Archive for category: Plumbing Blog

For many people, plumbing and drain system infrastructure are difficult not only to install but also to understand. This article provides some important information that will help make these topics a little less complicated.

Drains are a very crucial part of plumbing.

Most houses in Toronto are connected to municipal sewers, while a small number, especially in rural areas, have septic tanks. The standard size for underground main sewer pipes for an average family home is 4” inside diameter. It is important to note that the size of pipes and fittings are measured by the inside diameter, as opposed to the outside diameter. This is because pipes and fittings have different degrees of wall thickness, and therefore varying lengths of outside diameter. Generally speaking, one 4” pipe will suffice for a house and sewer connection from the basement to the road. The pipe that is installed inside the house and 1 meter from the outside exterior wall is called the building drain. The rest of pipe infrastructure up to the connection with the main municipal drain is called the building sewer. It is very important that every horizontal drain pipe in a house is installed on a slope, since waste water flows out and away from a dwelling only by gravity.

While all residences should have a slope, however, the degree of the slope differs according to the size of the pipe. For pipes up to 3” in diameter, for instance, the minimum slope would be 1/4” per foot; whereas, for 4” pipes, the minimum slope would be 1/8” per foot. To allow for the proper flow of sewage, it is crucial that no sharp changes in direction exist in the drainage infrastructure, and that all elbows are installed correctly with long radius turns. If there are a couple of branches that have to be connected, it is important to use only Y-fitting and 45-degree elbows.

When it comes to waste water, there are two main types of pipes that should be used: PVC (white plastic) and ABS (black plastic) pipes. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, for condo units, plumbers are required to use non-combustible pipes made from either copper or XFR (dark grey plastic). Underground main drains and sewers can be installed with PVC pipes, but the plumbing infrastructure above ground should always be made from ABS pipes. The size of pipes required in a home can be determined by the number of its toilets and load, which is ideally measured by using special units called fixture units. Vertical 3” pipes can serve up to a maximum of six toilets; whereas horizontal 3” pipes should be used for no more than two toilets. Any house with more than six toilets connected to the same soil stack would require the use of 4” pipes.

The installation of vertical drain stack pipes is a bit more tricky.

Because they are placed down into concrete floor in the basement, they must be installed ‘clean-out’ within one meter of the floor. ‘Clean-out’ installation involves the insertion of the removable lid, so there can be access to the inside of the pipes for the purpose of camera inspection. Clearing and inspecting these pipes can sometimes be quite challenging, since construction workers are known to occasionally block their access points by covering them over with drywall.

There are standard pipe sizes for different parts of a house.

3” pipes are used for toilets. 1.5” pipes are installed for kitchen sinks, bathtubs and showers. And, 2” pipes are employed for washing machines. Except when it comes to sloped pipes, standard plumbing codes require the installation of P-trap pipes for every fixture. P-trap is a u-shaped pipe that houses water and prevents sewer gases from entering living space. Every time a tap is used in a house, water is refilled and refreshed in a trap. The floor drain in the basement also has a P-trap installed under the floor and works in a similar way.

If a bad odour ever emerges from the floor drain, the first method of treatment is to pour water into the trap to make sure it is not dry (i.e., trap water sometimes completely evaporates). Current plumbing codes specify that ‘primer tube’ must be installed and connected to the laundry faucet, which discharges small amounts of water during use. Most of the time, this is sufficient to maintain normal water levels in the trap. It is important to note that vent pipe should be used for every trap to ensure negative pressure inside the pipe does not remove all the water from the u-shaped fittings. Moreover, multiple vent pipes should be connected to the main vent stack, which is extended and terminates above the roof. It is similarly crucial to properly support the drain branches, since pipes can decrease in strength over time. In the case of horizontal pipes, support is equally as important and must be at every four feet.

Water distribution systems are a little less complicated, since there are less codes associated with them, as opposed to drains. This is because water in a residence receives its essential pressure from city pipes, which both enable it to change direction multiple times and allows it to run through many different vertical and horizontal offsets. For an average family home, the minimum size of an incoming supply line should be at least 3/4” in diameter.  For pipes that are connected to a water meter, or a hot water tank inlet, the standard size should also be 3/4”. Relatedly, the cold water supply for heaters must have a shut-off valve. During the installation of new pipes, it is important to remember that hot water is always found on the left and that cold water is always found on the right.

When it comes to plumbing fixtures, it is sufficient to have half-inch branches. For lawn sprinklers, the outdoor line should be 3/4” or 1”. Equally important, every sink, toilet, bidet, dishwasher, fridge, and washing machine should have their own individual shut-off valves. Current plumbing codes also require that mixing valves be connected to hot water tank outlets. The temperature inside a tank should be around 70 degrees centigrade in order to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Because our skin withstands up to a maximum of 50 degrees, it is crucial that extremely hot water be diluted with cold water so taps and faucets do not discharge water higher than their maximum threshold.

