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http://www.watermarkplumbing.ca/

Watermark Plumbing and Drains, Toronto, ON (2026)

05/09/2026

Hey everyone — welcome to this week's episode of "How NOT to Call the Plumber!"

Over the past few weeks, we've been talking a lot about your sump pump and what's happening underground in your drains. This week, we want to tie it all together and talk about something that doesn't get nearly enough attention but could be one of the most important plumbing devices in your home: The backwater valve.

Here's the scenario that makes a backwater valve so important. During a heavy rainstorm, the city's sewer system can become completely overwhelmed. When that happens, the sewage that's supposed to be flowing away from your home has nowhere to go and can actually reverse direction, flowing back toward the lowest point it can find. In most cases, that's your basement floor drain or your basement toilet. The result is raw sewage backing up into your home (yuck). Not only is this gross, but it’s incredibly dangerous as well.

What exactly is a backwater valve you ask?

A backwater valve is a one-way gate valve installed on your main drain line. When water is flowing normally away from your house, the valve stays open. The moment it senses flow coming back in the wrong direction, a float in the device closes automatically, blocking the sewage from entering your home. It's a simple concept, but the protection it provides is enormous.

A few things worth knowing:

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲. If your home was built before the mid-1980s, there's a reasonable chance a backwater valve was never installed.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. A backwater valve that hasn't been checked in years can become stuck open, meaning it won't close when you need it most. We recommend having it inspected every couple of years to make sure it's working properly.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲. We won't sugarcoat it. Installing a backwater valve means accessing your main drain line, which typically involves cutting into the concrete floor of your basement. It's not a weekend DIY project and it needs to be done by a licensed plumber. The good news is that while the plumber’s there, it's also a great opportunity to replace any other sections of underground pipes that are showing any issues at the same time. More on that kind of work in a future post as we head into the summer season!

As I’ve been mentioning in previous posts, the City of Toronto's updates to the Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program are now live, and backwater valve installation could be covered up to $𝟭,𝟲𝟬𝟬, with the total subsidy cap across all eligible work rising to $𝟲,𝟲𝟱𝟬 per property. These changes have just been implemented as of May 1st, which makes this the best time to look into it as a consideration!

That's it for this week! If you're not sure whether your home has a backwater valve or when it was last serviced, it's a great question to ask the next time you have a plumber in. Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you next time! 😊

05/02/2026

Hey everyone — welcome to this week's episode of "How NOT to Call the Plumber!". This week we're going underground :).

Most plumbing problems are pretty easy to spot. A dripping faucet, a slow draining sink, a toilet that won't stop running... these are the kinds of things that you’ll notice more quickly! But there's a whole category of plumbing problems that are invisible until they've already become a very big, very expensive deal. Today we're talking about what's happening underground, beneath your basement floor and out toward the city connection.

The main drain (also called the sewer lateral) is the pipe that carries all of the wastewater from your home out to the city's sewer system. In older Toronto homes, this pipe is made of clay (unless it’s been replaced), which has been in the ground for as long as your home has been standing. Because this pipe is so old, there are quite a few issues that can pop up.

Here are the most common underground drain issues we see:

𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀. Over time, clay pipes develop cracks or their joints shift and separate. Cracks and joint failures create bumps and ridges inside the pipe, which will catch things like toilet paper (or other “solids") that are trying to make their way down the drain. Once enough is caught up, the sewer becomes blocked and you’ll find some not-so-clean water in your basement.

𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. This is probably the most common one we deal with. Tree roots are naturally drawn toward the moisture and “nutrients” inside a drain pipe. Once they find a crack or a gap in the joints, they'll work their way inside and grow, eventually blocking the pipe entirely. By the time you notice a slow drain or a backup, the roots inside can be significant.

𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲. In extreme cases, aging pipes can collapse entirely, causing a complete blockage. This is rare, but it does happen — when it does, it's a serious situation that requires immediate attention.

So how do you know if any of this is happening under your home? That's where a drain camera inspection comes in. We run a small camera through your drain and can see exactly what's going on inside the pipe without any digging. It's a quick process and gives a very clear picture of what you're dealing with.

If we do find an issue, the good news is that technology has come a long way. In many cases, we're able to use a process called pipe bursting to replace the old pipe without major excavation. We'll save the details of that for a future post!

In the meantime, if your drains have been acting up lately, or even if you’re just curious, it might be worth having a look at what's going on underneath your basement floor.

That's it for this week! Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you next time! 😊

04/25/2026

Hey everyone – It’s a rainy Saturday, so you’ll want to pay attention to this week's episode of "How NOT to Call the Plumber!"

