Today, we replaced the underground lead water pipe in Danforth Ave and Woodbine Ave in Toronto. Two days prior, the customer called us and informed us that the city shut his main supply line because of the leak. Luckily, the water did not flood the basement, and instead produced a hissing noise from the pipe. The water did not flow to the basement due to the newly done basement waterproofing and the sandy soils, where water travels quickly as a result of gravity.
Therefore, the Toronto Water representative advised the home owner to replace a private portion of the lead pipe. There were several factors that made the job difficult to complete. First of all, the floor in the basement, with pipes under the concrete slab, was heated. We decided to drill the hole through the wall. This was not a simple task as during the underpinning, done by the previous contractor, poured 2.5 feet thick concrete. On the picture, you can see a new copper pipe coming from the foundation wall.
Another challenge was to dig an 8 feet deep hole outside with minimum disturbances to the finished flower bed. Following the torpedo drilling, the old lead pipe was disconnected from the city portion and new copper one was connected. The home owner, without water for a couple days, got the service restored. Mister Plumber encourages other home owners to call us to replace the water pipe.
If you have any questions or concerns about our plumbing services, send us an email or give us a call at 416-939-1530.