Now that Spring is almost here, municipal crews are very busy filling potholes and doing drain repair in Toronto. Around almost every corner you find big rig equipment and guys in traffic vests standing around. Be patient – while it causes a real nuisance traffic-wise, it’s essential to keep municipal drains in good condition to prevent sewer backups and subsequent flooding of your own drainage system. It’s also a good time to check on your own drains. Here’s what to look for:
Reason #1: Indoor Backups
When your kitchen or bathroom drain backs up, it’s a sure sign that something is wrong. Whether it’s a minor clog or major damage, you’ll need drain repairs in Toronto to determine how to resolve it.
Your plumber will conduct a camera inspection to see what the cause of the backup is, and then decide how best to address it. Don’t wait until the problem requires opening up your neatly tiled floor to get help.
Reason #2: Soggy Outdoor Blockages
During Fall, leaves often get swept into drains without you realizing it. No matter how careful you are about clearing your yard right through the season, there are bound to be some days when you just don’t get there in time. The leaves and other debris are blown in by the wind or swept in with the rain, and there it lies until the deep freeze begins.
As it warms up, the resulting thaw turns it into a soggy mess that can cause serious blockages. Apart from the risk of flooding, blockages can also create cracks that will need to be repaired.
Reason #3: Smelly Situations
Ever walked down the garden path and wondered if something died? Chances are good that it did—in your drains during Winter. As soon as the temperatures hit zero and climbing, bacteria start to breed in everything and—you guessed it—the smell starts to get quite obnoxious.
You can do one of two things: you can wait for it to disappear naturally, or you can have it removed. The risk of the first is that if you have any other problems that could require drain repair in Toronto homes such as cracked or damaged pipes, that odor could permeate everything around it.
Reason #4: Tree Tribulations
After a winter like the one we just had, one of the concerns you’ll have to deal with this year is the removal of dead and damaged trees. The ice storm of December 2013 left a swathe of destruction in its wake, and wherever you look you see the stumps of trees that have been cut down before they fell down. Those have to be removed, and some have particularly invasive roots.
If the trees were old enough to come down and were located close to a drain, there’s a good chance they were old enough for the roots to have spread. Once the roots die, any therapeutic benefit of supporting drain walls is gone, and your drain is going to need attention.
Whatever your drain issue, getting attention sooner rather than later is always wise. So don’t waste any time calling a professional plumber and having them check it out.
