Myrtle 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
Self-contained houses
No watermain or sanitary sewer reaches these concession roads. Each property is its own small utility: the drilled or dug well, a pump, a bladder tank in the basement, then a tank and tile bed out back for the waste. When something in that chain quits on a Sunday in February, there is no town crew to call, which is why we keep switches, gauges and tank fittings on the truck.
Calls we take
- No water: pump failure, tripped breaker, failed pressure switch.
- Low pressure that drops when two taps run.
- Sediment, iron staining or sulphur smell in the water.
- Septic backups into the lowest drain of the house.
- Frozen lines in crawlspaces and outbuildings.
Pressure systems
A typical rural pressure system includes a submersible down the casing or a jet pump indoors, a pressure tank with an air bladder, and a pressure switch. When the switch senses pressure dropping, it starts the pump; when the tank is full, the pump stops. If any piece fails, the whole house loses water. We keep common switches and gauges on hand.
Protecting lines in winter
Rural homes often have water lines to garages, barns and outbuildings, buried at varying depths. Lines not deep enough or insulated freeze in a hard winter. We suggest draining seasonal lines in fall and adding heat cable to exposed sections.
Septic care
Pumping the septic tank on a regular schedule and keeping grease, wipes and harsh chemicals out of the drain are the basics. Our note on septic system care goes further.
Nearby districts
Ashburn and Raglan are the closest neighbours. See well pump service and water filtration systems.