From the Archive
Advice from the Archive
Guides written for Oakville homeowners who want to understand their plumbing before something goes wrong.
- Residential and commercial plumbing
- Drains, pipes, water heaters and sumps
- Straight answers on the phone
- Every job water-tested before we leave
or ring (365) 399-5986Real people answer. Bookings by phone only.
- Licensed & insured (details on request)
- Oakville & Halton
- Phone bookings only
Emergencies
Burst pipes, finding your shut-off and basement flooding. Read these before you need them.
Water heaters and hard water
Tank versus tankless, rental buyouts, flushing and softeners, all with Halton's hard lake water in mind.
Guides are general information. When in doubt, a quick phone call is safer than guessing.
Pipes and drains
Poly-B and galvanized lines, flushing a tank, and what never belongs down a drain. For smells, gurgles, knocking and weak flow, see the symptoms section.
Home projects
Buying a house, renovating a bathroom and roughing in new drains and supply lines.
The full list
- Living with Hard Water in Halton
White crust on the tap.
- Burst Pipe? Your First Ten Minutes
Water pouring from the ceiling.
- Finding Your Main Water Shut-Off
Every house has one valve that stops all the water.
- Winterizing Outdoor Faucets Before Frost
A quarter hour of autumn work spares you a cracked hose bib come spring.
- Tank vs Tankless Water Heaters
Two machines, one job.
- Rented Water Heaters: Keep, Buy Out or Replace
Many Ontario homes have a water heater they do not own.
- Preventing Basement Flooding in Oakville
Most basement floods start outside the house or in the sewer.
- Things That Should Never Go Down a Drain
A toilet line is meant to carry three things only: water, human waste, and toilet paper.
- How to Identify Poly-B Pipes
A grey plastic pipe, flexible and once popular.
- Galvanized Pipes in Older Homes
Grey steel pipes with threaded joints were standard in houses built before the 1960s.
- Lead Water Service Lines: What to Know
Most Oakville homes never had a lead pipe.
- Draining Sediment from a Tank Heater
A few litres of cloudy water, drained once a year, can add life to a tank heater and quiet its rumbling.
- Plumbing Checklist for Home Buyers
The home inspector covers a lot, but plumbing has a few hidden costs worth knowing about before you sign.
- Plumbing in Condos and Townhouses
In a condo, your pipes are not always your pipes.
- Sewer Backup vs Overland Flooding
Water in the basement is bad news either way.
- Planning Plumbing for a Bathroom Renovation
A good bathroom renovation starts with a plan for the water, not the tile.
Ready when you are
One call books the visit. Tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you straight what it likely is.