Freezing can be a pretty common problem for homes in Ottawa. When pipes freeze, they restrict running water and this prevents you from doing your normal everyday tasks like cooking, taking a shower etc. Secondly, when water freezes it expands and in a pipe with no room for expansion, it could cause the pipe rupture. This can happen with both metal and plastic pipes. The force of expanding water is just too strong for any type of pipe to withstand. A burst pipe wrecks havoc on your home. Not only do you have to replace the pipe itself, but you may also end up with serious water damage. The freezing point of water and the melting point is 0 °C. However, there’s no magical outdoor temperature because several factors come into play when it comes to frozen pipes. Essentially, your pipes can freeze any time the air around them reaches the freezing point. When the air temperature surrounding water pipes drops, the heat from the water inside the pipes transfers out to the cold air. This can happen any time the air surrounding the pipes reaches below freezing The pipes in your home most vulnerable to freezing are those with greater exposure to extremely cold temperatures. The most common spots include: Pipes extending along an exterior wall with little or no insulation. Outdoor hose bibs. Plumbing running through unheated interior spaces like the basement or garage. Swimming pool supply lines. Water sprinkler lines. The first sign of freezing is if you notice no water is coming from the faucet. Here are two clues you can look for to confirm: Frost on the pipe: Look for frost on exposed pipes. This is a sign that your pipes are definitely frozen. Bitterly cold temperatures: If you have pipes on the outside exposed to the elements, they have the potential to freeze when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. The lower the temperature and the longer it lasts, the more likely they are to freeze. If they do freeze there are steps you can take to safely thaw the pipes and reduce any possible damage. Here’s what you can do: First, take a closer look at the frozen pipe and if it has burst shut off the main water line immediately. This is very important in order to prevent gallons of water from flooding the house when the pipe thaws out. Open the faucet supplied by the frozen pipe to reduce pressure and allow the thawed ice to run out. If the frozen pipe is behind a finished wall, you can try turning up the thermostat or you can use an infrared lamp to heat the pipe through the wall. It’s a lot easier to thaw exposed pipes; you can use a heat lamp, an electric heating pad or even a hairdryer to warm the frozen area. Never use an open flame device. Test all the faucets and check for other frozen areas in the house. If others show the obvious signs of frozen pipes, follow these steps to thaw them out. If the pipe is completely inaccessible or you can’t find the frozen area, turn off the main and seek the services of a licensed plumber.

If you’re glad you have a toilet raise your hand! You can de-stress, you can meditate and you can just pretty much enjoy that special quality time with your toilet. It’s the place to be. Although we don’t think about it much, we’d be really uncomfortable and frustrated if we had to go back to living in times where there were no toilets around. In some places, there still aren’t any. People have to use the bushes or use a latrine instead of the toilet. That’s why we need to appreciate our porcelain thrones and take care of them, by maintaining them and not abusing them. This is exactly the reason why we don’t advise that you flush anything down the toilet besides human waste. Remember, never to flush these ten things down your toilet: Floss: It’s not biodegradable, so it just stays there and never decomposes or disintegrates and the more floss you flush, the more settles and tangles together – BIG PROBLEM. So, don’t do it. Grease/Oil/Fat: You shouldn’t even pour these down your kitchen sink, so they’re definitely no good for your toilet. Even though they enter the toilet in liquid form, they’re eventually going to cool down and build upon the sides of your pipes. That eventually causes your pipes to clog up and can lead to more serious plumbing problems. Band-aids: These are usually not biodegradable items either, because most of them are made from plastic. Therefore, they can lead to clogs. Even the ones made from cloth shouldn’t be flushed either. Medicine: They don’t really lead to clogs, but they lead to the contamination of the water supply. Remember, the sewage system doesn’t release contaminants from the water, so forget about flushing those pills…or any other “drugs” you have. Flushable Wipes: Yes, they say “flushable”, but that doesn’t mean that you SHOULD flush them. There are brands that claim that the wipes are safe for sewers or septic systems – just ignore. Pad/Tampons: Definite no-no. That’s why most public bathrooms have a special bin for them and a sign telling you not to flush them down the toilet. These products absorb moisture and expand; that’s what they were made to do and that’s what they will do when they get into a toilet full of water. After they expand, it’s pretty easy for them to get stuck in your pipes. Paper towels: Yes, believe it or not, paper towels aren’t the best thing to flush. Why? They’re thicker and more absorbent than tissue, so they don’t disintegrate as fast and they can end up causing a clog (really quickly). Condoms: Just don’t. They weren’t made to flush…at all. So just throw them in the garbage. If you’re feeling a bit insecure about other people seeing it in the bin, you can fold it up in some toilet paper and throw it away. Hair: It’s a big clog culprit. It’s like floss – it gets tangled, traps odour and will cause huge blockages in pipes – look what it can do to your shower and sink drains. Kitty Litter: Nooooo, don’t flush Frisky’s litter down the toilet. Maybe if you train him to poop in the toilet, then that’s okay, but other than that, you should probably just throw it away in the trash, or in compost. Take care of your toilet – you need it! It’ll save you a lot of time, money and embarrassment. We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the well-being of your family and your home. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!  