Mister plumber is one of the most well-known and respected plumbing contractors in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We have earned this reputation in the community over many years by providing high quality drain and plumbing services for both residential and commercial properties.

If you require plumbing services, or are interested in booking an inspection or evaluation, we invite you to contact us directly using live chat, phone, request form or email.

Bob Dylan once famously sang, “The times, they are a-changing”. And while he was undoubtedly talking about the social and cultural upheaval of 60’s America, his words apply to just about everything in the modern world, plumbing included. As we learn more about the impact of different materials, as new innovations in emergency prevention are popularized, and as our cultural attitudes shift to reflect a growing eco-consciousness, plumbing as we know it changes.

And those changes are reflected in the plumbing codes. Sometimes codes are slow to – for lack of a better term – get with the times. They mandate what was already considered by plumbers to be essentials, and so they serve as a kind of lagging, written history of improvements in the industry.

Still, there are a few changes every homeowner in Toronto should be aware of, not only for legal reasons, but because some of these mandated plumbing installations can save your home… and possibly your life. As your trusted Toronto plumber, we here at Mister Plumber want to give you the entire package – a service that includes a free plumbing estimate in Toronto as well as advising you on pertinent changes in plumbing that affect your life.

Here we have four of, what we believe, are the most notable recent changes to the code. We’ll do our best in each to explain why the change is important and how you, as a homeowner, benefit.

Backwater Valve Installation

The first notable change to the plumbing code that we want to discuss is the mandatory backwater valve installation for new constructions. After about of heavy rains flooded a number of houses across Toronto, causing innumerable costs in damaged basements, the city counsel made a 2007 decision to require backwater valves. The code states that every new house must have a backwater valve, and it is mandatory for existing houses as well, when the homeowner applies for a plumbing permit that implies some work in the basement.

You may be reticent to get a backwater valve because you’ve never had a flood, but it is honestly one of the most important installations a Toronto homeowner can get. It often rains very hard here, and the heavy rain can overtake the city sewer system, pushing its way into private pipes and, eventually, into your home. Before long, without a backwater valve as protection, your basement can be filled with wastewater. It’s not only disgusting, but it’s also incredibly costly and dangerous to your health.

A backwater valve is a device that prevents sewage from backing up to the fixtures located below street level, (all plumbing fixtures in the basement), through the simple use of a one-way valve. The gate allows wastewater to leave your home, but it shuts firm when wastewater tries to enter your home.

Sump Pump Installation

Another change to the plumbing code is the requirement of a sump pump installation in Toronto that manages groundwater. In order to achieve this, weeping tiles are installed along the perimeter of the house, which transports underground water to the sump pit, where a pump then discharges it outside away from foundation walls. In older houses, weeping tiles have a connection to the sanitary drain, using a floor drain trap in the furnace room.

Again, the heavy rainfall in Toronto was proving a financial nuisance to a lot of homeowners, as the water was seeping into the basement via the ground. The City considered the issue, worried momentarily that expelling groundwater into the sewer drain could overload the lake with impurities. Ultimately, the City decided that groundwater doesn’t contain human impurities and can, therefore, flow to the lake without treatment. They did, however, mandate the sump pump, which doesn’t overtax the sewer system, but rather distributes groundwater back to the soil, albeit away from the home’s foundation.

If you like your basement – and we’re sure you do – but you don’t yet have a sump pump and pit set up, call us today at Mister Plumber. We’ve installed more sump pits that we can count, and offer precise, professional and affordable service.

The City of Toronto even offers kickbacks for sump pump installation and backwater valve installation through its Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program. You need to use a licensed plumber to be eligible, but luckily we’ve got your back on that front.

Air Tight Lid for Sump Pump

The most recent change in the code is that mandate of airtight lids for sump pits. Airtight lids prevent harmful soil gas and/or Radon from entering your living space. According to scientific research done globally, the gas can be in high concentration in the basement and can cause cancer for people living in the building.

Radon, as you might know, is colourless and odourless, so it’s extremely difficult to detect, and yet it’s a potent carcinogen capable of real long-term damage – next to smoking, it’s the main cause of lung cancer. It does this by introducing radioactive inhalant elements into the surrounding air. It comes from the breakdown of soil and rock, so you can see why a sump pit could be ground zero for exposure. Without an airtight seal, the groundwater containing radon that cycles through will emit dangerous levels of the stuff.

If you are unsure whether your sump pit has an airtight seal, call us immediately for plumbing services in Toronto – we’ll take care of it. In the picture at the top of the article, you can see a lid with bolts that make a water- and air-tight connection of the sump basin and lid. The other picture, just above this section, shows some yellow plastic that wraps around the drainpipes so air from the soil can’t go through. 

