Alderwood houses and their plumbing
Alderwood lies in south-west Etobicoke, roughly between Sherway Gardens, the QEW and Lake Shore. Most of its houses went up in the late 1940s and 1950s: one-storey bungalows and storey-and-a-halfs on modest lots, many since expanded with second floors or rear additions.
Original plumbing in these homes is straightforward but aging. Galvanized supply lines, cast-iron drains, and service lines that may be galvanized or lead are all still found, particularly where renovations focused on kitchens and baths rather than what lies under the floor.
What fails in these pipes
- Pinhole leaks and burst sections in old galvanized supply pipe
- Dripping and worn kitchen and bathroom taps
- Frozen pipes in uninsulated rear additions or crawlspaces
- Root growth in drains running toward streets lined with mature trees
Jobs we take on here
Many calls here are urgent: a split pipe in January or a slow leak discovered behind a cabinet. Our burst pipe repair service is for those moments. Equally common is the gentler work of faucet repair, where a cartridge or washer brings an old tap back into good order. Residents looking at broader updates may also find our notes on Etobicoke Centre helpful, as the housing there overlaps in age.
Small houses, sensible upgrades
Alderwood bungalows were built economically, and their plumbing layouts are compact. That makes many upgrades quite manageable: a new main shut-off, replacing the galvanized branch to the kitchen, or adding a laundry sink can often be done in a day. When a second storey has been added, though, the original water service may be too small for the extra bathroom, and pressure upstairs suffers.
Basements here are generally shallow and were not built with modern flood protection in mind. Owners who are finishing theirs often ask about a backwater valve and sump arrangements at the same time. We are glad to look at the whole picture before any drywall goes up, so that the finished room is protected and the pipes remain reachable. A small access panel or two, placed thoughtfully, saves a great deal of disruption later on.
Under the floor: what we open up
In Alderwood bungalows the main shut-off is usually a gate valve on the front basement wall, often seized from decades without a turn. We exercise it or fit a full-port lever valve in its place, then look at the stack cleanout behind the furnace, where a brass plug is frequently painted shut. Freeing both before an emergency saves a frantic hour later. Call (365) 816-2905 and describe what the water is doing at that fixture.