Picture this: It's 2am, there's a major storm rolling through the city, and your power just went out. No big deal, right? Well... it is if you have a sump pump in your basement!

Here's something a lot of homeowners don't realize until it's too late. Your sump pump runs on electricity. And the moments when you need it most (like a heavy rainstorm that's dumping more
and more water into your sump pit by the minute) are often the exact same moments when a power outage is most likely to happen. The two scenarios unfortunately go hand in hand, and
we've seen the aftermath more times than we can count.

So, what happens when the power goes out, and the water in the pit keeps rising? Without a backup system in place, your sump pump does absolutely nothing. The water rises, it spills over the pit, and before you know it, you’ve got flooding in your basement.

This is exactly where a battery backup sump pump comes in. Here's how it works:

𝗔 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗽𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽. 𝗜𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮t'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗘𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱!

A few things to keep in mind if you're considering one:

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹. Some are built to handle a much higher volume of water per hour than others. We always recommend going with a reputable brand and having it
installed by a licensed plumber to make sure it's set up correctly. In all honesty, the ones you can find in most big box stores unfortunately don’t fit this description!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. Most backup systems use a marine-style battery that should be tested and replaced every 3 to 5 years. A dead backup battery is no backup at all!

𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗽𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲. Some pits are not large enough to accommodate a second pump, which may require some adjustments before installation. If you’re unsure of compatibility, always feel free to send me a message. :)

The good news? If you're a Toronto homeowner, the City's Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program has officially increased its sump pump subsidy up to $2,550 for primary and backup sump pumps, including retrofits! With those changes, now is a great time to look into getting this done as funding is done on a “first come, first served” basis!

That's it for this week! Don't wait until the next big storm to find out you needed a backup. Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you next time! :)

04/18/2026

Hey everyone — welcome to this week's episode of "How NOT to Call the Plumber!". Before we get started, we just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to Adina’s cause last week. She’s still got a ways to go, so if you missed our post last week we'd love for you to have a look, but with your help we were able to make quite a meaningful impact :).

With that said, let’s get into it!

Spring is here, and while most of you are thinking about cleaning out the garage and getting the garden going, we are thinking about something a little less glamorous... your sump pump (yes, still). We continue to get daily calls from flooded customers, so we still need to bug you about it!

Here's the thing: the absolute worst time to find out your sump pump isn't working is at 2am during a spring rainstorm with an inch of water creeping across your basement floor and we get those calls every year. Almost every single time, the homeowner had no idea anything was wrong until it very much was.

So, here are a few quick things you can do right now to make sure you're not that person:

-Pour some water in the pit. Slowly pour a few buckets of water into the sump pit and watch the float rise. Eventually the pump should kick on automatically and drain the water back down. If it doesn't, that's your sign that something isn’t working properly. If you’re unsure, you can also reach down and manually lift the float and see what happens as well!

-Listen for strange noises. A healthy sump pump hums along quietly. Rattling, grinding, or a pump that runs constantly without shutting off are all red flags that need paying attention to.

-Check the age. Most sump pumps last 7-10 years. If yours is pushing that range and you're not sure when it was last serviced or replaced, now is a great time to have someone take a look.

Now here's the part where I really encourage you not to procrastinate, and if you caught my post a few weeks ago, you'll know exactly why. The City of Toronto has increased the Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy amounts significantly, with sump pump coverage rising to $2,550 and the total cap jumping to $6,650 per property. These changes will take effect May 1st!

That means spring is genuinely the best time to get ahead of this, before the heavy summer storms hit and before every other homeowner in the city has the same idea and the wait times become long. Work needs to be done by a licensed plumber, comply with municipal building codes, and your application submitted within two years of installation under the proposed new
rules.

That's it for this week! If you've been sitting on the fence about your sump pump, consider this your nudge. Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you next time!

04/11/2026

Hey everyone - just a quick note that this isn't my usual "How NOT to Call the Plumber" post. No plumbing tips today unfortunately.

One of the moms on my daughter's competitive dance team, Adina, is fighting an aggressive blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. Her and her family have already been through an unbelievable amount, including two stem cell transplants, and the
cancer has come back.

Her doctors are saying that her best chance is CAR-T therapy, which isn't available in Canada and must be started in the next 6 weeks to give her a chance. The hard part is that this treatment will cost $775,000 USD. Her family is able to cover about $525,000 USD but need help with the rest.

If you've ever gotten any value out of the things I've shared over the years — saved some money, avoided a plumbing problem, or even just learned something — it would mean so much to me if you were able to help today.

If you're able, $10, $25, or even $50 if you have it to spare would be so amazingly helpful. If donating isn't possible, then sharing this post goes a long way too.