There are other changes to the plumbing code, nationally and locally, that have either just been introduced or are imminent, like the mandatory water-use efficiency requirements that the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating announced in 2015, which begins its second phase in 2020. But that’s a subject for another blog post. For now, the above three mandates are what we consider to be the most important to Toronto homeowners. It may be technical and complicated stuff, but the end goal is always the same: to keep homeowners safer.

Water pressure is important – anyone who believes otherwise is either kidding themselves or has impossibly low standards. Have you ever gone to wash a couple of dishes, only to be greeted with a thin, weak stream of water coming out of the faucet? It’s frustrating. Or, worse yet, have you ever turned on the shower in the morning, still half asleep, and had the water dribble out. It’s probably the least satisfying way to start your day.

There’s no single reason for poor water pressure. It can be caused by a number of factors, either acting alone or in conjunction with one another. But the result of poor water pressure is always the same: a daily annoyance that gets in the way of you fully enjoying your home.

Let’s take a stand together against weak water pressure. As one of the top Toronto plumbing companies, our hope here at Mister Plumber is that every Torontonian has access to a satisfying shower. To that end, let’s take a look at a few of the common causes of poor water pressure, and what we can do together to tackle them.

The Common Causes of Poor Water Pressure

As mentioned, water pressure in the house depends on many factors – pipes, valves and even the aerators on your taps. The source of the problem isn’t always apparent and can take a keen professional eye to spot.

Part of being professional drain repair experts is that we here at Mister Plumber are like detectives for your plumbing – we pick up clues, run tests and determine the source of the issue. Here are a few such sources.

Pipe Size

The most important factor in your water pressure – and arguably the commonest cause of its weakness – is the size of your pipes. Older houses in Toronto usually have half-inch lead or galvanized pipes.

At the time when these houses were built, such pipe diameter was sufficient for a family’s needs; there was one washroom, laundry sink and kitchen sink. Nowadays, people are adding more washrooms, higher-powered washing machines, sprinkler systems etc. A bigger number of plumbing fixtures requires higher pressure.

That’s why the current plumbing code states that the minimum size of underground water service pipes must be 3/4” for one family dwelling. We recommend even 1” for houses with 5 or more washrooms. Another plumbing code states that the diameter of pipe running from the water meter to the cold supply inlet on the hot water tank must be not less than 3/4”.

Some homeowners upgrade only the underground portion and say they are happy with their pressure, so they avoid any work in the basement, especially if it is finished.

Gate Valves

Pressure may also be affected by shut off valves installed in the house. Some valves like a gate valve, for example, cuts up to 20% of pressure because it has a reduced diameter in its body. Other valves like ball type are full port ones and do not restrict the flow. Such valves are reliable too as there is no rubber parts inside that can be affected by the chlorine that Toronto water contains.

Partially Closed Valves

The City of Toronto even suggests before you submit a service request for low water pressure, that you ensure your main water shut off valve is, in fact, completely open. Partially closed water shut off valves can obviously restrict the water flow into your home, thereby negatively impacting pressure throughout the home. This isn’t a tough job and only requires you locating your shut off valves.

However, if opening the valves fully doesn’t amend the problem, it might be time to call in the pros.

Leaks

Take the example of a garden hose. A garden hose with a hole – or a number of small holes – will eventually siphon off a sizeable amount of its pressure and water, leaving the end to weakly dribble out a thin stream of water. This same principle applies to your pipes.

If you have noticed wet patches or water damage in any part of your home, there’s a distinct chance you have a leaking pipe, which, in addition to causing costly damage, can negatively impact water pressure. Nip this problem in the bud, as soon as you notice anything – water pipe repair that is caught early can save you a lot of money.

Clogged Aerators

Finally, the issue can be as simple and localized as a clogged aerator. If something gets caught in your faucets aerator screen, like dirt or debris, it can throttle the water trying to come out. A major indication that your problem is a clogged aerator and not one of the above problems is that the low pressure is localized in one tap, not affecting other appliances.

Fixing Common Water Pressure Problems

In the picture up above, you can see a pressure upgrade project we did. The old lead pipes in the house were upgraded with new 3/4” copper ones underground and connected to the city curb valve. This greatly improved the house’s water pressure and did away with the potentially harmful lead pipes the homeowners had unwittingly been using. The plumbing in Toronto is often out-dated, so we come across cases like this quite a lot.

The picture below shows a new copper pipe going through a foundation wall, with a new shut off main valve and connection to the water meter. Mister Plumber uses a modern torpedo drilling method to upgrade the private portion of an underground main water supply line with minimum disturbance to the landscaping. That means you can upgrade your water pressure without worrying about overhauling your property.

In Toronto, we replace over 3,000 old lead water pipes. Our reasonable prices and superior quality of work makes us as top customers’ choice. To chat with an experienced professional about your water pressure, give us a call today. Our mission is to make sure every Torontonian loves their morning shower – help us make the mission a success!