If you’re glad you have a toilet raise your hand! You can de-stress, you can meditate and you can just pretty much enjoy that special quality time with your toilet. It’s the place to be. Although we don’t think about it much, we’d be really uncomfortable and frustrated if we had to go back to living in times where there were no toilets around. In some places, there still aren’t any. People have to use the bushes or use a latrine instead of the toilet. That’s why we need to appreciate our porcelain thrones and take care of them, by maintaining them and not abusing them. This is exactly the reason why we don’t advise that you flush anything down the toilet besides human waste. Remember, never to flush these ten things down your toilet:   Floss: It’s not biodegradable, so it just stays there and never decomposes or disintegrates and the more floss you flush, the more settles and tangles together – BIG PROBLEM. So, don’t do it.   Grease/Oil/Fat: You shouldn’t even pour these down your kitchen sink, so they’re definitely no good for your toilet. Even though they enter the toilet in liquid form, they’re eventually going to cool down and build up on the sides of your pipes. That eventually causes your pipes to clog up and can lead to more serious plumbing problems.   Band-aids: These are usually not biodegradable items either, because most of them are made from plastic. Therefore, they can lead to clogs. Even the ones made from cloth shouldn’t be flushed either.   Medicine: They don’t really lead to clogs, but they lead to the contamination of the water supply. Remember, the sewage system doesn’t release contaminants from the water, so forget about flushing those pills…or any other “drugs” you have.   Flushable Wipes: Yes, they say “flushable”, but that doesn’t mean that you SHOULD flush them. There are brands that claim that the wipes are safe for sewers or septic systems – just ignore.   Pad/Tampons: Definite no-no. That’s why most public bathrooms have a special bin for them and a sign telling you not to flush them down the toilet. These products absorb moisture and expand; that’s what they were made to do and that’s what they will do when they get into a toilet full of water. After they expand, it’s pretty easy for them to get stuck in your pipes.   Paper towels: Yes, believe it or not, paper towels aren’t the best thing to flush. Why? They’re thicker and more absorbent than tissue, so they don’t disintegrate as fast and they can end up causing a clog (really quickly).   Condoms: Just don’t. They weren’t made to flush…at all. So just throw them in the garbage. If you’re feeling a bit insecure about other people seeing it in the bin, you can fold it up in some toilet paper and throw it away.   Hair: It’s a big clog culprit. It’s like floss – it gets tangled, traps odour and will cause huge blockages in pipes – look what it can do to your shower and sink drains.   Kitty Litter: Nooooo, don’t flush Frisky’s litter down the toilet. Maybe if you train him to poop in the toilet, then that’s okay, but other than that, you should probably just throw it away in the trash, or in compost.     Take care of your toilet – you need it! It’ll save you a lot of time, money and embarrassment. We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the well-being of your family and your home. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!  

It doesn’t matter where you live in Canada, basement floods happen. In Ottawa, sometimes you can manage the flood without an emergency plumber. It’s always disruptive, and likely a lot of work. But knowing if you should call will likely set your mind at ease. There’s basically only two types of basement leaks. Those that result from faulty plumbing, and those that don’t. · Heavy rains and rapid springtime melts allow water into cracks in basement walls. · Leaky basement windows let water in. .Perimeter drains don’t always work as well as they should. · Gutters overflow and downspouts get clogged. · An obstruction in the connection between your house and the street’s main sewer from a sewer backup causes a nasty basement flood. · Sump pumps that stop pumping water from the foundation drainage system will have you up to your ankles soon enough, too. · Burst pipes, old connections, faulty plumbing — all add to the risk of a basement flood. · Old water heaters leak slowly or eventually fail completely to empty their entire contents of preheated water to flood the basement floor. Act immediately. The Ottawa plumber rule of thumb is “If in doubt take a picture with your phone and send it to us!” If you can manage on your own, we direct you to the resources to do so. If not, we are your emergency plumber in Ottawa for basement floods. Basement Flood! Call Canada Plumbing — Your Emergency Plumber in Ottawa! Even if we come to rescue you from your flooded basement, some things stay on your To-Do List. · Get the garbage out asap! Take it to the landfill or call a hauling service. But get it OUT! (It will soon start to smell if it doesn’t already.) · Anything that can be washed, wash with super-hot water and liquid detergent. Rinse and dry completely. · Disinfect floors and walls with bleach. One cup of bleach in every 5 gallons of water. · Discard drywall and insulation unless a professional says otherwise. · Soak up the water and let everything dry. Fans help. No matter the season, mother nature has a way of flooding basements in Ottawa. Canada Plumbing services offers basement flooding prevention and emergency plumber rescue! Call us at 613 890 7700 or send us a text and a picture of the problem. We’ll come to help! Plumber OttawaOttawa plumberPlumbers OttawaOttawa plumbersOttawa plumbingplumbing Ottawa Address: 1492 Northdale Street, Ottawa ON K1B 4G6 Phone: 613 890 7700 Email: jmcpherson@canadaplumbing.net Website URl — https://canadaplumbingservices.com/

Most of us don’t know much at all about plumbing – we just let the plumbers do all the work. It’s not a bad idea to gain a little general knowledge about some of the basic things about our plumbing system. It might just help you in the case of avoiding or dealing with an emergency one day. So here are a few things you should know:   You should know where the source of your home’s water supply is and how to shut it off.   You should know about the water meter and water bill. Knowing how these things work can help you monitor and avoid unnecessary expenses.   You should know how to check your water pressure – using a water pressure gauge can give you an accurate reading.   You should know the location of the clean-out plugs and understand your sewage system. Knowledge of these things can help you with a backup problem with the plumbing or with a clog.   You should know if the relief valve is functioning.   You should know where your home’s gas supply is. You should also know which of your appliances are gas-related, for e.g. your gas-operated water heater.   You should know the location of the shut-off valves for all your plumbing fixtures are.   You should know where the air conditioning condensation lines are. If you have condensation lines that aren’t working well, then they won’t drain water properly.   You should know how to shut the water heater inlet off. You need to know this just in case your water heater leaks and the water in it starts draining out.   You should know how to shut the water supply off for the individual plumbing appliances. This can save extensive damage to your appliance or to your home if you have a leak or some other problem.   You can do it! If you think you aren’t that qualified to do it, you don’t need to worry, just give us a call. We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the well-being of your family and your home. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!        

