Team Toshack

When it comes to keeping up with your household, there are a lot of things to consider, both seasonal repairs, as well as maintenance, upkeep, yard work, the list goes on…But what about when it comes to the basement? For many homeowners, the basement or sub-cellar can often be an afterthought when it comes to maintenance and upgrades, but it shouldn’t: it’s the foundation of your home.

So how do you keep your basement in top shape? Well, one way is by investing in a sump pump, especially if you live in an area of particularly low elevation that might be prone to flooding on occasion. Alternatively, your home may be in a location with a relatively high water table. (For example the Maynard area near Brockville is well known for basement flooding of this type; almost all the homes have sump pumps!) It’s no secret that flooding can do unthinkable damage to a home, but having a sump pump can help you avoid significant structural damage in the case of water entering your basement.

As one of the area’s leading plumbing services companies, Toshack wants to provide you with some information to help determine whether a sump pump is right for your Kingston or Brockville home, so read on!

What Are Sump Pumps? 

Before diving too deep into the details, it’s important to understand what sump pumps are and what they’re designed to do. Unfortunately, if you already know what a sump pump is, it probably means you’ve already been a victim of basement flooding. As the name implies, sump pumps are designed to collect water that has entered an area of lower elevation and pump it out to a higher area outdoors, where it can be safely flushed away from your home. It’s most often installed in the crawl space in your home or basement or other areas that are more prone to flooding.

Those who live in areas of higher elevation that aren’t prone to flooding might not necessarily require one. However, it isn’t a bad investment to make, especially if you have an older home or one that’s experienced foundation issues. Prior to investing in a sump pump, it’s important to have a plumbing expert assess your home first to ensure that all of your pipes and plumbing components are in working order.

Some Alternatives to Sump Pumps 

Although sump pumps are the leading component to reduce flooding damage, there are also some other measures you can take that will help you avoid such a scenario, including repairing your gutters and providing them with proper maintenance. It’s important to ensure that when it rains, all of the rainwater from your roof is traveling away from your home and deposited safely in another area. Additionally, ensuring that all of the surface areas outdoors surrounding your home, like patios, are sloping away and can adequately direct rainwater away from your foundation is key.

How Do I Find the Right Sump Pump? 

Just as many households are different, so too are sump pumps, so it’s important to find the proper one for your needs. If you have issues in your home due to flooding that can’t be corrected simply, then you likely need to invest in a sump pump to prevent further structural damage. There are several different types of pumps, the most popular being submersible pumps, and pedestal pumps.

• Submersible Pumps: This type of pump is recommended for homes with larger sump basins and can be easily installed with a lid on top of it to reduce noise. Additionally, the air-tight lids they employ will prevent moisture from entering your household.

• Column Pumps: Unlike submersible pumps, the motor for a column-type sump pump is above the projected water level; they are often used where the sump pit is smaller. They are typically less robust than a submersible pump but they can be useful for the right situation.

In addition to considering the two pump types, you should also be aware of the different components sump pumps contain. If you want your pump to be as durable as possible, investing in one with a cast-iron rather than a plastic core is recommended. Also, pumps with screenless intakes and impellers to handle solid material like dirt and mud will help prevent clogs and costly breakdowns.

Lastly, pumps with mechanical switches are beneficial because they help prevent the pump from burning out or becoming waterlogged when in use. Some even come with alarms to warn you when levels are too high for a pump to process.

Is Having a Backup or Second Pump Necessary 

Some homes where a sump pump is needed might also want to consider investing in a backup or secondary system, should their primary system fail for one reason or another. This is especially important to consider if you’re living in a basement or keep your valuable belongings in your basement or crawl space. A secondary pump system will help ensure that if your primary system fails, the secondary one takes over the pumping duties immediately without delay.

Even if you don’t need to install a second pump, at least investing in a backup battery as a fail-safe is a good idea. This way, if a storm knocks out your power your pump will still work. Some are designed to last up to several days, protecting you from flooding even if your power doesn’t come back on.

If you’ve ever had a flood or your area is prone to flooding, investing in a sump pump can help prevent costly repairs and damage that is time-consuming to fix. Not to mention all of the cleanup and remediation work that’s involved with a flood.