Some plumbing problems are rare, and take an experienced plumber (like Mister Plumber, of course!) to sleuth their way to the solution. Other problems are so common that every homeowner or tenant has seen them before – your leaky faucets, overflowing toilet or slow-draining sink – and that an emergency plumber could probably handle with their eyes closed.

But then there are some big plumbing issues that are neither as frequent as a drippy faucet nor as uncommon as an overheated sump pump – but we here at Mister Plumber see them often enough that we want to discuss them.

One of the things that make Toronto a truly special city to live in is its rich history, with houses ranging from over 200 years old to a day old, and everything in between. But the history that makes it special also makes its houses unpredictable and susceptible to various plumbing issues. Homes built at different periods will have different types of plumbing, some of which are out-of-date and/or harmful.

In general, older plumbing creates some problems for homeowners. Even if it doesn’t leak, it might cause slow drainage, a bad sewer smell, low water pressure, frequent clogs, leaching lead, etc. Different types of pipes have their own advantages and disadvantages, and in this article, we wanted to detail a few different case studies, each of the jobs we’ve worked recently and each of them surrounding a different type of pipe, trap or coupling.

Cast Iron Pipes

Everyone likes cast iron – especially for their pans, which can cook a steak better than just about anything. And it’s this sturdiness that made cast iron so popular among plumbers from the 17^th Century all the way to the mid-20^th Century.  Cast iron pipes were used as main soil stacks in residential houses. Cast iron makes a pretty strong pipe, one that has a lot of longevity, and (this was especially important for the modest sensibilities of olden day homeowners) remains quiet when water flows inside.

In the picture above, you can see an original cast iron drainpipe, which is 90 years old. For a couple of months prior to calling our plumbing services in Toronto, the homeowner reported multiple instances of blockage in it. Our licensed plumbers conducted an investigation that showed that the inside diameter of the pipe had been reduced to 2.5” because of severe corrosion build-up. This is smaller than the minimum size (3”) required for a toilet. Also, the surface of the inner pipe wall was rough, which easily catches all paper.

We gave our recommendations to the homeowner to replace the pipe with ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), a long-lasting plastic that won’t corrode, rust or block. It’s a newer type of pipe material, and one that you will find used by modern plumbers looking to get their customers the most value. It is a one-time investment compared to multiple services to remove toilet, snake the drain and reinstall the toilet.

S-Trap

The other picture, which you can see just below this section, shows the old drain assembly for a laundry sink. The homeowner called us and complained about slow drainage and a bad smell coming from the sink. In addition to the old pipes and fittings we found, there are some code violations in this plumbing.

First of all, there is what’s called an S-trap (the thing that looks like a sideways “S” in the photo), which is prohibited by Ontario plumbing codes. When water flows down an S-trap, it creates negative pressure behind it and sucks all the water from trap. If there is no water in the trap, a bad sewage smell can easily invade the living space.

In this situation, we immediately remove your old building trap and replace the S-trap with the superior P-trap, which, if installed properly and not left to dry up, works wonders.

Cracked Concrete

Another issue occurs where an above-ground pipe (downpipe) is connected to an underground clay pipe at floor level – the concrete is susceptible to cracks. Recently, we arrived at a customer’s house to find this very problem.

Nowadays, plumbers use rubber couplings to connect different sizes and types of pipes. These couplings provide an air- and water-tight seal that makes it difficult for foul odours to penetrate your home. Another mistake that can be made in this plumbing is a wrong fitting at the connection between two compartments – a sharp change of direction from the left compartment. It’s something that other plumbers might not spot, but Mister Plumber’s experienced team knows to look at small details like that.

We’re always looking out for the wellbeing of your family and your home. Call us about pipe inspection, trap replacement, sump pump installation in Toronto – you name it, we’ll take care of it.

Lead Pipes

Then, there are lead pipes. We’ve discussed lead pipes a number of times on this blog, but it’s because they are still so pervasive and harmful. Old lead pipes, a prominent feature of older homes, can corrode over time and leach harmful lead into your drinking water, which can have profoundly negative health effects. We just recently replaced yet another system of lead pipes for a homeowner.

If you live in an old home or suspect that you might have lead pipes, call Mister Plumber immediately. We’ll inspect your pipes and, if they are lead, replace them with copper pipes, which are not susceptible to corrosion and therefore will not leach anything harmful. It’s a big issue in Toronto: of the approximately 437,000 residences in the City of Toronto, an estimated 31,250 have lead water pipes.

These are just four case studies, but they each illustrate the need to keep your plumbing up-to-date. Materials that plumbers used in the past may have eroded or corroded over time, or may not have been safe in the first place. To avoid the above-mentioned problems, we recommend you consider upgrading your old plumbing. Call Mister Plumber today to help make your home as safe, clean, fresh and functional as possible.