Floor Drain Back-ups

There are signs that your sewer is beginning to block up. Here are things to watch for and actions to take to prevent a messy situation.

If you notice water backing up from your floor drain while doing laundry or after a heavy rain, you need to be concerned. The water will often drain away slowly and people will think the problem is solved. The reality is that the problem did not go away. It's an indication that the line is getting partially blocked and under a heavy load it cannot handle a large amount of water.

When the water has nowhere to go it will back up into your basement. When there is a heavy rain, newer homes in London, Ontario have sump pumps that the weeping tiles are connected to. If there is a backup in a newer home, it would probably show during laundry. 

In London, Ontario's older homes that do not have a sump pump, the weeping tile is more likely to be tied into the drain. In a heavy rain the water is trying to go down the sewer which is partially blocked, so then it backs up into the basement.

At Salmon Plumbing, we suggest if you notice issues, get us out to your home. We will get the sewer line cleaned out. With cameras we can tell what is going on and advise you if there is anything further that should be done. In most cases a sewer clean-out is all that is required. It is just a matter of getting it done. Some people need to get drains cleaned regularly if they live in an older part of London. 

Drain Camera

Ignoring the warning signs can lead to major problems. The damage that is caused by a backed up sewer can be very expensive, with flooring, drywall and family treasures being destroyed. Simple sewer maintenance is all it takes to prevent such an episode.

We have recorded answers to several common plumbing questions and put them on our website. To listen to plumbing questions and answers, click here. 

SalmonPlumbing.ca

Scheduling a Service Call

Salmon Plumbing & Heating has built its' reputation on providing timely and quality service to our customers. A large part of our business is repairs. We don't have this work at the start of the day. Customers call in and we try our best to get them serviced on the same day.

We all have an experience where we've sat at home for an entire day waiting for a serviceman to arrive. We don't run our business this way. Scheduling in our business can be a bit of a juggling act, because we don't know for certain how long our men will be at each call.

The only service appointment we can make with certainty is the first one in the morning. After that, we give people a time range to expect our arrival. We do the best we can to meet our schedule. If we are running late, we'll call you with a new E.T.A.

We understand that customers have to work during the day. If you plan on coming home to meet our serviceman, we'll call you at your work and let you know he's on his way.

Everyday Londoners have a choice who they will call for their plumbing and heating needs. We want to make sure we do quality work and meet time commitments so customers will choose us again the next time the need arises.

We offer 24-hour emergency service outside of our regular office hours. We have our own staff answering the phones after hours. Emergency service is more expensive, so if possible we'll try to give you a short term solution on the phone so we can come when we are charging our standard rates. If it's an emergency, we have licensed servicemen ready to go out at any time.

Listen to our answers to many common plumbing questions.

Low Flush and Dual Flush Toilets

Low flush toilets are designed to reduce water consumption in your home. Toilets that are older than 20 years typically use 13 liters or more of water to flush.

The first generation of low flush toilets reduced that usage down to 6 liters per flush. Some low flush toilets only require 4.8 liters per flush. They were designed to meet tough standards in California to reduce water consumption.

If you are replacing an older toilet, you’d be reducing water consumption by 12,000+ liters per year! (That’s only 5 flushes per day.)

Manufacturers have also developed dual flush toilets. When you are getting rid of solids, the toilet will use about 6 liters per flush, otherwise it uses 3.8 liters per flush. Dual flush toilets will reduce your water usage even further than a single flush model.

Low Flush Toilet

Not all low flush toilets work well. There are a number of toilet manufacturers and each one makes numerous models. We’ve had several customers that have purchased a low flush toilet at a retail store. They got it home and found out it didn’t work that well. They go on to assume that all low flush toilets are no good.

At Salmon Plumbing, we’ve tested several models and have selected several that work well at a reasonable price. They also have the features people like.
We provide full service delivery and installation and we’ll get rid of your old toilet for you as well. If you have a problem with your new toilet, we guarantee our installation on top of the manufacturer’s warranty!

Salmon Plumbing's toilet warranty is in your home. If you purchase a toilet through a retailer you may need to return it to them for refund or replacement. This is inconvenient and costly if you are not able to remove and install the toilet yourself.

To see our selection of toilets, click here.

For answers to other common plumbing questions, click here.

Frozen Pipes

While winters in London, Ontario are generally mild, we do endure nasty cold snaps. When temperatures get down to -15°C frozen pipes become a problem in many homes.

Based on decades of winter experience, Salmon Plumbing & Heating have a list of suggestions for home owners to prevent frozen pipes, which can split causing considerable damage to your home.

