Plumbing guides for Oakville homeowners

All guides

1. Finding the house valveany month, before trouble
2. Preventing frozen pipesDecember to February
3. Testing your sump pumpMarch and October
4. Backwater valves explainedbefore storm season
5. Draining heater sedimentonce a year
6. Tank or tankless?when replacing a heater
7. Hard water in Oakvilleall year
8. Slow drainswhenever a sink lingers
9. What not to flushevery day
10. Who owns the sewer lateralwhen buying or after a backup
11. Lead and galvanized pipeswhen buying an older home
12. Winterizing outdoor tapsOctober
13. The first hour of a basement floodstorms and thaws
14. Water pressure problemsany time
15. Buying an older homebefore you sign
16. Noisy pipesany time
17. Plumbing permitsbefore a renovation
18. Meter test for leakswhen the bill jumps
19. Battery backup for sumpsbefore storm season
20. Planning a basement bathroomrenovation planning
21. Hiring a licensed plumberany time

How these guides are written

Each entry closes with a short margin tip, the sort of thing we would mention at the door on the way out, plus a list of related jobs in case the problem turns out to need a professional after all.

We write these guides from the questions people ask us on the phone. They are general advice for typical houses in this area; your house may differ, and local programs and rules change, so check with Halton Region or the Town of Oakville where we point you to them.

If an entry leaves you unsure, call. Explaining something over the phone costs nothing.

Five habits that save a service call

• Find the house valve now, and give it a test quarter turn
• Keep a flashlight and a bucket by the furnace room
• Test the sump by filling the pit once each spring
• Wipe grease out of pans before washing up
• Pull every hose off its outside tap once October nights dip below zero