If you’re able to help, you can find the GoFundMe link below.

Thank you again.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-adinas-fight-for-life-multiple-myeloma-treatment

04/04/2026

Hey everyone, if you’ve come across my posts before, you know that I’ve recently been talking a lot about sump pumps and battery backup systems, but today I need to tell you a sad story of ANOTHER customer we had call us last week who came home to flooding – this time ruining much of the basement she and her husband had just put $60,000 into finishing.

“Michelle” gave me a call last week, seemingly in a state of disbelief. It was on that cold, Wednesday afternoon, and her family had just come back from a week-long trip in time for her mother-in-law to visit for Easter. On their return, Michelle was unpacking and went down to the basement to get some laundry started. She walked towards the back of the basement where the laundry machine is and suddenly her feet were wet – there was water squishing up through the wood flooring. Now panicked, she started to search for where the water was coming from and in the process found water not only in the main living area, but also the spare bedroom in the form of a soaking wet carpet. The bottom of the walls all through the basement were showing signs of water damage as the drywall had soaked up some of that water as well. Searching more, she found water overflowing from her sump pit in the mechanical room.

Just last year, Michelle and her husband said they put about $60,000 into redoing the basement, making it a space for the kids to play and have guests (like her mother-in-law) when needed. Now, the remediation team they’ve had to call has had to rip out all the flooring in the basement (both hardwood and carpet), remove all the baseboards, the bottom 3 feet of drywall in the living area, and even more in the bedroom. They’ve got big industrial fans blowing 24/7, trying to minimize damage further. It’s going to be a long, expensive road back.

So what happened?

Simply put, their sump pump died while they were away, so there was nothing to stop the groundwater from rising. Mix in some normal spring weather and voila, a flooded basement. It all happened that easily.

When Michelle and her husband redid the basement, they didn’t think (and their contractor didn’t suggest) to replace their existing sump pump OR install a backup system. The existing sump pump was there when they bought the house, so it’s never even been something they’d thought about.

Now that the sad story is done, how can you stop this from happening to you?

Simply put, if your sump pump is reaching its life expectancy of about 7 years, you NEED to replace it and add a battery backup system.

Here’s the MOST IMPORTANT THING… After applying for the City of Toronto rebate, it’s only about $750 out of pocket – a very small amount in comparison to the alternative.

When sump pumps die, they die suddenly and without warning. Also, without a backup system they simply don’t work during a power outage, which often happens during those major summer storms when you need it the most.

I know I’ve talked about this a lot and probably sound like a broken record now, but I really hate hearing stories like Michelle’s, which is something that could have been completely avoidable. Please, please, please consider this – I am always here to help if you want to send me a message or reach out.

03/28/2026

Hey everyone - Welcome to this week’s episode of “How NOT to Call the Plumber!” Written by yours truly, your friendly neighborhood licensed plumber, here with some good news out of City Hall for once!

The City of Toronto is proposing some major upgrades to the Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program. These are the rebates that give you thousands of dollars back for upgrades like Sump Pump Backup Systems or Backwater Valve installations and help prevent your basement from flooding! The City has publicly proposed increasing the overall cap to up to $6,650 per property, as well as boosting individual amounts.

Here’s what they’ve proposed:

1. Increased subsidy on bigger ticket items like Sump Pumps and Backwater Valves.

The City is proposing to increase the Sump Pump and Backwater Valve subsidy maximums by 28% to reflect the new, real-world costs of installation. These are now going to max out at $2,250 for the Sump Pumps and $1,600 for the Backwater Valves.

2. A new “Home Plumbing Assessment” category.

We don’t yet know exactly what this means, but it is likely that the City is proposing to subsidize an assessment by a licensed plumber to help identify internal plumbing issues that contribute to basement flooding.

3. Battery Backup help.

They’re proposing a $300 subsidy for Sump Pump Battery Backup Systems, including retrofits. Again, the details around this are still a bit unclear, but we’ll know more soon!

4. More flexibility for homeowners.

Proposed changes also include extending the application window from one year to two years after eligible work is done.

The City has said these enhancements could take effect as early as May 1, 2026.

We don’t yet have all of the details, but I will keep you posted as more information becomes available! If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to give you any information that I have!

03/21/2026

Hey everyone, welcome to this week’s episode of “How NOT to Call the Plumber!”. This week we’re going to look at a few common plumbing myths that plague the minds of unsuspecting homeowners – and hopefully save you some money in the process!

Before we get going, I just wanted to quickly nag you with a reminder to check your sump pumps – Spring has sprung and we’re getting more and more calls for faulty sump pumps and flooding in
basements as a result!

