Housing stock and its pipes
The corridor along Taunton Road filled in through the early 2000s with detached houses, semis and townhomes. They share a recognizable design: an attached two-car garage, a main-level powder room, and a basement with a sump pit and roughed-in drains waiting for a future bathroom. Supply piping is copper in some homes and PEX in others, depending on the builder.
Twenty-odd years in, these homes are past the honeymoon. Fill valves in toilets have been replaced once or twice. Water heaters installed at move-in are at or past their design life. Outdoor taps have seen two decades of hoses being left on through the first frost.
Problems we see most here
Running toilets are the most frequent call from Taunton households. A flapper that no longer closes, a fill valve that keeps hissing, or a handle that sticks can quietly send litres down the drain every day. Most of these are handled with a single visit for toilet repair.
Outside taps come next. Builders here often installed frost-free sillcocks, which are designed to drain themselves when shut off. They only work if the hose is disconnected before winter. Leave the hose on and the trapped water freezes inside the wall, splitting the pipe where no one can see it. The leak then appears in spring the first time the tap is opened. Outdoor faucet replacement solves it, but checking the basement ceiling below the tap after the first use each spring is smart.
Emergencies are the third category. A burst water heater, a supply line that lets go under a sink, or a sewer backup on a Saturday night does not wait for business hours. If you are facing one, call us and follow the steps on our emergency plumbing page while you wait.
Each spring, run the outside tap for a minute and then check the basement ceiling directly behind it. A wet spot means the line split over winter.
Getting to you
Taunton Road is a main artery across north Oshawa, which makes the area easy to reach from anywhere in the city. Call with a short description of the trouble and we will set a time. For urgent water, tell us straight away.
Local notes
Many Taunton homes are near retail plazas and schools, and lots are compact, which affects how a sump discharge or a downspout drains. Water directed onto a neighbour's yard can cause friction, so check where your discharge line ends up.
The roughed-in basement drains in these homes are a common starting point for a new bathroom. Before you hire a finisher, have the rough-in checked to make sure it was vented and sloped correctly. Farther north, Windfields brings even newer construction.