing pressure switches to waterlogged tanks.
- Frozen lines in older farmhouses and outbuildings with little insulation.
Services most asked for
Stubborn drain lines that keep clogging are a good fit for hydro jetting, which scours the inside of the pipe rather than punching a hole through the blockage. On a rural property we confirm the septic system is not the real cause before jetting toward it, since flushing debris into a septic tank only moves the trouble.
Water heater changes are the other steady request. Gas water heater replacement includes checking the venting, the gas connector and the relief valve discharge, and hauling the old tank away.
Building or renovating
A great deal of new construction and renovation is underway across the town. If you are adding a bathroom, finishing a basement or extending a farmhouse kitchen, plan the plumbing before walls go up. Our circular on planning plumbing for a renovation lists the decisions worth making early, from fixture locations to where the cleanouts will go.
Bench note
On a septic system, avoid sending grease, wipes or large amounts of harsh cleaner down the drains. They disrupt the tank and shorten the life of the leaching bed.
For rural owners on a well, it pays to know where the well head, pressure tank and septic lid sit before you ever need them. Mark them on a simple sketch and keep it with your house papers. When a problem appears in January, with snow over everything, that sketch saves a great deal of searching.
Ringing us from East Gwillimbury
Tell us whether you are on town services or a well and septic when you phone (365) 990-3021. Rural addresses can be spread out, so the nearest cross road helps. We also travel west to King City, where many homes share the same rural setup.
Phoned-in questions
Do you take on homes with wells and septic systems?
Yes. We service well pumps and pressure systems and handle the plumbing inside the house. Septic tank pumping itself is done by a licensed hauler.
Can older pipe handle hydro jetting?
It suits most sound pipes. For fragile or damaged lines we inspect with a camera first and adjust the pressure or choose another method.