Plumbers for Richmond Hill

Older core and newer areas

Richmond Hill's original village sits around Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive. The streets nearby hold older homes, some dating back well over a century, alongside postwar bungalows and later infill. Beyond the core, the city grew outward through the 1970s to today, filling in with subdivisions, townhouse complexes and, more recently, mid-rise condos along the main roads.

That range of ages means very different plumbing from street to street. A bungalow near the old village might have cast iron drains and copper supply nearing the end of its life. A townhouse from the 2000s will likely have PEX and plastic drains, with its first water heater well past its prime.

Common Richmond Hill calls

Requests from Richmond Hill tend to mirror those from Aurora, with a few local twists:

• Leaky or worn faucets and fixtures in homes from the 1980s and 1990s.
• Repiping older houses where supply lines have corroded or narrowed.
• Sump pump replacement and basement drain backups after heavy rain.
• Kitchen and bathroom renovations that need new rough-ins.

If your home's original pipes have reached the end of their useful life, our repiping page explains how we plan the work. For dripping taps and dated fixtures, see our page on faucet repair and installation.

Backwater valves

Parts of Richmond Hill have had basement flooding in intense summer storms, when the municipal sewer fills faster than it can drain. A backwater valve installed on the main drain closes automatically if sewage starts flowing back toward the house. Not every home needs one, and installing it involves cutting the basement floor, so it is worth a careful look first. The city has at times offered subsidy programs for flood protection; check with the city directly for what is currently available.

Condo and townhouse work

Work in a condo or stacked townhouse comes with its own rules. Shared walls and floors mean a leak in one unit can quickly become a problem for the neighbours below. Most buildings require that contractors be approved by management, that water to a riser be shut off only with notice, and that work happen within set hours. We are glad to coordinate with your property manager to keep it simple.

In townhouses, the water heater and main shutoff may sit in a shared utility area or a cramped closet. Find yours before you need it, and make sure everyone in the household knows which way the handle turns.

Before you renovate, our plumbing renovation planning guide is worth a read. To the east, our Stouffville page covers Whitchurch-Stouffville.