Plumber in Markland Wood

Heavy rain backups usually point to one of two things. The city's combined sewer system can surcharge during intense storms, meaning pressure builds up in the main line and pushes water backward into your home through the basement floor drain. The other common cause is a partially blocked sewer lateral that can handle normal flow but gets overwhelmed when stormwater volume increases. Properties near Etobicoke Creek can also experience elevated groundwater infiltration during spring thaws and heavy summer rainstorms. A sewer system backup inspection pinpoints which issue you're dealing with. A backwater valve addresses sewer surcharge specifically and is worth discussing with your plumber if you've had repeated basement flooding.

You're not legally required to have one installed, but the City of Toronto has historically offered a subsidy through its Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program for homeowners who install a backwater valve, a sump pump, or both. The program terms and subsidy amounts change periodically, so check with the City directly or ask us about the current program when you book. Markland Wood properties with older clay sewer laterals, large trees near the service line, or a history of basement flooding are strong candidates for backwater valve installation. The valve sits in the floor drain line and closes automatically when backflow pressure is detected, blocking sewage from entering the basement.

A running toilet is almost always due to a worn flapper or a failing fill valve, both of which are straightforward to fix. Left alone, a running toilet can waste over 200 litres of water a day, and that shows up on your water bill quickly. You can confirm it with a simple dye test: add a few drops of food colouring to the tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If the colour appears in the bowl, the flapper isn't sealing. A hissing sound means the fill valve is trickling water past its seal into the tank even when the tank is full. If you've already swapped the flapper and the toilet is still running, the flush valve seat may be damaged. Our blog covers exactly why toilets hiss if you want to read through it before calling, but our team can sort it out on a single visit.

Pipes freeze when the temperature in the space around them drops below 0°C long enough for the water inside to expand. In Markland Wood's older homes, the most vulnerable spots are pipes running through exterior walls, uninsulated crawl spaces, and under kitchen or bathroom cabinets on an outside wall. Homes built before modern insulation standards are more exposed to this than newer construction. If you turn on a tap on a cold morning and nothing comes out, shut off the water at the main valve before doing anything else, and call a plumber. Don't try to thaw a frozen pipe with an open flame. Our team handles frozen pipe emergencies and will assess whether the pipe cracked during the freeze, which isn't always visible until it thaws.

Most tank water heaters last 10 to 12 years under normal household use, though the actual lifespan depends on tank size, how hard the water is, and whether the anode rod has ever been serviced. Toronto's municipal water supply carries moderate mineral content, and scale accumulates inside the tank over time, forcing the heating element to work harder. Banging or popping sounds during heat cycles are mineral scale burning off the element. Rusty-coloured hot water and any moisture around the base of the unit are signs the tank is already failing. If your water heater is over a decade old, it's worth having it assessed before it fails in the middle of January. Tankless water heaters are a popular upgrade and can last 20 years or more with proper maintenance.

If the house was built before the late 1970s and still has its original supply lines, it's a real possibility. Galvanized steel pipes rust from the outside in, and by the time you notice discoloured water or noticeably reduced pressure, significant corrosion is usually already present throughout the line. Original copper from the same era holds up better but can develop pinhole leaks at soldered joints, especially with the freeze-thaw cycles southern Ontario sees each winter. The high water bill guide on our blog walks through some of the signs worth watching for. A repiping assessment tells you exactly what's in the walls and which sections, if any, need to be replaced before a failure causes water damage.

Our team covers residential plumbing across Markland Wood and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Services include:

• Drain cleaning with HydroScrub® jetting for stubborn or recurring blockages
• Sewer line repair and replacement
• Water heater installation and tankless water heater upgrades
• Backwater valve installation
• Toilet installation and faucet installation
• Repiping for homes with aging supply lines
• Video camera inspection for drain and sewer diagnosis
• Water line replacement for aging service lines from the city main
• Drain repair for damaged or deteriorating interior drain lines

Call our team directly or request a job estimate online, and we'll schedule a visit. We use flat-rate, upfront pricing, so you see the full cost before any work starts. There are no hourly billing surprises and no overtime charges. For emergencies, a live person picks up the phone 24/7. For larger projects such as sewer replacement or full repiping, financing is available, subject to credit approval. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Etobicoke has served the Markland Wood community since 1995, and every job is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise®.