If you’re glad you have a toilet raise your hand! You can de-stress, you can meditate and you can just pretty much enjoy that special quality time with your toilet. It’s the place to be. Although we don’t think about it much, we’d be really uncomfortable and frustrated if we had to go back to living in times where there were no toilets around. In some places, there still aren’t any. People have to use the bushes or use a latrine instead of the toilet. That’s why we need to appreciate our porcelain thrones and take care of them, by maintaining them and not abusing them.   This is exactly the reason why we don’t advice that you flush anything down the toilet besides human waste. Remember, never to flush these ten things down your toilet:   Floss: It’s not biodegradable, so it just stays there and never decomposes or disintegrates and the more floss you flush, the more settles and tangles together – BIG PROBLEM. So, don’t do it.   Grease/Oil/Fat: You shouldn’t even pour these down your kitchen sink, so they’re definitely no good for your toilet. Even though they enter the toilet in liquid form, they’re eventually going to cool down and build up on the sides of your pipes. That eventually causes your pipes to clog up and can lead to more serious plumbing problems.   Band-aids: These are usually not biodegradable items either, because most of them are mad from plastic. Therefore, they can lead to clogs. Even the ones made from cloth shouldn’t be flushed either.   Medicine: They don’t really lead to clogs, but they lead to the contamination of the water supply. Remember, the sewage system doesn’t release contaminants from the water, so forget about flushing those pills…or any other “drugs” you have.   Flushable Wipes: Yes, they say “flushable”, but that doesn’t mean that you SHOULD flush them. There are brands that claim that the wipes are safe for sewers or septic systems – just ignore.   Pad/Tampons: Definite no-no. That’s why most public bathrooms have a special bin for them and a sign telling you not to flush them down the toilet. These products absorb moisture and expand; that’s what they were made to do and that’s what they will do when they get into a toilet full of water. After they expand, it’s pretty easy for them to get stuck in your pipes.   Paper towels: Yes, believe it or not, paper towels aren’t the best thing to flush. Why? They’re thicker and more absorbent than tissue, so they don’t disintegrate as fast and they can end up causing a clog (really quickly).   Condoms: Just don’t. They weren’t made to flush…at all. So just throw them in the garbage. If you’re feeling a bit insecure about other people seeing it in the bin, you can fold it up in some toilet paper and throw it away.   Hair: It’s a big clog culprit. It’s like floss – it gets tangled, traps odor and will cause huge blockages in pipes – look what it can do to your shower and sink drains.   Kitty Litter: Nooooo, don’t flush Frisky’s litter down the toilet. Maybe if you train him to poop in the toilet, then that’s okay, but other than that, you should probably just throw it away in the trash, or in compost.     Take care of your toilet – you need it! It’ll save you a lot of time, money and embarrassment. We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the well-being of your family and your home. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!    

So, after all the hard do-it-yourself work you’ve done, you now realize that you still have the same problem happening to your sink faucet over and over and over again. Now that’s really frustrating and you just can’t live with it anymore. You’re left with two options – you either throw it out or you get a professional to come fix the issue.   That’s why you should heed this advice given by professional plumbers about how you can decide what’s best to do for your sink faucet situation.   Average plumbing costs. An average plumbing cost is generally between $175 and $250. It includes problems such as fixtures needing repairs and clogs. It also includes a very common problem with single handle faucets is a faulty stem. It causes your faucet to leak around the handles and it also causes hot and cold water to mix improperly. The cost of a replacement stem can be around $40. Cartridges can cost between $40 and $200.   Cost of replacing a bathroom sink faucet. The cost of a sink faucet could be around $50, but a quality faucet can cost up to a few hundred dollars. The cost of installing a basic sink faucet can range between $200 and $300 (this includes labor and materials).   Time frame it takes to repair a bathroom sink faucet. It may take professionals about half an hour to an hour to fix your bathroom sink faucet, as long as they have all the proper parts ready and waiting.   Is repairing your faucet worth it? The professionals don’t think it’s worth fixing a regular faucet. However, if you have a high quality, expensive faucet, you may want to get it fixed. Most faucets last about 10 years, but if for instance, yours lasts for 8 or 9 years out of that 10, you may want to repair it, because at that point it will cost more to repair than to replace.   If you’re not sure, you can simply contact us and have us evaluate your bathroom sink faucet and give you our opinions on it. That way you’ll be better able to make the right decision. We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the well-being of your family and your home. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!        

