Drains & gurgling
Gurgling is a venting problem, not a clog. Different fix, and worth catching early.
Markham
From Unionville's oldest streets to Cornell's newest
Markham holds two centuries of housing inside one city, plus a growing stack of townhouses and condos around Highway 7. We work on all three, and each comes with its own set of problems.
Three kinds of Markham home
The heritage areas. Main Street Unionville and Markham Village have housing that predates almost everything else in York Region. Original supply lines, cast iron waste stacks, clay sewer laterals with big mature trees over them. Work here needs care — not just technically, but around finishes and access, because you can't take a heritage property apart the way you'd open up a subdivision basement.
The subdivisions. Cornell, Wismer, Berczy Village, Greensborough, Angus Glen and the rest went up from the 1990s onward. Same story as everywhere else built in that window: the original water heaters are done, the builder-grade fittings are failing, and it's all happening on the same timetable street by street.
The vertical stuff. Around Highway 7 and Warden there's a lot of townhouse and condo density, and that changes the job in one specific way — you rarely own the whole problem. A leak in a stack, a riser or a shared shut-off involves the building, not just your unit.
What condo and townhouse work actually involves
Technically it's the same plumbing. Procedurally it isn't. Anything touching a shared stack, a riser, or a shut-off affecting other units generally needs property management to sign off, and sometimes to schedule a building water shutdown.
That's not a problem, it's a step — but it's a step that has to happen before we arrive rather than while we're standing in your kitchen. Tell us it's a condo when you book and we'll plan around it. The alternative is a wasted visit that you end up paying for.
Markham is its own city, with its own rules
If you've moved from Vaughan or Richmond Hill, the permits and programs are different here. Plumbing permits for drain and sewer work come from the City of Markham, and Markham runs its own basement flooding and protective plumbing initiatives separately from Vaughan's.
One quirk worth knowing if you're in Thornhill: Yonge Street is the boundary. East of Yonge is Markham, west is Vaughan — and plenty of people aren't sure which side they're on.
Most requested here
What Markham calls us about
The mix is broader here than anywhere else we work.
Running toilets
Silent, constant, and startlingly expensive. Usually under an hour to fix.
Water heaters
Whole subdivisions reaching replacement age within a couple of years of each other.
Leaks in older homes
Heritage properties, located precisely so the repair is one access point.
Questions
Plumbing in Markham
Why is my drain gurgling?
Gurgling is air being pulled through the water sitting in a trap, and it means the drain is not venting properly. Either the vent stack is partly blocked, or a blockage further down is dragging air behind it. Worth attention — a trap siphoned dry lets sewer gas into the room.
Is a running toilet expensive?
Yes, and it is one of the most expensive small faults in a house precisely because it is quiet. A toilet leaking past the flapper can waste hundreds of litres a day with no sound at all. Put food colouring in the tank and do not flush; colour in the bowl means it is escaping.
Can you work on a condo or townhouse in Markham?
Yes. The difference is procedural rather than technical. Anything touching a shared stack, riser or a shut-off affecting other units generally needs property management to approve the work, and sometimes to schedule a shutdown. Tell us it is a condo when you book and we will factor that in.
Do you cover Unionville and Markham Village?
Yes, both — and they are among the oldest housing in the city. Homes in the heritage areas often have original supply lines, cast iron waste stacks and clay sewer laterals with mature trees over them. Where a property needs care with finishes and access, we plan the job around that.
Why does my kitchen sink smell?
Usually one of three things. Food debris caught in the trap or disposal, which clears with a proper cleaning. A trap dried out from lack of use, letting sewer gas in — run the tap for thirty seconds and see. Or a venting problem siphoning the trap dry every time the sink drains.
House, townhouse or condo — tell us which
Call for anything urgent, or book online and we'll confirm a window.