Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
Feb 22nd 2012, 10:00 pm
#16
Pea Brain
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: TBD
Posts: 6,005
Re: Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
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
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
No, I don't have a heat pump. The house is 20 years old, so built to the standards of the day, though I replaced siding during a major reno a year or so ago and installed an R15 foil faced foam board insulation before installing the siding. I re-modeled most of the interior and all interior walls were insulated.
The climate locally is pretty moderate during the winter, -20 for a week or so during the winter and -5 is a fair daytime average Dec to Feb. Summers can reach 40 degrees, mid thirties for weeks on end.
I don't think radiant heat throughout houses is that common, but I prefer it to forced air too.
Feb 22nd 2012, 10:52 pm
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2007
Location: MB rural.
Posts: 1,001
Re: Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
mmm,have only came across baseboard heaters in my area ...oh sorry one guy had a furnace /in his yrd and radiators in house.
$100 a month for hydro in our 30+ yr house in rural Manitoba(2.5bed).
Regards the plumbing side o things ....dont forget lots o places have Wells and sewage fields,
also hard water/iron,strange sulphur smells seems common in many places.so fitting water softeners/filters are everywhere..
Think being a plumber in Manitoba is like printing money as people change taps/water heaters every couple of yrs.
$100 a month for hydro in our 30+ yr house in rural Manitoba(2.5bed).
Regards the plumbing side o things ....dont forget lots o places have Wells and sewage fields,
also hard water/iron,strange sulphur smells seems common in many places.so fitting water softeners/filters are everywhere..
Think being a plumber in Manitoba is like printing money as people change taps/water heaters every couple of yrs.
Feb 22nd 2012, 11:12 pm
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 771
Re: Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
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.
Mandy you are a woman after my own heart!... Wine at 5.15pm should be mandatory for anyone who has to deal with a plumbing misfortune...
My experience - the drains block frequently, esp if you have a newish house with a garborator, a dishwasher and a sink going down the same drain (don't EVER put potato peelings down there the starch sediments out and blocks everything!).
And the plumbers don't care if it is a totally borked system of cobbled together pipes, joints at funny angles and what-not (think Mandy's black plastic ones with the yellow stuff) because they were using up their scraps, and who cares if it works, it meets "code".....
I can't count the number of times we have had to get the snake out to clear blockages from our kitchen sink, plunge the loos, clear clogs out of the main drains...........
Feb 23rd 2012, 7:13 pm
#19
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 16
Re: Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
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
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
Feb 23rd 2012, 7:58 pm
#20
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2012
Location: Central Scotland
Posts: 16
Re: Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
Hey Alex
I'm in the same boat as you mate wondering how houses are plumbed/what fittings are used? TBH this is the thing i'm most worried about, i imagine it would take a few weeks to get your head around the changes also finding an understanding employer who is patient enough while you adapt would be of great help
.
I'm in the same boat as you mate wondering how houses are plumbed/what fittings are used? TBH this is the thing i'm most worried about, i imagine it would take a few weeks to get your head around the changes also finding an understanding employer who is patient enough while you adapt would be of great help
.
Feb 24th 2012, 3:11 am
#21
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Halifax, NS
Posts: 473
Re: Plumbing systems/materials in canada?
Hey Alex, you may want to check out Red Seal as I believe you will need to obtain this if you want to become a plumber in Canada...
I'm currently training to become a plumber, and we have used black iron, copper, Pex, ABS etc..
Most new builds are ran with Pex and pre made manifolds...
I'm currently training to become a plumber, and we have used black iron, copper, Pex, ABS etc..
Most new builds are ran with Pex and pre made manifolds...