You don’t think about it until it’s just about time to pay your bills, but water costs a lot! It’s different in different countries, but that doesn’t change the fact that we should never waste it. It’s way too precious! Take a look at all the places around the world where water is so scarce that it would make your home look like Heaven.   That’s why you should follow these guidelines on how you can save water: Don’t let the water run while you’re shaving or brushing your teeth. Many old faucets use 3.5 a minute! New faucets used less – 1.5 gallons a minute. You can replace your old faucet’s aerator with a 1.5 or a 0.5 GPM aerator and it will save you some water and some money.   Don’t take baths, take showers. Did you know that taking a bath used much more water than taking a shower? That’s right. Oh, and replacing your shower heads can reduce your water usage too. Use low flow heads instead of the regular models.   Do full loads of laundry only. If you wash your clothes only when you have a full load, you tend to save much more on your overall water cost. If you don’t have a choice but to wash, then make sure the water doesn’t completely fill up with water.   Get a new toilet. Newer toilets actually use much less water than those older ones made before 1993. They use only 1.6 gallons, while the older versions use about 3.5 gallons. Then there’s another option: “Some old toilets can be retrofitted with a new flush valve without having to replace the toilet, check with the toilet manufacturer for details.” Deal with water leaks immediately! This is a major problem that wastes a whole lot of water. In most homes there are one or more leaks present. The trick is to identify it and fix it as soon as you can, to save yourself that precious water and money. We can help you do that.   You can contact us for even more water-saving tips. We’re those professionals you need to call if you have plumbing problems like these and more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.      

That smell in your drain has been bothering you for quite a while. You don’t want to invite anyone over just yet. You need to get that horrible smell out, so you can invite people in.   Surprisingly, a smelly sink drain can be a simple matter to fix, so easy that you can do it yourself, or it can be a really difficult task, one where you’ll need your plumber to come in and fix. Don’t let that embarrassing and likely unhealthy odor keep bothering you any longer. Here are some of the reasons your sink drains might be smelly:   You may have a dried-out P-Trap, which you can fix by doing something as easy as pouring water in the sink. Remember, the P-trap is the curved drainpipe underneath the sink that captures water and forms a buffer that prevents poisonous sewage gases from escaping into your home. Your P-trap may have gotten dried out after a few weeks of use, which caused the water inside it to evaporate.   You may have a broken or blocked sewer line, which may not only cause your sinks to smell, but cause your drains to empty slowly and makes a bubbling sound. You’ll need the experts to help you with this one.   You may have venting issues. Your home most likely has a venting pipe that exits through the roof. It serves to carry sewer gases out, into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, if they become clogged, the gases will travel right back into your house. That’s not healthy at all. Neither is trying to unclog the vent yourself, that’s why you need to call a plumber…     …and we’re just the people to call! We’re plumbers who care about all aspects of the well-being of your family and your home. Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!

So, let’s just say, your kids came up with a brilliant idea for their playtime game today. Let’s assume that game is called the “take mommy’s favorite china ornament and make it disappear…down the toilet!” game. Cool game, huh?   You have 2 options: Get mad and put the kids on time-out for the rest of their childhoods…OR… Keep a cool head and follow these instructions on how to get the item out.     You need to know that you may have to remove the entire toilet from the floor to get at the item.   Get a plumber’s snake (coil of wire you can unwind to clear your drain) or get a coat hanger and unwind it so that you’ll have a long, sturdy piece of wire.   Take it into the bowl and try to get a hold of the object with it, but if you can, just leave it alone. If you push it any further, you might cause it to block the waste pipe.   If the previous steps fail, then you’ll have to remove the toilet.   Shut off the toilet’s water supply, by turning off the shut-off valve under or behind the toilet. If you can’t find it, then shut off the water supply to the entire house.   Drain the tank by flushing the toilet and remove the remaining water with a sponge and a cup.   Use pliers to remove the bolts holding the toilet to the floor.   Let someone help you lift the toilet up. Use the bowl area to lift it, not the tank.   Put the toilet on its side, so you can access the bottom of it.   Use the plumber’s snake or the stretched out clothes hanger to remove the item from the bowl.   Reinstall the toilet and then when you’re finished, turn the water supply back on.     Phew! We know that can be a challenge – that’s why, if you ever have a problem like this, you are more than welcome to call us. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.  

We don’t only clean up your drains; we do much more than that! Our experts can offer you services in sewer line installation, replacement and repair. We can help you resolve problems that are caused by:   Settling, frozen ground or shifting soil, which results in broken, cracked, collapsed or offset pipes.   Deteriorated or broken pipes, which result in restricted flow and collapses in the line, caused by corrosion.   A bellied pipe, which results from a sunken section of the pipe, caused by soil conditions.   A broken seal between pipes, which lets water escape and gather in the pipe’s surrounding area. It’s known as a leaking joint.   Tree or plant roots that have grown into the sewer line, obstructing the normal cleaning of the line or damaging the line.   Foreign object obstruction or grease buildup that results in improper flow of water through the pipe or inability to clean the line.   Substandard material pipes, which have eventually corroded or deteriorated.     We use the following method to resolve the previously stated issues: Traditional Repair Methods Trenchless Repair Methods Pipe Bursting Pipe Relining   You should not try to fix most of t these issues yourself. The best way to deal with these or any other type of plumbing problem is to contact your local plumbing company – like us! We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.  

