Condo plumbing basics
In a condo, the building owns the risers and main stacks; you typically own the fixtures and the piping inside your suite. Suite valves hide in closets, behind small panels or beneath sinks. Before we arrive, check with property management about any requirements for contractor access, elevator booking and insurance documentation.
What we fix in suites
- Kitchen sink clogs in long horizontal runs to the stack
- Running toilets and leaking shut-off valves
- Shower cartridges and tub spout diverters
- Leaks reported by the unit below
- Dishwasher and washer connections
Leaks into the unit below
Once the suite underneath calls about a drip, time counts. We check your fixtures, shut-offs, dishwasher and washer connections, and tub and shower seals first. If the source is in a common element, management needs to bring in the building's contractor. Our report helps everyone sort out responsibility.
Know where your suite shut-offs are. In an emergency, building staff may be busy, and closing your own valves stops the damage fast.
Townhouses
Stacked and freehold townhouses near the VMC have their own water heaters and sometimes their own sumps. See water heater repair and leak detection.
Working with property management
Before we arrive at a VMC condo, ask management about access rules, elevator booking and whether risers need to be shut down. If a riser shutdown is needed, management usually arranges it and notifies other units.
Our basement walk-through in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
- Main shut-off. We find it, turn it, and tell you if the wheel handle or ball valve still seals.
- Water heater. Read the date off the rating plate, look for rust at the fittings and test the relief valve.
- Floor drain and cleanout. Check the trap holds water and the cleanout cap comes off.
- Sump pit. Fill-test the pump and see where the discharge lands outside.
- Exposed supply. Note copper, PEX, poly-B or galvanized, and any green or white crust at the joints.