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Tab four: Seasons

Seasonal plumbing checklists for Markham

Markham plumbing runs on a calendar. The same house that drains fine in July can split a hose-bib line in January or fill a sump pit to the brim in April, so we keep one short checklist per season.

  • A plumber answers when you call
  • Clear price before any pipe is cut
  • Basements left as clean as we found them
  • Work tested in front of you
Ring us at (365) 334-6254Call-only: a plumber picks up, no forms.
  • Licensed plumbers (details on request)
  • Price agreed before work
  • Call-only, no forms
  • Tested before we leave
A collection of old hand tools laid out on a wooden table
A small set of tools goes a long way in the first minutes of a leak

Seasonal at a glance

Jump to a group, then open the page that matches your job.

Sump pits & flooding

Toilets, sinks & showers

Pipes, leaks & valves

Why the season changes the work

York Region winters push frost well down into the ground and into any pipe that sits close to an outside wall. Spring melt and heavy rain load up weeping tile, sump pits and floor drains. Summer is when people leave for weeks and a slow drip under a vanity has time to rot a subfloor. Fall is the window to drain outdoor lines before the first hard freeze. Each checklist below lists the valves to turn, the parts to look at and the moment a plumber should take over.

The four checklists

  • Fall shutdown: close the indoor valve for each hose bib, open the spout, drain the leg and pull the hoses.
  • Deep-freeze winter: open cabinet doors on outside walls, keep the garage line warm and know what a frozen pipe sounds like.
  • Spring thaw: pour a pail into the sump pit, watch the float lift, check the discharge line and test the backwater valve flap.
  • Summer away: shut the main or the heater, check the washer hoses and leave someone the location of the shut-off.
Keep a flashlight and a channel-lock pliers next to the main shut-off. Most seasonal jobs start there.

When to stop and call

If a valve will not turn, a fitting keeps weeping after a quarter turn, water is running into a wall cavity or the sump pump hums but the pit keeps rising, stop and call. A plumber can isolate the line, cut out the split section and solder, press or crimp in a new piece the same day. For anything around the gas side of a water heater, leave it alone and call the gas utility first if you smell gas.

Deep-freeze winter : open cabinet doors on outside walls, keep the garage line warm and know what a frozen pipe sounds like.

From the job notes of Plumbers in Markham

How the job runs, start to finish

  1. 1

    On the phone

    Explain what the water is doing and where. We ask the age of the house and which valve or breaker to shut while we drive over.

  2. 2

    Drop cloths down

    Floors and cabinets get covered, the water or gas is isolated and the work area is lit.

  3. 3

    Find the failed part

    We open the trap, cleanout, access panel or wall where the fault is, and show you what we found.

  4. 4

    Quote, then work

    We explain what failed and what the fix costs; no cutting starts until you say yes.

  5. 5

    Cut, fit, seal

    Old parts come out, new pipe, valves or fixtures go in, and joints are soldered, pressed, crimped or glued.

  6. 6

    Test and ticket

    We run water, pressure-test or fire the heater, check for drips, clean up and leave a written ticket of what was done.

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