Well, it’s still pretty much summertime and there’s still a lot to do. There’s still so much time to have fun and enjoy the warmth of nature. We hope you’ve been doing the right things so far and if you haven’t we’ll explain to you some of the things that you shouldn’t be doing at all. Take a keen look at these pointers and maybe they can help you out sometime in the future. Here goes:   Mow Away From The Sprinklers! Yes, the look and smell of freshly cut grass is awesome in the summer, but you still need to stay aware of what’s underneath your lawnmower. You don’t want to accidentally cut off a sprinkler head or a yard clean out drain that’s’ above ground level. That can cause huge problems.   Be Gentle On The Hose! No need to yank it or jerk it to get it where you want it. Constant yanking of the hose can cause the hose bib to break and if the shut-off valves break, you can be in for some watery trouble. You can end up with a flooded lawn or garden and even property damage.   Take Care Of The Washing Machine! Make sure that you check your hoses and lines often. Check them out for bulges or crooked areas. Also, take a look at your filter and outlets. A lot of sandy clothes can cause drain blockage in your washing machine and it can lead to flooding.   Take Your Water Off When You Take Leave! When you’re going on a trip, the best thing to do I to take your water off. What if a pipe bursts inside your house? That would be an awful welcome-home gift! So, don’t take the risk.   Remember Your Annual Root Removal! Spring and summer is when plant roots thrive. They can start to grow through crack in your sewer, fill up your pipes and cause a blockage and a blockage can lead to sewer line backups.   Remember Your Kitchen Drains! When stuff like food bits, pieces of tissue, fat/oils and other stuff go down your drain, instead of into your garbage, that can cause quite an issue of buildup and blockage.   These tips can help you avoid disaster and they can help you save money on your water bill too. Contact the professionals if you are experiencing summer plumbing problems. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!

Sewage fumes are something that you DO NOT want permeating your home or your lungs. Sewage gases are a toxic concoction of gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide. They smell horrible and they are horrible to inhale. Very high levels of carbin dioxide and methane can actually displace oxygen. They can be extremely harmful to the human body.   Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia have a smell that lets you know they are there, but methane and carbon dioxide unfortunately, do not. The latter actually replace the oxygen levels in the air around raw sewage and produce normal nitrogen levels. This can lead to tissue damage and asphyxiation in human beings.   There are industrial and consumer products, such as “solvents, flame retardants, pesticides, cleaning products and volatile organic compounds,” can end up in sewage and cause these toxic gases to form. Even bleach can irritate your respiratory function, when found in raw sewage. “…[A]lkylbenzene sulfonate, alcohol ethoxylate and alcohol ether sulfate”, which are all common chemicals found in industries that deal with cosmetics and detergents, can end up in raw sewage and cause irritation of mucous membranes, once they become airborne.   There is also the risk of harm due to airborne biological contaminants. “Agitation of raw sewage can cause volatilization [which is a gaseous release of a substance into the atmosphere] of biological contaminants in sewage, although this type of microbial suspension is short-lived.” It can cause vicious side effects such as:   Diarrhea Fever Cramps Vomiting Allergic reactions and lung infections Viral symptoms     Other symptoms that persons who are in daily contact with raw sewage may experience include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, eye irritation and shortness of breath.   That’s why we suggest that you let your professional plumbers handle your sewage problems. Don’t put yourself at risk. Contact the professionals if you need help with this kind of plumbing problem or more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!

At some point in time, many of us may have had the (rather unfortunate) opportunity to get a whiff of sewage odor and we all know IT’S HORRIBLE! Now that’s a smell you definitely don’t want looking around or in your house or business. That’s where a backwater valve becomes so important. It’s a plumbing device which serves to stop sewage from backing up into a home or business building, although many other things naturally prevent sewage backups, including their design or location.   A backwater valve can offer great advantages to homes with plumbing system limitations or with plumbing systems which are locate deep down beneath streets. With a backwater valve, sewage waste from the public sewage system will not enter the home via plumbing fixtures and drains. Most backwater valves are optional though, but some building codes make backwater valve installation mandatory for new construction.   Usually, the valve lets sewage and waste leave the home undisturbed, but when sewage begins to flow back into the home, the valve is alerted and it activates, stopping sewage from flowing back into the home. This would then stop the use of plumbing fixtures inside the building (sinks, toilets, etc.), because the valve is closed. When the blockage is cleared, then the plumbing fixtures will be able to be used as normal.   There are 3 basic designs you can choose from – check valve, gate valves and combination backwater valves. Check valves are the least expensive of the three devices. They have a flap or a simple ball which closes and blocks out sewage material automatically when it tries to re-enter the building. Unfortunately, they seem to fail and require maintenance a lot more than the others. Gate valves on the other hand are more expensive than check valves, but they are more dependable. They need manual interaction, in which someone can close and open sewer lines after a blockage. Finally, combination backwater valves, which are the most costly of the three, are also the most reliable. They have an air-filled chamber and a gate. When the gate senses a backup, it shuts off the sewer line automatically. Once the blockage is cleared, the valve opens again and throughout all this, it sends off an alarm to let the persons in the building know if the valve is open or not.   Yes, it’s pretty helpful. If you don’t have one installed, you should get it done today. A backed up sewer isn’t a plumbing problem to play around with. It can cause health problems, property damage, it can cost you lots of money and it can be very inconvenient for your daily activities. Contact the professionals if you have plumbing problems like these and more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!

