Plumbing questions, answered

A drain snake is a steel cable that breaks up or hooks a clog, and that's often all a hair or soap blockage needs. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to scour grease and sludge off the inside of the pipe, so it suits lines that keep clogging. If a snake clears the drain and it stays clear, you don't need the jetter.

Most often something is caught in the trap or the pipe just past it, and paper keeps snagging on it. Wipes are a common one, even the kind labelled flushable. If the toilet clogs along with a slow tub or sink nearby, the blockage is probably in the drain they share.

We'd skip it. Chemical cleaners can be hard on some pipes, and when they don't clear the clog you're left with a sink full of water and harsh chemicals. On a single slow sink or tub, a plunger is the safer thing to try first.

We don't publish a price list. Some jobs are flat rate and others are quoted after we've inspected the line. Estimates are free, and we explain the costs before any work starts.

If only one sink or tub is slow, the clog is probably in that fixture's own drain. If water shows up somewhere else when you use a fixture, or several drains act up at once, the main line is the likely problem. Tell us which drains are affected when you call and we can narrow it down.

Usually it's a pile-up. Flushed wipes and paper towels catch on grease that has cooled and stuck to the pipe wall, and more collects behind them. In older pipe, tree roots can also grow in through the joints and give debris something to snag on.

It might, if the cause is still in the line. Keeping wipes and grease out of the drains helps a lot. If the same line keeps backing up, a camera inspection shows us what is catching the debris, and that tells you what kind of fix will last.

We're open 24/7. Arrival is about 60 minutes on average across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, out to Langley. That's an average and traffic has its say, so we'll give you a realistic time when you call or text.

If a part has worn out and the tank is sound, a repair usually makes sense. If the tank itself is leaking or rusted through, replacing it is the only real fix. A heater that keeps needing parts is worth weighing against a new one.

It can be. A slow drip from a fitting is less urgent, but water coming from the tank itself, or any water near outlets or the electrical panel, needs dealing with now. Switch the tank off at its own controls and close the cold water valve that feeds it. We're open 24/7, so call or text whatever the hour.

For some houses it is, and for others a tank still makes more sense. A tankless unit heats water as it flows, so it doesn't run out the way a tank does, but it can only heat so much at once. If your household often runs the shower and the dishwasher at the same time, that matters. We'll look at your setup before recommending either.

That depends on the tank and what the installation involves, so we quote after seeing it. The estimate is free, and you'll hear the costs before any work starts. Our work is covered by warranty. Coverage depends on the service, so ask us for details.

Hot water isn't reaching that part of the system. Trapped air is the most common reason, and a zone valve that didn't open or a pump that has stopped pushing water will do the same thing. Tell us which rooms are affected and we'll start there.

If your radiators have bleed valves and you have the key, yes. Do it with the heat off and the radiator cool, hold a rag under the valve, and close it as soon as water appears. If the air is back within a few weeks, something is letting it in, and that needs a proper look.

Either water is leaving the system or the expansion tank isn't doing its job. A weeping fitting can lose water so slowly that it dries on the warm pipe and never makes a puddle. We test the tank and go over the fittings and valves until we find where the water is going.

Once a year is a good habit, and early fall is the best time, before you need the heat every day. The check covers the parts that wear, which are the circulation pumps, zone valves and expansion tank, plus a look at every fitting we can reach.

When a line has backed up more than once, it's worth looking before you pay to clear it again. The same goes for a house you're about to buy, or a repair you've been quoted but can't see the reason for. For a single clog that clears and stays clear, you probably don't need one.

It's a sensible check, especially on an older house or one with big trees out front. The sewer line is buried, so a regular home inspection usually doesn't look inside it. You'll need the seller's permission, which your realtor can arrange.

Often, yes. A camera can't see through standing water or a pipe packed with grease, so a blocked line usually gets cleared first. Once water is moving, the picture is clear enough to show the condition of the pipe.

Usually the homeowner looks after the pipe on their own property and the municipality looks after the connection under the street. The details differ from one municipality to the next. If what we see points past your property line, your municipality is who to call next.

Close the main shut-off where the line enters the building. If you can still hear water running, or the wet patch outside keeps growing, the leak is on the street side of that valve. If everything goes quiet, the problem is more likely inside, and we repair those leaks too.

In most places the line on your property is yours to maintain, and the part under the street belongs to the municipality. Where the split falls varies, so check with your city. If the leak turns out to be on their side, they're who to call.

