Plumbing in semis and row houses

01Narrow houses, tight chases

• A semi has little room to hide pipe.
• Drains climb through closets and boxed corners, and the third-floor bathroom added in the 1980s often hangs its drain on a long, shallow slope.
• Shallow slopes clog early, so we snake from the highest clean-out and run water at each floor to see which branch is slow.

02The party wall question

• In some older pairs the two halves were built with laterals that join before reaching the street, or with a shared clean-out in one basement.
• If your floor drain backs up while your own fixtures are quiet, the blockage may sit past the junction.
• We camera the line and mark on the lawn where it splits, so both owners can see the same picture.

03Lead, galvanized and old valves

• Many of these houses were built before 1955, when lead water services were still common in Toronto.
• We check the pipe entering at the front wall with a scratch and magnet test, look at the main valve for a seized gate, and explain the city program for lead service replacement, telling you to check its current terms before booking.

04What the plumber checks on arrival

1. 1Run water floor by floor to find the slow branch
2. 2Camera the lateral and mark any shared junction
3. 3Scratch-test the incoming water service
4. 4Exercise the main valve and replace it if it is seized

05Jobs these homes book most

• Drain clearing by cable
• Leak detection
• Low water pressure repair
• Basement floor drain backup