How the water and waste are laid out
- In most bungalows we visit, the kitchen sits at the back, the bathroom in the middle and the laundry in the basement near the floor drain. The kitchen line usually travels the longest distance sideways before it meets the stack, and a long, flat run with a little grease in it is the classic recipe for a slow sink. We often find the slope on those runs has sagged where a hanger has rusted through.
- The water service normally enters through the front foundation wall, with the meter and main shut-off a few feet inside. In the oldest houses the shut-off tends to be an old gate valve, round handwheel on top, that has not been turned in decades, and it is one of the first things we suggest swapping for a quarter-turn ball valve.
What tends to fail first
- Cast iron under the basement slab rusts from the inside out, leaving a rough crust that catches paper and hair. A camera run down the floor drain shows it clearly. Above the slab, the hub joints sealed with oakum and lead can weep after years of temperature swings, which shows up as a rusty stain on the basement wall below the bathroom.
- Galvanized steel supply branches, where they survive, choke down with scale until the shower pressure falls off. We also see plenty of old saddle valves clamped onto copper for fridge lines and humidifiers, and those are a frequent pinhole leak point.
Signs you need this
- Kitchen sink drains slowly even after plunging
- Rust streaks on the basement wall below the bathroom
- The main shut-off is a round handwheel that will not turn
- Weak shower pressure on the hot side
- Sewer smell near the basement floor drain
Basement suites and renovations
- Many bungalows now have a finished basement or a second unit downstairs. Adding a bathroom below grade means either breaking the slab to tie into the existing drain or fitting a sewage ejector pit, and we walk through both options before any concrete is cut. A backwater valve on the main line is worth discussing at the same time, since the basement is now living space.
How the job runs
- 1
We locate and test the main shut-off before any work starts.
- 2
The long kitchen and bathroom runs are checked for slope and sagging hangers.
- 3
A camera goes down the floor drain to read the cast iron under the slab.
- 4
You get a written list of what is sound, what to watch and what to replace.
Richmond Hill note: most houses here sit on York Region municipal water with fairly hard supply, and many basements have a floor drain tied to the sanitary lateral. Mention both on the phone; it changes what goes on the truck.
In a bungalow the trouble usually lives sideways, in the long flat run under the floor.
Want a second opinion on your own pipes first? Dial (365) 363-1575; the person answering holds the wrench.