Why we start with the symptom
Most calls to the shop open with a sound or a smell rather than a diagnosis. That is the right way round. A plumber on the phone can narrow a gurgle, a sulphur whiff or a lukewarm shower down to two or three likely parts before the van leaves, which means the right auger, cartridge or thermocouple is already on board.
Each card below covers one symptom we hear about constantly in Ajax. It lists what the sign usually means in the local housing stock, the quick check a homeowner can manage with a torch and pail, and the point where the job needs a cable, a camera or a torch.
How to use these cards
- Name the fixture. Which drain, tap or tank, and on which floor.
- Note the timing. Does it happen when the washer drains, after a heavy rain, or first thing in the morning?
- Do the safe check. Every card has one: a dye test, a trap refill, a look at the pilot.
- Call with what you found. The more specific the report, the shorter the visit.
Local tip
Many Ajax subdivisions from the 1970s through the 2000s share one main stack and one cleanout near the front foundation wall. A symptom on the top floor is often caused by something two storeys down.
When a symptom is an emergency
- Brown water rising out of the furnace-room grate
- Water running from a ceiling light fixture
- A rotten-egg gas smell near the water heater (leave and phone Enbridge from outside)
- Water pooling around the base of the tank
For anything on that list, shut the main valve where you can and phone the shop line straight away.