When the temperature dips below -10°C:

1. Do not turn the heat down. Now is not the time to conserve energy.
2. Expose your pipes to air. Often pipes that run through crawl spaces or are tucked inside of basement vanities. These areas tend to be much cooler than the rest of your home. Open these areas up to the warmth so that the water does not freeze in the lines. Also, be aware of any holes in the wall that allow frigid winter air to enter. We've seen frozen lines 10 feet inside of a house because of a small hole in a basement wall.
3. Know how to shut off your water. If there is water showing up in the wrong place you need to know where the shutoff valve is and how to shut the water off quickly to limit the damage. Learn about shutoffs at by clicking here.
4. Do Not ignore water that is not running properly. If a tap goes from running like a charm to trickling or nothing it probably means the line is frozen somewhere. If you react quickly you may be able to prevent the line from bursting. Get warm air on the pipes as soon as you can.
5. Pipes that run along exterior walls are extremely vulnerable. Good plumbing practice is to run lines near the centre of the house. Unfortunately, re-modelled homes often have lines running through exterior walls, which creates a potential problem.
6. Shut off and drain your supply lines for your outdoor taps in the fall. These are a common source of problems when the temperature drops.
7. Plastic Plumbing. Many newer and renovated homes have plastic rather than copper lines. When plastic freezes it is much less likely to burst. Unfortunately, if the plastic line does freeze you cannot apply electricity to thaw the line (as you can with copper) and you may have to pry off wall panels or ceiling tiles to get to the source of the problem.
8. Shut off your water when you are on vacation and have somebody check your home every few days.

DIY Plumbing, Mistakes Can Be Costly

The big box stores are offering a wide range of plumbing products. The home handyman will find plumbing products being marketed directly to the DIY customer. Plumbers are highly skilled professionals and not everything we do is as easy as it may look. We often get called out to fix do-it-yourself (DIY) projects that have gone wrong.

Plumbing can be divided into two broad categories. Supply side deals with pipes that are under pressure, delivering water to your faucets and appliances. Drainage side deals with getting rid of waste water.

Supply side plumbing is very critical to get right. The City of London has excellent water pressure and a small leak in a supply side pipe can cause a lot of expensive damage. Drainage problems can be costly as well. Common DIY problems include improper venting and incorrect grade. This can lead to slow running or blocked drains.

The plumbing in your home is often hidden behind drywall or other finished surfaces. Quite often, a big part of the repair cost is restoring the finished surface.

DIY Plumbing Products

The DIY plumbing products being offered are designed for the homeowner that probably will not own the torches, cutting tools, etc. that a professional will carry. Manufacturers have created compression fittings and push-on fittings. If you don’t strictly adhere to the instructions, connections can pop apart days or weeks down the road. You can end up with a slow leak, some spray or a full blown gusher. Plumbing is often hidden in walls or cabinets. You usually don’t find out about leaks until it is too late. It’s critical to do it right the first time.

Home owners working with products like copper or pex pipes, really need to know what they are doing. Soldering copper pipe is a skill that professionals are trained to do properly. Improper soldering may look like it’s working, but can start leaking days later. Plastic pipes look similar but are not all the same, there are a wide variety of glues and fittings that vary from one manufacturer to the other.

At Salmon Plumbing, we use copper pipe almost exclusively for supply side plumbing. When we install a toilet or faucet, we’ll also install shut-off valves. If there ever is a problem with the toilet or faucet, you can simply use the shut-off valve to isolate the problem. Otherwise, you would have to shut down the water for the entire house.

Shut-Off Valve

Plumbing is an area where mistakes can be very costly. A leaking water pipe can damage walls, floors and furniture very quickly. For the majority of homeowners, plumbing is a job best left to a professional.

Listen to our answers to many common plumbing questions.

Best of London, 2016

Salmon Plumbing & Heating would like to thank all of our customers that voted for us for 'Best of London'. We are very proud to be selected as London’s Best Plumber for a second consecutive year.

The company was founded by Bill Salmon in 1955. Over the last 60 years, we have grown with London and now operate out of a modern new facility on Clarke Road. The company continues to be family owned and operated by the second generation sons; Bill, Brock and Paul Salmon.

The company has always prided itself on service. Everyday we repair plumbing, furnaces, boilers and air conditioning equipment. We offer 24 hour emergency service to make sure our customers are taken care of 365 days of the year.

Our fleet of red service trucks that can be seen around the city everyday have become our trademark.

We always try to repair equipment first. When the time comes that equipment needs to be replaced, we offer a full line of furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, hot water heaters, toilets and faucets. We sell only quality equipment that we would use in our own homes.

We are very proud of our fully licensed tradesmen including; plumbers, sheet metal workers, gas fitters, electricians and HVAC mechanics.

We are also proud of our office staff. We take all of our calls and do all of our dispatching right here in London. Our shop on Clarke Road has a fully stocked parts department and a sheet metal shop. This makes it possible for us to take care of our customers in a timely manner.

We’d like to invite all Londoners to visit our website www.salmonplumbing.com where we have several tips and lots of information for homeowners about plumbing, heating and air conditioning.