Contact us today for your plumbing & HVAC needs! 

If you’re in need of a reliable sump pump installation crew in Kingston or Brockville, you can count on Toshack. In addition to our sump pump services, we’re also equipped to install tankless water heaters, perform heating repairs on boilers and furnaces, install ductless AC systems, and more.

Contact us today online or by calling 1 (888) 547-6162 to learn more about our services or request a FREE QUOTE.

No season of the year causes as many plumbing problems as winter.  The cold weather, and particularly a cycle of freezes and thaws, can be extremely hard on a home’s pipes – and lead to a lot of calls for plumbing services in Brockville and Kingston if those pipes leak or burst.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce the chance you’ll have plumbing issues.  Winterizing your plumbing and pipes can save you a lot of hassle while ensuring you’ve got running water all winter.

Four Important Ways to Prepare Your Plumbing for Winter in Kingston & Brockville

• Drain any exterior water systems

Do you have an installed lawn sprinkler system, water features, or other permanent outdoor water systems?  It’s vitally important that you turn off and completely drain these systems before temperatures drop below zero.  Otherwise, the remaining water in those pipes will freeze, most likely causing the pipes to burst – turning your lawn into a swamp whenever it thaws.

• Keep your home heated, even if you’re away

If you’re planning on going on vacation this winter, you want to keep the heat running in your house.  Sufficiently cold temperatures can cause your home to drop below freezing and, again, that leads to burst pipes and emergency calls for plumbing services.  No one wants to return home from a vacation to discover their house is flooded!

• Insulate your exposed pipes

Do you have any exposed pipes outdoors, or in unheated areas of your home such as an unfinished basement?  Those pipes need to be protected from the cold and should be insulated in some way.  Spray-on insulating foam (available from any home hardware store) is usually best, but other solutions can also work.

Toshack Provides the Best in Plumbing Services to Brockville & Kingston

Toshack has been Kingston’s and Brockville’s go-to plumber for nearly 90 years!  Our family-owned business has generations of experience serving the local community, and when you need plumbing services, we’re always here for you.  From repairing pipes to installing upgrades, click here for a free estimate.

Is your plumbing ready for winter?  As frigid temperatures approach, it’s important to make sure all your water systems will remain working properly no matter how cold it gets.  Doing some maintenance and check-ups on your system before the temperatures get too far below freezing can save you a lot of hassle later on.  No one wants to call for emergency plumbing services in Brockville and Kingston when it’s below zero.

With plumbing, there are a lot of things that you can fix on your own.  Clogged drains, items stuck in U-bends, and other basic plumbing problems can be simple to address with the right tools and knowledge.  However, there are also many situations where calling in professional plumbing services is the right call.  This is the case when either you don’t have the proper tools and experience to fix the problem yourself, or an improper fix could make the problem worse.

There’s no way to list every possible plumbing problem you might see, but in this guide, we wanted to outline some of the major issues that you don’t want to try fixing with DIY methods.  These are the situations where calling for experienced plumbing services in Brockville is best.

Seven Plumbing Problems That Should Always Be Handled by Professionals

1. Recurring clogs in drains or pipes

Any sink or toilet is going to get clogged up from time to time.  It just happens.  Most of the time, the clogs can be cleared easily using commonplace tools like plungers or, at worst, removing a pipe U-bend and cleaning it out.

If you have a pipe or drain which seems to keep getting clogged up over and over, there’s probably another issue further down in your plumbing.  Ignoring it will only cause that problem to get worse. Our team can diagnose and address these problems – give us a call, and we’ll help any way we can.

2. Slow draining in multiple appliances/fixtures

If a drain or exposed pipe is clogged, it should only affect the attached device.  Ie, if your bathroom sink is clogged, it shouldn’t cause problems with your toilet.  However, if you have drain problems from several items at once, that’s almost always going to indicate a more serious issue with your pipes and plumbing.  There may be a clog in one of your main lines, or if you have a septic tank, there could be issues with the tank.

Either way, this definitely won’t be a problem you can solve yourself.  You’ll need professional plumbing services to take care of it.

