D.T. in Thornhill Dec 05, 2007
re: Drain problem in my kitchen
I called DrainWorks around 3pm and they told me somebody will show up at my house between 5pm and 8pm same day. Jeremy came at 5pm, suggested an action and within 30 min the problem with my drain was fixed. Very professional guy and excellent service! The way Jeremy handled the job exceeded my expectations. I will recommend DrainWorks for anyone I know who needs plumbing services.
Visit HomeStars.com for more reviews.
→ No CommentsTags: Vaughan
by Sonja - Etobicoke
re: Clogged Drain
I had a clogged laundry drain I couldn’t fix myself. I called Drainworks and they were able to send someone in an hour. Armando and Eric were able to fix the problem and even cleaned the basement floor after they were done even though I told them it wasn’t necessary. They were very friendly and I really appreciated the detailed description of what was done on the invoice. Great service, I would definitely recommend them in future.
Visit HomeStars.com for more reviews.
→ No CommentsTags: Etobicoke
by Danielle & Richard, Toronto
re: clogged bath tub drain
My bath tub was not draining properly which caused my sink to back up. I was concerned the old piping would need replacing. I wanted to make sure that I had the work done by a company I could trust. drain Works does not work on commission therefore I need I wouldn’t be upsold. I was very pleased with jeremy’s professionalism and service. My tub and sink are back in working order and for a responsible cost.
Visit HomeStars.com for more reviews.
→ No CommentsTags: Toronto
by Ray in Scarborough Dec 13, 2007
re: Replace laundry tub, replace shutoff valves & trap
We had a patchwork of plumbing around our laundry tub. There were 4 leaking shutoffs, plus a corroded and leaking pipe leading to the trap under the tub. I called William at Drainworks Plumbing. He was very courteous and knowledgeable, arranging to have someone come in and assess the area. Steve arrived right on time,advised us of the final cost and did a wonderful job. The plumbing is now very neat and leak free. Steve recommended that we have the drain snaked as tub drainage was slow. Please see our review of Drainworks Drain Repair for the result. We could not ask for more courteous and helpful repair persons. Even though we were spending money where we would rather not, Drainworks made it all feel better.
Ray & Gail
Scarborough
Visit HomeStars.com for more reviews.
→ No CommentsTags: Scarborough
The longer I’m in business, the more frustrated and annoyed I get with government. No actually, the angrier I get. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a radical. I just have this naive notion that government should support (not impede) responsible local business nor conduct itself in a manner that is wasteful, irresponsible or not in the best interest of the people that pay for it – namely you and I, the taxpayer. Does that really sound like an unreasonable request?
I first wrote about this in 2004 and the problem is now bigger than ever. Somebody better pay attention to this – and fast!
I recently read two absolutely terrifying articles in our local community newspapers: One entitled ” City sets free downspout disconnection deadline” and another entitled “Oh no! My basement’s flooded…”. In the first article we learn that the City’s mandatory downspout program, designed to reduce flooding in older areas of Toronto, will soon be the responsibility of the homeowner, as the City’s free service will end soon. The second article is essentially built upon advice from the City Public Works folks and it directs us to disconnect downspouts as a means of avoiding flooding.
In my humble opinion, both of these articles are “mind-numbing”, if not completely irresponsible.
Any real plumbing and drains professional in Toronto knows full well that the prime culprit in flooding is our city’s deteriorating sewer system. The City of Toronto knows this better than anyone: they designed the system!
Yet reading these articles tells me that the City is either clueless or worse, simply not dealing with the core problem and masking it with a strategy that could have huge implications.
Drainpipes are designed to carry a maximum possible load from any collection of fixtures in a home or residence. They simply can’t be overloaded, and to suggest so is a joke. The second article goes on to also make the recommendation that disconnecting rain leaders is the solution. This, in a word is insanity. Here’s why:
On a combined system, rain leaders prime floor drains - just as they were designed to, and just as the building code demands. If the trap seal is not present, you could be allowing sewer gases, rodents, various noxious gases and viruses to come into your home with ease.
If you think I’m being dramatic, The World Heath Organization has written on the origin of the early Sars virus outbreaks which many globally respected experts point to - you guessed it - unprimed drain traps as a prime suspect in the spread of the disease originally!
Here is an excerpt from the World Health Organization Release: Inadequate plumbing systems likely contributed to SARS transmission, 26 September 2003
“It has been suggested that the “fecal droplet” route may have been one of several modes of transmission in Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak in early 2003. In this case, droplets originating from virus-rich excreta in a given building’s drainage system re-entered into resident’s apartments via sewage and drainage systems where there were strong upward air flows, inadequate “traps” and non-functional water seals”.
