Newmarket
Plumbing in Central Newmarket
Between Davis Drive and Eagle Street, postwar bungalows sit beside brand-new infill. One block can hold both the oldest and newest plumbing in town.
- We know the pipe behind the walls in Central Newmarket
- Drains, heaters, sump pits and leaks handled on one call
- Floor protection and clean-up on every visit
- Phone answered by a plumber, any hour
Homes and pipes in Central Newmarket
The streets around the middle of town grew up after the Second World War, with modest bungalows and storey-and-a-half houses on deep lots. Many have since been renovated, expanded or torn down for larger infill homes, so the neighbourhood is a mix of eras.
Original postwar homes often had galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron drains, with clay or cast iron laterals to the street. Some have been fully updated, others only partly. A common pattern is a renovated kitchen and bathroom with new copper or PEX, while the line from the meter to those rooms is still the old galvanized pipe. That bottleneck explains a lot of the low-pressure complaints we hear here. Swapping fixtures will not cure it; the narrow, rusted section upstream has to go.
Pipe you will likely find in Central Newmarket
- Supply pipe
- Galvanized steel, patched copper, sometimes a lead service from the street
- Drain and stack
- Cast iron hub-and-spigot, clay sewer to the road
- Usual call
- Rust-choked supply, cracked stack, roots in the clay main
- First thing to check
- Whether the service line is lead or copper at the meter
Jobs we do most on these streets
- Sump pumps retrofitted into old basements. Pits added years after construction sometimes have weak discharge lines or undersized pumps. Sump pump repair is a steady spring call in this area.
- Whole-house repiping. When galvanized pipe is causing rust, leaks and low pressure, repiping is often the lasting fix.
- Infill connections. New homes on old lots need fresh water and sewer services, and those connections must line up with the town's existing pipes.
- Floor drain backups. Older laterals combined with heavy rain can push water up through basement drains.
Freeze, thaw and storm calls here
The spring melt is the big one here. Older basements were often built with limited waterproofing and weeping tile that may now be clogged or crushed. When the ground thaws and rain falls on top, water finds the low point. A working sump, clear downspout extensions and properly graded soil around the foundation do most of the protecting.
In winter, uninsulated crawlspaces under additions and enclosed porches are prime freeze points. Postwar homes were not built to modern insulation standards, so a pipe in an outside wall is more exposed than it would be in a new house.
Fall is a good time to look at the lateral. If you have had a backup before, a camera inspection before the freeze lets you plan a repair in decent weather instead of after a January flood.
Getting the van and tools to your door
Central Newmarket is close to everything, and we reach it from any direction in a few minutes outside rush hour. Street parking is usually available. If you are in one of the apartment or condo buildings near Davis and Yonge, the Yonge-Davis condos page covers how we coordinate with property management for building access.
Asked on site
How do I know if I still have galvanized pipe?
Look where the water line enters the house. Galvanized pipe is dull grey steel with threaded fittings. Scratch it gently: copper shows a penny colour, while steel stays grey.
Is a sump pump required in my older home?
Not every older home has one, and requirements vary. If your basement takes on water during the spring melt, a sump system is worth discussing.