I would think that plumbing leaks are pretty much the same across the country and throughout the world. But Edmonton does get some plumbing leaks that other locations most likely do not get.  Those leaks are from frozen water lines that have split water pipes and created a leak.

Last winter I was called to a clients house because they had a leak on their outside non freeze hose bib.  The leak was a slow drip that was on the outside of their house and causing are large ice formation.  Normally this may have been ok until spring, but in their case the ice was starting to thaw that was closest to the house.  Since there was no other place for the ice to go the water then dripped back in the basement of their home.

As this was a client that I had seen many times over the years I gave them a quick fix.  We shut off the main water, drained the house, cut the line going to the hose bib and plugged it off.  The homeowner then said he was going to chip away some of the ice so that the thawing would quit.  Come spring I went and changed out the non freeze hose bib and hooked it back up.

Shower Leaks

Troubleshooting shower leaks is a little more difficult than some other leaks.  If the shower is a one piece acrylic shower then this is not too hard, but many showers are not one piece.  There are two piece showers, three piece showers, shower pans or bases and the rest is tiled, and complete tiled showers.  If you have a leak in your shower the leak can be coming from the drain, the grout around the tile, the shower valve, the shower head, or the shower pan.

To troubleshoot this there are many steps that have to be followed.  Pay close attention to when the shower leaks.  Is it all the time or only when one particular person showers.  Does it leak before you get in or after you get in?  How long has it been leaking for?  These are all questions your plumber should be asking you before he/she starts to troubleshoot the problem.

Hot Water Heater Tank Leaks

Leaks coming from your water heater can sometimes be fixed and sometimes it is time for a new water heater.  If the leak is coming from the brass fitting on the side of the tank then the relief valve needs to be repaired.  If the leak is coming from the drain below the the plastic drain should be repaired or replaced.  If the leak is coming from the bottom of the tank then the tank is needing to be replaced.  If the leak is coming from the top then either the tank will have to be replaced or the pipe above the tank will have to be replaced.

Leaks from PolyB

PolyB pipe is the gray water line pipe that was around for about 20 years but is no longer used.  This pipe can become brittle and split and leak everywhere.  The most common leaks with PolyB is at the water heater and close to an outside wall.  I have changed close to a dozen pieces of pipe that was close to the water heater, and many frozen lines that have split the pipe for over 10 feet.

This one particular job I was on was a very cold winter and this guy called me up as water was spraying everywhere.  I discovered the leak to be the waterline that was going to his outside hosebib.  The PolyB had split all the way along the line.  His basement was finished and we had to cut holes in the ceiling to try to find where the leak had stopped.  I finally found a place where we could cut into the line and plug it off.  The guy had just moved into the home and was not very happy with the situation, but was pleased when I could get his water back on.

Leaks from Copper

If you are in an older house you should be aware that if copper lines freeze the line will often split and leak when thawed.  The only real way to fix this is to cut out the split tube and replace with new copper.

There are many other leaks that can happen within someones home, but these are the most common ones.

If you need a plumber in Edmonton please give us a call at 780-264-0878

Thanks,

Kelly

Kramer Plumbing and Radiant Heat