There’s new technology on the market. It’s faster and more efficient and far surpasses the abilities of traditional drain cleaning methods and it has even become the common choice for home owners. Why? Because home owners can enjoy long lasting results.   The HydroScrub could be the best thing for that clogged up drain situation at home. The device has different nozzles which cater for pipes between 1.25 inches and 36 inches wide. All your plumber does is puts the HydroScrub’s nozzle downstream of the plumbing system. They leave an opening where the debris can pass and flow into the sewer when it is cleaned out. The nozzle moves up through the pipe, powered by 3500 psi water pressure.   This device cleans your pipes much faster than the usual pipe cleaning methods.   It makes pipes almost brand new. It removes years and years of debris. Soap residue, hair, oil, grease, mineral deposits, roots and some of the materials that the HydroScrub completely removes, while others pipe cleaning methods miss these pipe cloggers.   When you have your pipes and drains cleaned by this method once, you don’t need to have your plumber come by to clean them over and over again. It performs a thorough cleaning job.     You should also make a conscious effort to prevent clogs in your plumbing system and dodge an emergency plumbing situation by remembering the following tips: Don’t use the kitchen sink to throw away cooking oil/grease and food particles. Don’t flush garbage and other things besides human waste and toilet paper down the toilet. Use drain strainers to keep hair and pieces of soap from going down the drain. Have your drains cleaned and maintained at some point in time, to lessen and prevent an emergency.     Clogged pipes and drains aren’t plumbing problems to play around with. They can cause health problems, property damage, cost you lots of money and be very inconvenient for your daily activities. Contact the professionals if you have plumbing problems like these and more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!

Just when you’re in a rush, your sink’s drain decides that it isn’t. Or just when you’ve got company over, your sink’s drain decides to give you the most embarrassing show down of your entire life. Absolutely frustrating!   You probably weren’t prepared for this. Sink clogs can pop out of nowhere. One day it’s fine, the next day it isn’t. You’ll probably need an emergency plumber, but in the meantime, you can try these little handy solutions.   Try using a bent wire hanger. All you have to do is straighten out a hanger, then bend one end to make a hook. Push the hook part down the drain and you’ll be able to pull the debris out.   Try using dishwashing detergent. You can use this after you’ve removed most of the stuff that’s clogging the pipe. Pour ¼ cup of detergent into the drain and then pour boiling water behind it. When you’ve done that, apply force with a plunger.   Try using plain old boiling water. Boil that water up and pour it down the clogged drain as slowly as you can. Give it a chance to work and then continue pouring.   Try using a wet and dry vac. Set the device to wet, then cover the sink and seal the drain as tightly as you can. Put the vacuum up to the highest level and let it rip. This may or may not work, but why not give it a try?   Try using baking soda and vinegar. It’s the perfect fizzy concoction. Just pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain, then finish it by pouring a ½ cup of vinegar behind it and you’ll see the dissolving duo go into action. To finish it off, pour hot water down the drain.   Try cleaning the U-trap. The u-trap is the u-shaped pipe underneath the sink. Put a bucket under it to make sure nothing spills on the floor when you loosen the nuts and remove the u-trap. Then, turn the u-trap upside-down to shake out any loose gunk into the bucket. Next, use an old toothbrush to loosen and remove any gunk that’s still stuck in there. When you’re finished, you can put it back.     These options should probably fix your problem, but if they don’t, you should start considering the possibility that you have a bigger, more complex problem at hand, like a sewage block. You’ve got to leave that up to the professionals. We’re those professionals you need to call if you have plumbing problems like these and more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.

Boy, oh boy does your bathroom have to take some pressure in the summer! You’ve got the neighbors coming over, your kid’s schoolmates, your kids themselves – everything. You don’t want people having the experience of an unsightly or malfunctioning bathroom. Drains and toilets seem to get clogged constantly and leaks seem to be happening right under your nose but still go unnoticed. You need to ensure that you maintain your bathroom and your home so that they do not accumulate insects, mold or mildew, among other things.   Remember to do these things so you and your visitors can use the bathroom and enjoy an incident-free summer!   Repair Leaks Immediately! When you see a leak, deal with it right away! A leaky faucet can snowball into a huge problem if you don’t check it out soon.   Unclog Your Drains! You know your drain is probably clogged when it takes forever for it to drain. Whether it is the drain in your sink, shower or bathtub, it’s a good idea to give it immediate attention. A peculiar fact is that in summer, people tend to lose more hair than they do in the winter, causing more drain clogging, not to mention the oily buildup from using more lotions and sunscreen during the summer – bad combo!   Dry It Up! Dry up and clean up your sinks, shower and bathtub to keep it looking presentable and also to keep it from harboring the growth of mold and mildew.   Keep Ventilated! Improper ventilation is a definite cause of mildew growth. Always remember to use a fan or open a window to reduce the buildup of moisture in your bathroom.   Avoid Hair in Drains! Get a drain strainer installed. That way you can prevent the buildup of hair and other debris in your drain.   Keep Ants Out Of Your Sink! Keeping your drains and the areas around your sink, will prevent ants and other critters from coming to visit your sink. Many times, it is the hair, dirt and other debris that causes food to get stuck in the drain, attracting ants.   Toilet Train Your Children! Take as much opportunities as you can to teach your children about proper and sanitary toilet use. Remind them to call for the help of an adult if they have any problems while using the toilet.   You can probably take care of these simple summer matters by yourself, but the best way to deal with other, bigger types of plumbing problem is to contact your local plumbing company – like us! We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.  

