Courtice at a glance
- Region
- Durham Region, Ontario
- First things we check
- Main shut-off, floor drain, cleanout, water heater age
- Pipe we usually open
- Copper supply; ABS or cast iron drains; clay or PVC laterals by era
Have these ready
- The main water shut-off, usually by the meter
- A clear path to the floor drain and any cleanout
- The water heater label, for age and size
Reading a Courtice house
Drive along Townline Road or Courtice Road and the pattern is clear: a scattering of older homes from when this was farm country, surrounded by subdivisions that filled in through the eighties, nineties and the years since. Each period left its own signature on the mechanical room. The older houses may still draw on a converted well line or carry a septic tank that was abandoned when municipal sewers arrived. The subdivision homes run copper or PEX supply, ABS drains, and a sump in most basements.
Jobs we draw up here
- Sump replacements in basements that sit low against the clay.
- Water heater changeovers from natural draft to power vent.
- Copper pinholes in homes reaching their late thirties.
- Basement suites added under newer houses.
- Kitchen sink relocations during open-concept renovations.
Low spots and lot drainage
Some Courtice streets back onto creek valleys that feed toward the lake. Back yards on those streets can stay wet well into May. When a homeowner calls about a damp corner, we look first at the sump cycle and the discharge route, then at downspouts, and only then at the foundation itself.
Older houses between the new
A farm-era home folded into a subdivision often hides interesting plumbing. We have opened walls to find iron pipe, lead bends at old toilet connections, and abandoned lines capped in odd places. We map what is there before quoting changes so nothing comes as a surprise once the work starts.
Adjoining sheets
Heading west takes us to Oshawa; east lies Bowmanville, and north the hamlet of Hampton. See sump pump repair.