3. Water backup into fixtures or devices

Another huge red flag that you have serious problems with your internal plumbing is if you ever see water backing up into the drain of a device or fixture.  For example, if you run your dishwasher, and see greywater in the sink or bathtub.  This means there’s probably a significant clog somewhere deep inside the house.  Water isn’t able to escape through the mainline, and as the water pressure builds up, it ends up going back through available drains.

Likewise, you can also know this is happening if you start smelling foul odors from drains.  Even if the greywater isn’t making it all the way up the drain, you may still be able to smell it – and that’s almost as bad.  Either way, this is a serious issue, since that greywater is likely contaminated and could be a health hazard.  Contact a professional plumber ASAP!

4. Basement flooding

One of the worst plumbing problems you can experience is a flood, and this is most likely to occur at the lowest point in a house – usually the basement.  It might be caused by a broken water line, or by a clog forcing water up through the basement drain.

You most definitely don’t want to mess around with your water main or sewer line on your own.  If there’s a chance that the flood water is contaminated, it needs to be handled by pros in protective gear.  Trying to fix the problem yourself could be dangerous and costly.

5. Water heater or boiler leaks

Most homes in Kingston and Brockville will have a separate water heater, and many rely on boilers for in-home heat.  These appliances should be maintained by professionals, since they operate using high temperatures and may also keep their water tanks under pressure.  Plus, they’re almost always operating on higher electrical voltages than typical appliances.

As tempting as it may be to try to investigate leaks in water heaters or boilers by yourself, it’s just not a good idea.  There’s too much that can go wrong, and too many ways an amateur might hurt themselves.  Always call in professional plumbing services if you think there’s an issue with these sorts of appliances.

6. Unidentified water stains on walls, ceiling, or baseboards

If you have a pipe leak inside your walls, or in your attic, that water has to go someplace – and that’s usually into the material of the walls and floors.  Sudden unexpected water stains are one of the biggest red flags that you’ve got a leak.  However, since these pipes are buried in your walls, getting to them is often quite a task – especially when it means ripping up part of the wall.  You want pros who can do this without causing too much damage, using tools that let them look for the source of the problem before they start knocking holes in your walls.

Other signs of hidden pipe leaks can include pools of water along your baseboards or squishy areas in your carpeting.

7. Low water pressure

You should have a good idea of the typical water pressure you get from fixtures such as sinks and showers.  If that water pressure ever drops significantly, it’s usually a sign that there’s a major issue somewhere in the house.

There are exceptions to this: if you have a sudden drop in water pressure, it’s worth contacting your local water provider (usually the local municipality) to see if they have been doing any maintenance.  That can also cause sudden pressure drops.  But if your water company isn’t doing anything that would cause problems, you’ve probably got either a leak or clog on your property – and a serious one at that.

If You Need Plumbing Services in Brockville & Kingston, Contact Toshack

There are plenty of plumbers in Brockville and Kingston – why call Toshack?  Because nobody can match our experience!  We’ve been the go-to plumber for Brockville residences and businesses for almost 90 years, with an unparalleled track record of success.  We’re family-owned and proud of passing on our knowledge of plumbing to each new generation so that Brockville, Kingston and area can continue to get the best in plumbing services.

Whether your plumbing problem is big or small, you can always contact us for help!

A seemingly minor plumbing issue can easily turn into a major nightmare with little notice, which is why Toshack offers extensive plumbing services to Kingston and Brockville residents. Determining when you need professional plumbing repairs is sometimes easier said than done, so we’re here to help.

Below, you’ll find some of the most common household plumbing issues that call for professional intervention!

1. Faulty Water Heater 

Waking up to a cold shower is never fun, especially during the winter months. Your water heater can fail due to any number of issues including a faulty thermostat, a burnt-out pilot light, as well as sediment buildup at the bottom of your water tank. Some homeowners may choose to relight their own pilot light, but this is only safe in certain circumstances. If you aren’t sure, or if the problem appears to have some other cause, contacting a plumbing expert is key.

Those who are tired of paying for repeated water heater repairs might consider changing models, or a tankless water heater installation.

