alexsuggitt

Hi everyone,
First of all I must appologise for my lack of knowlege as i'm not a regular forum user. My family and I are eager to move to Canada and I am a plumber over here. I was wondering if there's a section of the forum dedicated to specific jobs/trades that i'm struggling to find. I just have a few questions about the plumbing systems in Canada. I mean in regards to direct & indirect, storage or instentaneous etc. Also what type of pipe and materials are used? Is it the same as in England or totally different?
I appologise if you've heard this question alot but I couldn't find anything on the subject.

Thank you very much!
Alex

Novocastrian

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=119

Welcome and you're welcome.

mandymoochops

black bendy plastic pipes under the sink that have sutpid yellow glue that attaches them together, that you can't chip away, so have to saw through the pipe, meaning that now you have to get a new fitting which turns out to be the wrong pigging one anyway causing you to drink wine at 5.15pm.

Is my view on Canadian plumbing and materials.

Oh welcome as well

dbd33

We have bendy transparent plastic pipes for delivering the water, where the copper should be, but then in this house, wine at 5:15 is usual.

JonboyE

Our house (build 1972) has conventional copper pipes that will be familiar to a British plumber. The McMansion that we used to own had the bendy transparent pipes.

Bendy transparent ones are much easier.

Simon Legree

My house, built in 2001, is all copper piping because that's the way I wanted it. However, partly because of the present cost of copper, "pex" plastic flexible piping is now used in the vast majority of cases. Another factor in its use is that it is considerably faster to plumb a house. Instead of sweating joints they can be connected with a crimper tool and constricting bands in much less time.
Drains are generally PVC piping.

dbd33

This house is almost British in terms of plumbing combinations. Yes, the upstairs has bendy plastic but the ground floor has copper and the basement cast iron. I haven't seen any lead but wouldn't rule it out.

GC44

Changed my kitchen taps which caused some cutting of pipework. They don't seem to do 15mm or 22mm pipework. Its all in inches out here! There was a nice line in plastic compression joints though.

dbd33

That's because metric pieces don't quite fit. It's alright with cars and bicycles and whatnot, you can just mangle the thread a bit and accept that the spanner will slip. And with shoes, you can live with metric shoes, you'll just get bunions. It doesn't work with water though, it'll leak if you try to metrify it. Plumbing, you have to do properly.

GC44

Really

dgagitw

My house (downtown Toronto) had lead piping once. I found the remains of a piece embedded in a wall in the basement that was cut off at some time or other in the 80s I think.

dbd33

I had lead in the Beach, there was some sort of corrosion issue where it'd been joined to copper. I recall the electrician who came to replace the fusebox (it sparked at night) being alarmed because the dodgy connection was right above the panel he installed. Still, disaster never came of it.

huddm

Alex

I had a old house, so I used half and three quarter inch copper pipe. I tried to bend copper pipe using my pipe benders, but it split as I found out later that the copper pipe is not annealed in Canada.

I found taps from the UK fitted bathroom/Kitchen in Canada.

We has a modern house in Calgary which had 1 inch feed to a manifold and then single half inch or three quarter inch poly pipe piped throughout the house. The fittings were crimped on.

Our hot water was electric 6 kW direct hot water tank( you can get gas heated hot water tanks. Heating is normally through forced air furnaces, gas or oil and a few cases electric heaters ( not very efficient heating).

Hot water radiators are not common in Canada. I have seen them in older houses i.e Victorian era.

Some modern houses use the poly pipe underfloor heating in the basements, which looked like the same system my brother used in the UK.

Hudd

R I C H

I've electric baseboard heaters in my current home and find them inexpensive and efficient. Thermostats in every room mean better ability to zone/regulate heat than with forced air. My sole utility bill is for hydro, and for heating, lighting, cooking, hot water etc, I pay $110 per month through the year. The house is 4,500 sq/ft.


Not just basements - the entire house I built here had radiant heat.

huddm

Rich

I installed baseboard heaters in the attic conversion in the farmhouse I had in Ontario ( 2100 sq ft). My electric bill was $170 per month and $250 per month for oil.
Do you have a heat pump? as you electric bill seems really good or have you an eco house such as an R2000 design? I assume BC much cheaper than Ontario for "hydro". Do you have the -30C + 30C we had in Ontario so either you were heating or constantly cooling your house.

Is radiant heat throughout the house common in BC? We prefer radiant heat compared to forced air.

Hudd