Some digging is usually needed to reach a buried line. How much depends on where the leak is and what sits above it, so we work that out when we come to look. We're licensed and insured, and we go over the plan with you before any digging starts.

Not for a buried line. We have to see where it runs and where it's leaking, so the job is quoted after an inspection. Estimates are free, and nothing starts until we've explained the costs.

It's a perforated pipe buried around the outside of your foundation, down near the footing. People also call it drain tile or weeping tile. Groundwater seeps into it and runs off to a sump or storm connection, which keeps it from building up against the basement wall.

From inside the house you can't tell, because both give you the same wet basement. A camera through the line shows which one it is. That matters, since a clog can be cleaned out while a collapse has to be dug up and repaired.

They benefit from it. Silt and roots build up slowly, and a line that gets flushed now and then is less likely to block during the wettest week of the winter. How often depends on your soil and the trees around the house, so we'll suggest an interval after seeing inside.

No. It can also be a sewer line backing up. Clear water along the walls after rain points to drainage. Dirty water rising from a floor drain points to the sewer.

If the body is sound and parts are available, a repair is usually enough. Replacement makes more sense when the finish is corroded, or when it has been repaired before and is dripping again. We'll tell you which way we'd go and why.

The seal between the toilet and the drain has likely failed, or the bolts holding it down have loosened. Water at the base can soak into the subfloor, so it's worth fixing soon. Sometimes resetting the toilet on a new seal is all it needs.

Yes, and it's a good time to do it. An old valve that hasn't been turned in a long time often seizes or drips once it's disturbed. Replacing it while the fixture is out saves a second visit.

It may be. Some of our jobs are flat rate and others are quoted after an inspection, and which one applies depends on what's being replaced. Ask when you call or text. Estimates are free, and we explain the costs before any work starts.

If water is getting into the house and you can't stop it, or sewage is coming up inside, treat it as an emergency. A leaking hot water tank counts too. A slow drain is a nuisance, and it can wait for a regular booking.

On average we arrive in about 60 minutes across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, out to Langley. Those are averages, and the real time depends on where you are and what the roads are doing. We'll tell you what to expect when you call or text.

Look where the water line comes into the house, often in the basement, a crawl space or a utility room on the street side. In a condo or townhouse it may be in a closet, under a sink or behind an access panel, and in some buildings only the strata or building manager can reach it. Find it before you need it, and make sure nothing is stacked in front of it.

Not if the main line is blocked. Every drain in the house feeds into that one pipe, so a flush upstairs can end up on the basement floor. Ask everyone to stop flushing and running taps, and leave the dishwasher and washing machine off until it's cleared.

Maybe not. Water can run along a pipe or the top of a joist before it drips through, so the stain may be some distance from the leak. It can also come from a drain or a toilet seal upstairs and not a supply pipe. If it turns out to be a roof, window or shower tile leak, we'll tell you so you can call the right trade.

Check the toilets first, because one that refills on its own every so often is leaking water into the bowl. If the toilets are quiet, a supply pipe may be leaking inside a wall or under the floor. Close the main shut-off and listen. If the sound stops, the leak is on your side of the valve and it's time to call us.

If it's coming from a pipe or fitting, get it looked at soon. A slow drip inside a wall or under a cabinet can soak wood and drywall for a long time before anyone notices, and that's how mould gets started. A dripping faucet spout is less urgent, since that water goes down the drain.

Pressure finds the weakest spot. That's usually a section thinned by corrosion or a joint that has worked loose. Pipes in unheated crawl spaces and outside walls can also freeze and split during a cold snap. Once a pipe splits, closing the main shut-off is the only thing that stops the water.

Sometimes a repair is all it needs. One leak on pipe that's otherwise in decent shape is a repair job. When leaks keep turning up in different places, or several taps run rusty, the pipe itself is usually the problem and patching one spot won't stop the next. With 8+ years of experience behind us, we'll tell you plainly which one you have.

Some, yes. New pipe has to reach every fixture in the house, and getting it there means going through some walls and ceilings. We keep the openings as small and as few as we can, and we go over where they'll be before we start.

Usually, yes. The water will be off for stretches while we connect the new lines, and there's some noise and dust where we're working. We'll let you know before each shut-off so you can plan showers and laundry around it.

By looking at the house first. The number of fixtures and how easy the pipes are to reach change the job, so a repipe is quoted after an inspection. The estimate is free, and we walk you through the costs before any work starts.