Sewers

We do not clear blocked drains. We do not do mainline drain cleaning. We do not own a hydro jetter, and we do not do sewer camera inspection or scoping.

If water is backing up out of a floor drain, if more than one fixture is draining slowly at the same time, or if you can smell sewage indoors, that is mainline work. It needs a drain specialist with the right equipment, and doing it properly is a trade of its own.

We keep a short list of Calgary drain specialists we would use in our own house. Call 403-404-9975 and ask, and we will give you a name. There is no charge for that and we take nothing for the referral.

A lot of what gets called a drain problem is a plumbing problem we do handle. If any of these sound like yours, we are the right call:

• A toilet that rocks, leaks at the base, or will not seal. That is usually a wax ring or a flange, not a blockage. See toilets and fixtures.
• A leaking supply line, a dripping shut off, or a valve that will not close.
• Poly-B pipe. If your home was built between 1978 and 1997, this is worth knowing about. See Poly-B replacement.
• Water pooling near the hot water tank, or a tank at the end of its life. See hot water tanks.
• Scale, spotting and fixtures furring up. Calgary water is hard, and in the southeast it is the harder of the city’s two supplies. See water softeners.
• Fixture replacement, re-pipes and renovations. See plumbing services.

The quickest test is how many fixtures are affected.

One fixture only. One slow sink, one slow shower, one toilet. That is usually local to that fixture, and it is often something a plumber can address while doing other work. Worth mentioning when you book.

More than one fixture, or the lowest drain in the house. If the basement floor drain backs up when the washing machine empties, or several fixtures slow down together, the mainline is the problem. That is a drain specialist, not us.

Sewage smell with no visible water. Often a dry trap or a failed seal rather than a blockage, and that one we can look at.

If you are not sure, call and describe it. We will tell you honestly which of the two it is, and if it is not ours we will point you at someone.

Because doing it occasionally, with borrowed equipment, serves nobody.

Drain clearing is a specialised trade. It needs jetters, cameras, augers and the experience to read what comes back, and the people who do it well do it every day. We are a residential plumbing, heating and gas company, and we would rather be genuinely good at that than adequate at everything.

Three of our own FAQ pages have said this for years. This page now agrees with them.