Maintaining your plumbing is great. It helps keep your pipes working well, but it doesn’t guarantee that your pipes will not deteriorate eventually.   The main water pipe is connected to your home from your water meter. In the winter, pipes may freeze up and crack or burst. Hazardous corrosion may occur in older galvanized pipes. These situations and others like them, lead to nothing more than property damage and a heightened water bill.   Know that you may need to replace your water supply line, when… You have very low water pressure Your bill has made a sudden distinctive increase Your lawn is soggy or flooded.     You can fix it by… Shutting off the main supply: simply close the shut-off that’s right next to your meter.   Excavating: Plot your pipe’s path and dig a trench under it, to give you space to work right below it.   Measuring: Work out how much 1″ PVC or PVC Schedule 40 pipe you will need and make note of any connectors and fittings you will need to replace too. (Keep in mind that you’ll need to buy PVC glue and primer too).   Insulating: Wrap your pipe in PVC insulation tape, so that it doesn’t freeze in the winter.   Disconnecting: Disconnect the old pipe at both ends and don’t worry if some water falls into your trench.   Laying the new pipe: Lay the new pipes into the trench after you have removed the old pipes, using connectors and PVC glue. Then use the fittings to connect the PVC to the house.   Turning on the mains: Before you do that, double check to see if there are any leaks, by turning on the main supply. If everything is ok, then you can go ahead and fill that trench up.     That’s pretty much it: changing your pipe in 7 steps. Maybe you don’t have time to do this on your own or you’re still not sure you’d like to take the chance to this as a first-timer. No problem! Contact the professionals if you need help with plumbing problems like this and more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services!

Houston, we’ve got a problem – a plumbing problem! Those pipes and drains keep giving you problems? Do they wait until the MOST INCONVENIENT moments to clog, leak and burst? We know how annoying that can be! Here’s a list of the 10 most common and most annoying plumbing emergencies of all time.   First, we have clogged sinks, which may not necessarily be the biggest and scariest, but they can be very inconvenient. Your sink may drain slowly or stop completely and this can alter your everyday schedule. Second, we have clogged toilets. It might leak, make weird sounds or even refuse to flush. Keep in mind, that the toilet is one of the most used fixtures in the home, so we don’t want to have that malfunctioning for too long. Third on the list is clogged bathtubs and shower drains. A buildup in hair and soap scum is the main causes of it. You may hear gurgling noises and extremely slow drainage. Fourth of all, we have leaky faucets and toilets. Your water bills are on the rise and so is mold growth and rust formation in your home – not to mention the constant, frustration dripping sound. Fifth, we have the leaking water heater. This can sky-rocket your energy bills – it could be diminishing your water supply, thus wasting away your finances. You may need to replace the heater’s water valve or change your heater completely. Sixth, we have leaky washing machine hoses. Although machines are usually strong appliances, their hoses can be the opposite. Pay attention to cracks or bulges in your machine’s hose, because they could worsen. Broken water lines are our seventh plumbing emergency, which can lead to low water pressure, poor water quality or damp areas in the yard. They can be caused by tree roots, earthquakes and bad shoveling. At number eight, we have burst pipes, which can be caused by the freeze-thaw cycle. You made need to hire the experts to carry out an entire pipe replacement. Ninth, we have no hot water. Although this could just be an issue with your utility company, it can also be caused by a plumbing leaker, a water heater malfunction or an electrical problem. Tenth and finally, we have sewer system backups, which may be indicated by the following: gurgling toilets, more than one drain clogs, sewage odors and water flooding around the basement floor drain.   Call the plumbing ambulances! Contact the professionals if you have plumbing problems like these and more. We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.  

What’s that weird noise? Do you hear gurgling or bubbling sounds? Do you smell something absolutely awful in the bathroom? Your plumbing system may be talking to you!   A plumbing system often shows signs of possible problems.   Slower drains take forever to empty the shower and they make weird noises while doing it – that could be signs of a blockage. It could be a hair ball, some foreign inorganic object that fell in there, or roots growing in your drainage.   Newly arising pungent odors could mean that you need Drain Maintenance Treatment (DMT). This is a powdered bacteria/enzyme used for drain maintenance. Best results come from using it on a regular basis, to prevent build up and blockage within your drains and pipes.   When your plumbing starts whispering, do something about it now. Don’t wait for it to shout! You can prevent a much bigger problem by attending to the ones that are small and manageable right now. Let us help! We’ve got experienced and affordable plumbers in Ottawa. With just one call, we can help you solve your plumbing needs and offer you emergency plumbing services.      

  Is there mold or mildew building up around the tub? Stains, sags or bubbles in the ceiling or on the wall? Is there a musty smell in the bathroom all the time?   If so, these may be signs that you’ve got a plumbing leak somewhere! You may not always be able to notice these things, but just in case you do, it’s a good idea to get your plumbing checked out ASAP.   Although leaks in your sink many times go unnoticed, you still need to pay attention to any wetness or pools of water behind or below the sink. You may need to change or tighten the shuttle valve, because you may have a supply leak. You may also have a corrosion of the p-trap or a loose connection, if the water is actually leaking from the drain.   Alternately, a toilet leak may occur, without you seeing or smelling it. You may most likely hear it sound like it’s flushing, when it’s not. This may be a tank leak.   If you’re in Ottawa and you suspect a leak, don’t wait around – it can do more damage than you think. It’s time to check the experts. Give Canada Plumbing a call today! We have Ottawa plumbers who specialize in fixing leaks, drains, sinks and sink fixtures, and more plumbing problems.