Now that my nagging is done, here are the top 3 myths we come across that cause homeowners like you big headaches (and expensive bills!):

Coffee Grounds

I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve had my head under your kitchen sinks trying to clear the drain and found the remnants of coffee grounds. This usually results in the homeowner telling the story of how their mother said that they should pour them down the sink because it will help clear the grease. Well, your mother was wrong, and you can tell her I said that!

Pouring coffee grounds down the sink is a recipe for disaster. Rather than clearing grease, the coffee grounds become stuck to it. In turn, this greatly increases the surface area for more grease to catch on to and build up in the drain. Go through this cycle a few times and you’re calling the plumber! Note – this call usually happens on Christmas morning as you’re trying to prepare dinner for 12. So, the next time your mother tells you something like this, have her call me directly (or send her the bill ☺️).

Flushable Wipes

The most common myth is that those “flushable” baby wipes we all seem to love are indeed flushable. As someone who deals with his fair share of sewer blockages, I can guarantee you that I’ve not come across a flushable wipe yet! The issue with these wipes is that they don’t break down in the same way as toilet paper. While this inevitably causes major issues for the municipal waste water filtration systems, it also causes issues for the homeowner as well.

Here’s what happens: when you flush a “flushable” wipe, it makes it’s way down drain in the same way toilet paper would. Then all of a sudden, it catches on an imperfection in the pipe. This imperfection could be a small crack or snag, a cut edge of the pipe that wasn’t properly “cleaned” of debris after cutting, or some otherwise harmless roots that have made their way into the pipes. If you were using toilet paper, this wouldn’t be such a big issue, as it would break down and disintegrate as more water flowed past it. If you’ve used a wipe, now you’re in trouble! As you flush more and more wipes, they will build up, until you find yourself with a toilet that won’t flush or a flooded basement! Neither are situations that you’d want to find yourself in, so avoid those “flushable” wipes!

Commercial Drain Cleaners

I know you’ve heard me say this a thousand times, but products like Draino are NOT good for your plumbing system. Not only do these acidic or caustic cleaners potentially cause much bigger issues than your blocked sink (think opening walls to redo portions of your drains after it eats through the pipe), but they really don’t work as well as advertised, and often react with things like grease to solidify the blockage and make it worse!

If you’ve tried products like Draino and notice that your sinks are becoming slower and slower, please CALL THE PLUMBER! I promise you that the issue isn’t going to resolve itself, so putting it off will only do more harm than good. When it comes to your drains, it is best to think of them in terms of maintenance rather than repair.

That’s it for this week! I hope you all have another wonderful weekend.☺️ As always, if you have an questions, feel free to reach out or leave a note in the comments!

03/14/2026

Hello again everyone — Welcome to this week’s episode of “How NOT to Call the Plumber”!

This week, we’re going to talk about how you should be using your water meter — yes, that thing in your basement buried behind boxes, bins, laundry, or kids toys that you’re always embarrassed to bring me to when I ask to see it.

Not many of you know it, but that water meter will save you a lot of money if you just learn to read it properly. A couple of quick glances will tell you if you have an unknown leak that you should be taking care of. Not those leaks where you run around scrambling to find the plumber's phone number, those slow, quiet leaks you didn’t even know you had until you water bill comes at 3x the normal amount!

Your water meter can tell you if and how much water is running by looking at 3 different points: the Low Flow Indicator, the Sweep Hand, or the Numerical reading that works like the odometer in your car! As you will see on the meter, water is measured in M 3, or 1000 L.

The Low Flow Indicator will spin when water is in use – the more water is being used, the faster it spins. This isn’t always the best way to tell if you have a very slow leak, as the rotation will likely be too slow for you to see!

The Numerical reading is on the other end of the sensitivity spectrum. Working in tenths of a M 3 , each new decimal point will show you an increase of 1/10th of a cubic meter of water usage. This is quite a bit of water, so this reading doesn’t really help us in leak detection (if your leak is big enough that this is running, you won’t need a meter to tell you there’s a leak!).

Where we want to use the meter for leak detection is with the Sweep Hand. Measuring 1/100 th of a M 3 , this is the happy zone in small leak detection.

Tonight, as the last thing you do before you go to bed (after you brush your teeth and use the washroom), go down to your water meter and mark on the meter exactly where the Sweep Hand has landed for the night. If nobody uses any water through the night, that sweep hand should be on the exact same spot when you wake up. If it has moved, there is a leak that will wind up costing you a lot of money over time!

Finding the leak is usually relatively straightforward. We can all see and hear dripping faucets, shower spouts, hose bibs, etc. If you see those things, please take care of them! Even a slowly dripping faucet can waste 100s of gallons of water every year – cost aside, it’s not ideal to waste water!