2. Jammed Garbage Disposal 

Garbage disposals are a great addition to any kitchen. Unfortunately, they can require a bit of added maintenance if not used properly. Although designed to be durable, things like potato skins, corn husks, and citrus peels can easily cause a garbage disposal jam. You can hit the reset button to see if that does the trick but if not, you’ll need to call in the professionals to open it up to free your garbage disposal’s motor.

3. Clogged Shower Drain 

One of the most frequently-used drains in any home, your shower/bath drain can easily become clogged over time with soap, hair, and other materials. This can quickly minimize your drain’s effectiveness and force the need for cleaning. In some cases, you might be able to fix the drain yourself by plunging it or using a baking soda/vinegar mixture, or another type of drain cleaner. But often, this will only provide a temporary solution. The best way to fix a clogged drain is to hire drain cleaning specialists.

4. Low Water Pressure 

A common issue in older homes, low water pressure can be particularly frustrating, especially when you’re trying to bathe or wash your clothes and dishes. If water trickles out of your tap, it could be because you have a broken or burst pipe somewhere in your plumbing system, or there’s a buildup of sediment on your tap’s aerators. Cleaning your shower and tap heads might easily do the trick; otherwise, calling in the professionals will be necessary.

5. Dripping Faucets 

Having a dripping faucet isn’t only aggravating when you’re trying to sleep at night, it can also cost you an arm and a leg on your monthly water bill. Why throw money “down the drain” when there’s often an easy fix? A leaky faucet can drip hundreds of gallons down the drain each year, and can often be repaired by simply replacing a washer or tightening a few bolts. If you don’t have the right tools or experience for the job, contact your local plumbing team.

6. Slow Draining Sink 

Much like your shower/tub drain, a slow draining sink is often easily solved with a plunger or a drain cleaning solution. But if this doesn’t completely solve the issue, you may need to call in a plumbing team to snake the drain. Sometimes, your pipes will break down over time, causing leaks and other issues. A plumbing company will be able to best diagnose what’s wrong with your sink and devise the most effective form of treatment.

7. Clogged Toilet 

A clogged toilet can certainly be annoying but it can also turn into a big problem overnight, especially if it overflows in your bathroom. In most cases, such an issue is caused by a mixture of waste and toilet paper, but not always. Clogged toilets can also be caused by a more gradual buildup of material in your pipes. First, you should see if a household plunger breaks up the clog. However, hiring a drain cleaning specialist to snake your toilet will likely be necessary if plunging doesn’t do the trick.

8. A Running Toilet 

Having a toilet that always runs can cause you to incur significant unnecessary water costs. This is because a running toilet may cause 100s of litres of water to be lost in as little as 1 week (yikes!) Usually, the most common cause is when your toilet’s flapper valve isn’t regulating the water in its tank properly. However, it can also be caused by sediment buildup that’s impacting flushing, as well as silent leaks, so having it inspected by a professional is recommended if you can’t easily isolate the problem.

9. Leaky Pipes 

Your plumbing system relies on a system of pipes to transport fresh water to your home and wastewater away from it. Unfortunately, over time, even the most durable pipes will eventually corrode, break down, or become damaged, causing leaks and forcing the need for plumbing repairs. When you have a leak, fixing it in a timely manner is essential, as leaving leaky pipes unattended can cause costly repairs from flooding and structural damage.

10. Backed Up Sewer Systems 

Arguably one of the nastier plumbing nightmares, a backed up sewer system can be stinky and cause extensive damage to your home. If all of your drains and toilets are backed up simultaneously and there’s an odor of raw sewage permeating your household, then a sewage backup is likely your problem. This is where things can get sort of tricky, as the source of the issue will determine who is responsible for fixing it.

Contacting your water company (or municipality responsible for water services) is recommended. Although you may still need to hire a plumber to diagnose the issue, you won’t have to pay for it if it is the water company/municipality’s responsibility. Sewage backups are often caused by a clogged main sewer line, tree roots that have grown into your home’s sewage piping, or a broken or collapsed sewage line due to age.

Contact us today for more info about our plumbing services in Kingston and Brockville 

For more information about how we can help with your plumbing needs, contact Toshack today online or call us at 1 (888) 547-6162. In addition to our plumbing services, we also offer heating, cooling, and air quality solutions.