Freezing can be a pretty common problem for homes in Ottawa. When pipes freeze, they restrict running water and this prevents you from doing your normal everyday tasks like cooking, taking a shower etc. Secondly, when water freezes it expands and in a pipe with no room for expansion, it could cause the pipe rupture. This can happen with both metal and plastic pipes. The force of expanding water is just too strong for any type of pipe to withstand. The pipes in your home most vulnerable to freezing are those with greater exposure to extremely cold temperatures. The most common spots include: Pipes extending along an exterior wall with little or no insulation. Outdoor hose bibs. Plumbing running through unheated interior spaces like the basement or garage. Swimming pool supply lines. Water sprinkler lines. The first sign of freezing is if you notice no water is coming from the faucet. Here are two clues you can look for to confirm: Frost on the pipe: Look for frost on exposed pipes. This is a sign that your pipes are definitely frozen. Bitterly cold temperatures: If you have pipes on the outside exposed to the elements, they have the potential to freeze when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. The lower the temperature and the longer it lasts, the more likely they are to freeze. If they do freeze there are steps you can take to safely thaw the pipes and reduce any possible damage. Here’s what you can do: First, take a closer look at the frozen pipe and if it has burst shut off the main water line immediately. This is very important in order to prevent gallons of water from flooding the house when the pipe thaws out. Open the faucet supplied by the frozen pipe to reduce pressure and allow the thawed ice to run out. If the frozen pipe is behind a finished wall, you can try turning up the thermostat or you can use an infrared lamp to heat the pipe through the wall. It’s a lot easier to thaw exposed pipes; you can use a heat lamp, an electric heating pad or even a hair dryer to warm the frozen area. Never use an open flame device. Test all the faucets and check for other frozen areas in the house. If others show the obvious signs of frozen pipes, follow these steps to thaw them out. If the pipe is completely inaccessible or you can’t find the frozen area, turn off the main and seek the services of a licensed plumber.

Sometimes it’s easy to put off getting some issues fixed around the house but a bad smell from your drains, toilet or other plumbing is hard to ignore. Here are some of the common odors we encounter around the home and how to deal with them: Toilet Odor Generally when you get a bad smell after flushing the toilet when it means the toilet wax ring is not sealed to the toilet or the floor. When you put water into a drain, the first thing it has to do is push air away. If you have an unsealed wax ring, it will push it between the floor and the bottom of the toilet into the room, instead of down the pipe. To eliminate that bad smell, you need to reseal the toilet to the floor. Bathroom Odor Plumbing systems are designed to prevent bad smells from entering the house by means of the trap attached to fixtures. Traps contain water intended to seal out those odors; that enter the house once the water seal evaporates. To solve this issue, pour a bucket of water down every sink, shower and floor drain. Disposal Odor When these give off a bad smell it’s usually from a buildup of food debris within the garbage disposal. To eliminate this drain odor, place ice cubes and lemon or orange peels in the disposal and run for about 30 seconds. Next, pour a little liquid dish detergent into the disposal while it is running. To clean out the debris created by the odor removal process, run cold water into the drain for about 30 seconds. Floor Drain odor Bad smells coming from your drain typically indicates that you have a blocked branch line or vent. You’ll need to remove the clog, either by using a hand auger or hiring a professional. When it comes to long horizontal pipe sections, liquid drain cleaners are not effective. This is because the cleaners settle on the bottom of the pipe and clean only the lower part. Acid based drain cleaners should be avoided for steel pipes. The acid would eat through the zinc coating on galvanized piping, clearing the way for corrosion. Kitchen Sink Odor If you get a sewer smell when you are using the dishwasher on a kitchen sink, it often means that the pipes inside the wall has a blockage in the vent or the drain. If you have a clogged vent on the roof, then the back-pressure that is created when you try to put water into the pipe, will slow the water down and it will begin to clog the pipe. There has to be an open vent on the roof of the house in order for water to enter a pipe. This is pipe is attached to the drains, but instead of running down it runs up to the roof. Both water and air take up space in the pipe, so in order to put the water into the pipe, you have to push the air aside. The vent redirects the pressure up to the roof at the same speed the water is flowing. So if you have a situation where either the drain or the vent is clogged, the water has nowhere to go without forcing the air combined with sewer gas back into the room.

Are you experiencing leaks, poor drainage or some sort of plumbing issue? In Ottawa there are many plumbing companies to choose from. Here are a few tips to follow that should make choosing a plumber stress-free. Before hiring an Ottawa plumbing company, check with them to ensure that their plumbers are full-time employees, who work off a salary, rather than earning commission. Unlike freelance plumbers, full-time employees are accountable on an ongoing basis for the work they do, both to their customers and their company’s reputation. Secondly, not having commission in the equation eliminates the temptation for plumbers to over charge you on services. Before you actually have any work done get a price in writing. This way you’re protect from unexpected surprises when it’s time to make payment. Confirm also that any additional work must first be approved by you before it starts. Avoid paying extra fees. Some companies charge more for off-hours visits, if you can avoid having to pay extra fees. Clarify with them that the job won’t be subject to extra charges. Do your homework when you search. Make use of the Internet, it has helped consumers in almost all industries in terms of getting a sense for what sort of company they’ll be dealing with. If there are sites with customer reviews check those out as well. Find out about warranties and guarantees. Any highly-reputable plumbing company will guarantee their service and offer warranty. It’s always a plus to have a company that practices cleanliness. Its only good work ethic that after a job is done the plumbers/drain technicians clean up and leave your home just like it was found. Some home owners are particular about work being done that can mess up there rugs or tiles. You may even request that workers wear booties to cover their shoes when working in your home. A good company will ensure that employee trucks are stocked with all the parts they may need for standard jobs, rather than them having to make regular trips. These are the main factors to keep mind, once you follow these tips you should have no problem obtaining a good plumbing company.