Markham area · 1950s to 1960s
Plumbers in Thornhill (Markham side)
The Markham half of Thornhill, east of Yonge, is a place of mature trees, wide lots and split-level homes that are now around fifty or sixty years old.
- Crews familiar with how this neighbourhood was piped
- Main shut-off and pipe material checked on every call
- Price before work, tested before we leave
Homes and pipes in Thornhill (Markham side)
Most of Thornhill on the Markham side was built in the 1960s and 70s, with streets like John Street, Bayview Avenue and the area around Thornhill Golf Club filling in quickly. Those houses often still have their original copper supply lines, cast iron drains and clay sewer laterals out to the street. Some were updated with Poly-B in the 1980s, particularly during kitchen and bathroom renovations.
Split levels are interesting to plumb. Bathrooms sit over garages, kitchens sit half a floor above family rooms, and pipes take unusual routes between levels. Knowing those routes helps us find leaks quickly and make smaller openings when we need to get into a wall.
Calls this corner of town makes
- Tree root intrusion in clay sewer laterals.
- Original shower valves with no anti-scald protection.
- Copper pinhole leaks in pipes over fifty years old.
- Frozen pipes in rooms over unheated garages.
Older two-handle shower valves are common here and are a good candidate for shower valve replacement. Root problems usually start with a camera inspection and continue with clearing or repair.
Through the seasons here
Bathrooms built over garages are the classic freeze-up spot in winter. A cold January night can freeze a supply line in that floor in a matter of hours. Insulating the garage ceiling or adding heat makes a big difference. In spring, the German Mills Creek and the Don River valleys can raise groundwater, so keep sump pumps tested.
Planning updates in a split level
Many Thornhill homes have changed hands two or three times, and renovations are common. If you are updating a kitchen or bathroom, it is worth thinking about the plumbing behind the walls while they are open. Replacing original copper or Poly-B, adding shut-offs to each fixture and updating old drain lines can all be done more cheaply during a renovation than later.
We are happy to walk through your home and give you an honest view of what is aging well and what is not. Some fifty-year-old copper is perfectly healthy; some is ready to go. We tell you which is which, plainly, and let you decide the timing.
Getting hold of a plumber
We cover the Markham half of Thornhill, Steeles Avenue up to Highway 7 and across to Bayview and Leslie. For the Vaughan side, see our Thornhill (Vaughan side) page. Call (365) 334-6254 and we will explain the fix before we begin.
Bayview and John Street can be busy at rush hour, so we let you know if traffic is slowing us down. A short text beats a long, silent wait at the window.
Older two-handle shower valves are common here and are a good candidate for shower valve replacement .
From the job notes of Plumbers in Markham
Local file · Thornhill (Markham side)
Under the floors in Thornhill (Markham side)
| Item | What we usually find |
|---|---|
| Main era | 1950s to 1960s |
| Supply pipe | Copper, some galvanized |
| Drains and sewer | Cast iron stack, clay or cast iron lateral |
| Watch for | Scaled cast iron, root intrusion, seized gate valves |
A general picture of the housing stock. Renovations change what is behind any one wall.
First checks on a call here
- Where the main shut-off and meter sit, and whether the valve still turns
- Age and type of the water heater and its venting
- Floor drain, cleanout and any backwater valve
- Supply pipe material visible in the basement ceiling