The one leak that is a bit tougher to find is in your toilets. Go into the washroom and listen to the toilet – channel your inner plumber and become one with the toilet (it puts a smile on my face thinking of you all on your knees now listening to the toilet 😊). Do you hear a hissing sound? Slight dripping sounds? Those are both indicators of a slight leak, usually caused by a faulty flapper or fill valve. If you hear those sounds, either take care of it yourself or have someone in to take care of it for you. Those are the type of leaks that will sneak up on you when your water bill comes in!

That’s it for this week’s episode – I hope you all learned something today! Have another great weekend and we’ll see you next time!

03/07/2026

𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘄 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 – $𝟵𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗥𝗲𝗴. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 $𝟮𝟵𝟵!)

Hey everyone - Welcome to this rainy day edition of “How NOT to Call the Plumber”! I don’t usually do this, but given the heavy freeze/thaw cycles we’re having, I wanted to plug a promotion we’re currently running at Watermark Plumbing and Drains because I think a lot of you should consider taking advantage of it!

Did you know that it’s suggested you have a camera inspection done of your main drain every 1-3 years? This is especially the case for those of you who may be in older Toronto homes with the original clay or cast-iron drains. Issues in the main drain of your
home are something you can’t hide from – and are DEFINITELY something you want to take care of before they cause a flood in your basement rather than after.

Each year, the thaw/freeze cycle like we experience each winter and spring causes the ground to shift, in turn leading to the potential for cracking and subsequent collapse in your drains. Cracking can also lead to root intrusion and an increased likelihood of
basement flooding.

Until March 31, 2026, we’re offering our Main Drain Camera Inspections for just $99 – the regular price for this service is $299, so it is definitely something you want to take advantage of!

If you are interested, please feel free to reach out here on Facebook, by phone at 416-587-4302, or by email to [email protected]. You will reach either Sarah or
Stacey (our lovely dispatchers) who will help you get things booked!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and please consider taking advantage of this – it’s much better to have a look now rather than after the flood has already happened!

02/28/2026

Hey everyone – Do you have a faucet or bathtub spout that’s seen better days? Let me introduce you to what I call “The Bag Method” – one of the best ways to remove that annoying, unsightly calcium buildup!

Welcome to “How NOT to Call the Plumber” - your weekly source for DIY plumbing solutions that save you time, money, and the hassle of calling a plumber (written by a plumber, who hopefully knows what he’s talking about!).

As I mentioned, this week we're focusing on a common issue many of us face: calcification. Even our municipal water supply can leave unsightly, stubborn deposits on your tub spouts, faucets, and showerheads, affecting both appearance and functionality. Let’s dive into an effective, easy-to-follow way to remove these mineral deposits and keep your fixtures looking and working their best.

But first, what is calcification?

Calcification occurs when minerals like calcium and magnesium accumulate on your plumbing fixtures. Over time, these deposits can build up, leading to clogged aerators and reduced water flow. It can even damage the fixtures beyond repair! Fortunately, with a few household items and some elbow grease, you can tackle these deposits yourself!

Before you start, gather the following supplies:
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Plastic bags
- Rubber bands
- Old toothbrush or scrub brush
- Toothpicks or small, stiff brush
- Soft cloth or sponge

Using “The Bag Method” to remove Calcium:

1. Start the Reaction

In a large freezer bag (since we don’t have plastic grocery bags anymore), mix up about 1/3 of a cup of baking soda with about 1 cup of vinegar and make sure to “ooh” and “ahh” at the fun reaction.

2. Dunk the Faucet
Hopefully while still bubbling away, submerge the showerhead, tub spout, or whatever it is that needs cleaning in the concoction you’ve just made. Using your rubber bands, attach the bag to the fixture, making sure it’s fully submerged.

3. Go to Bed
Or, go to the grocery store, go for a hike, or whatever it is that you’d like to do to pass the time. The moral of the story here is that we need to let the mixture sit for anywhere from 12-24 hours to allow maximum cleaning power!

4. Scrub Away (If Needed)
Once we’ve let the time pass, you can remove the bag of baking soda and vinegar. Unless the plumbing fixture is too far past repair, a good scrub should remove most of the remaining calcium buildup. You can also use your toothpicks to really get in there with showerheads, etc.

5. Gloat to Your Partner
This is the most important step. Make sure you spend at least 5 minutes showing/telling your partner about how you’ve saved hundreds of dollars by not having to call the plumber.

That’s it for this week! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Have an excellent weekend and we’ll see you next time!

Watermark Plumbing and Drains

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