Also, In a World Plumbing Council New Release dated February 25, 2004, the specter of the direct connection between faulty drain traps and Sars was discussed in some detail:
“In describing the origin of the Sars Virus, outbreak at the Amoy Gardens apartment complex in Hong Kong, the release stated that a faulty drain in the bathroom lost its trap seal and thus became an open pathway for the fecal droplets containing the Sars virus to escape. It escaped into the bathroom and became released to other apartments through a shared ventilation system. Air currents then spread the fecal droplets throughout the complex.”
The release also stated that “the trap seal in a floor drain is extremely important in protecting against the passage of bacteria and disease, including Sars Coronavirus (CoV). At the time of the outbreak, the floor traps in many of the apartments seemed to have been dried out and therefore were not acting as barriers between the floor drain and the soil stack.”
In light of this information, the City of Toronto’s recommendations seem to completely contradict the facts in these World Health Organization releases, not to mention our plumbing codebook. I think there’s another motivation here: money.
When the City says it can’t handle all the fresh ran water in filtration, there’s truth in that. It puts a big strain on their resources. Still, I believe that the City is desperate to do anything to divert attention away from the awful condition of our sewage system - namely where the system connects to your property from the City’s side of the system. It’s horrible, and since the majority of the problems are on the side that the City is responsible for, the financial implication to them is huge. So, if they can divert the strain on the system by making us disconnect our downspouts, they believe they can reduce the impact homeowners might feel at home. At what cost?!
Given how much our city suffered during the Sars outbreak, the idea that the city can make this solution mandatory is incredibly high risk advice.
The question begs: who’s minding the store down at Public Works? The City is mismanaging wastewater and not addressing the real problem, which of course, is crumbling infrastructure. I work with this stuff everyday folks, and taking the advice offered in these City influenced articles I’ve referenced could put you and others in serious, unnecessary risk. Disconnecting your drain trap IS a trap. Don’t do it.
Terry
Here’s that link to World Health Organization article: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2003/pr70/en/
→ No CommentsTags: Drains
by Helen in Scarborough
re: Replaced Drain Pipes from house to city line.
Drain Works arrived as promised, investigated, went to work on digging and replacing old drains in Dec. A secondary problem was found and they called explained the pros and cons and we decided to have balance of drains replaced. The supervisor went out of his way to come to my work so I could sign papers rather than me coming home - saved me a lot of time!
Visit HomeStars.com for more reviews.
→ No CommentsTags: Scarborough
by Matt in East York
re: Plumbing Job
I had Drain Works add an additional laundry tub in my house which included all the necessary plumbing work. The initial job went very well however shortly after we discovered that a portion of the work had disturbed a support wall. We called Drain works up to express our concerns and they handled it in a very professional manner. As it turns out some semi minor repair work had to be done which they did without any argument or disagreements over who should cover the cost. In fact they brought in a separate company to do the necessary work at their expense and the repair turned out terrific. I have to honestly say that Drain Works views their customers as the real people that we are. They treat their customer homes as their own and when things don’t go quite right they back up their guarantees as claimed. It’s great to do business with a company like them because they view the longevity of their future as a marathon not a sprint. Well done and I will definitely call on them again in the future to fix plumbing in my house.
→ No CommentsTags: East York
by: Shannon in Scarborough
re: sewer pipe replacement
Jeremy was very helpful and was not pushy at all, gave us all the information we needed to make our decision on what work we should get done. He also took the time to show and explain to us exactly what was going to be done. I also was very pleased at the fact that the work started around the time that we were quoted instead hours later. The company truly takes the customer into consideration.
Visit HomeStars.com for more reviews.
→ No CommentsTags: Scarborough
by Mike in Davisville Nov 22, 2007
Re: Drain replacement, backflow valve
I wanted to get a back water valve installed in my basement. When I called Drainworks, they came out and did a camera inspection, something I had been meaning to do for a while. It turns out the
cast-iron stack was in pretty bad shape, so Armando suggested I replace the lower portion of the stack and all the clay pipe. That was on Wednesday. On Friday the work crew started at 9am. By 5pm the same day they were done, the clay pipe replaced with PVC, a back water valve installed, a new floor drain, clean-out and base of the stack replaced. The work was done efficiently, neatly and cleanly. An excellent company, who I would recommend to
anyone. Great service!
→ No CommentsTags: Toronto
by John in Thornhill Nov 16, 2007
re: Drain Cleaning
Lou was great! Our son had flushed a bathtub pop-up and our toilets were backing up. Lou quickly located the pop-up at the 90 degree elbow and with the camera and was able to push it out to catch basin in the street. The job was quick and relatively painless….If it weren’t for the camera we may have been in for an excavation and much more time and expense.
→ No CommentsTags: Vaughan