Service area
Plumbing in Palmer
Palmer lies in central Burlington around Palmer Drive, between Guelph Line and Walkers Line. It was largely developed in the 1960s and 1970s.
- A plumber routed to your street in Palmer
- Drains, leaks, water heaters and basements
- Familiar with the pipes in these houses
- The plan explained before any work
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The houses of Palmer
Bungalows, backsplits and two-storey homes fill the streets, with many original owners having moved on and new families renovating. Basements often have cast iron drain stacks, copper supply lines and old gate valves.
Area at a glance
- Area
- Palmer
- Municipality
- City of Burlington
- Water
- Halton Region, lake-supplied
- Call
- (365) 464-5184
Common plumbing problems here
- Gate valves: old main shut-offs that seize. See shut-off valve locations.
- Cast iron: cracked stacks and corroded floor drains.
- Root intrusion: laterals under mature trees.
- Bathroom updates: replacing old valves and fixtures.
Worth checking here
- Floor drain flows and has a cover
- Sump pump starts when the float lifts
- Water heater age on the rating plate
- Hose bib shut-off closed before frost
Water, drains and basements
Palmer is on municipal water and sewer. Older basements may have floor drains tied to the sanitary sewer, so backwater valves are worth considering.
Find your main shut-off
In most houses here the water enters at the street-side foundation wall, with the meter and main valve together. Tag that valve before you need it.
Inside a typical Palmer house
The water service usually enters through the front foundation wall, rises to a meter and a gate valve, and branches across the basement ceiling in three-quarter and half-inch copper. The cast iron stack drops in the middle of the house and turns toward the street under the basement floor, often with a cleanout at the base. Laundry sits beside the furnace with a single floor drain.
Things we check first when we visit a house here:
- Does the main gate valve close fully, or has it seized?
- Are there green or white crusty spots on copper fittings, a sign of slow weeping?
- Is the floor drain trap holding water, or does the basement smell of sewer gas?
- Has a later bathroom been tied in with the right venting?
Many Palmer homes had basements finished in the 1980s, with drop ceilings that make access easy. Drywalled ceilings make it harder, so we recommend access panels at the main valve and cleanout. Kitchen drains here often need cleaning after decades of use.
Getting us there
Palmer is central and easy to reach from Guelph Line, Walkers Line and Upper Middle Road.
Questions we hear
Should I replace my main shut-off?
If it is an old gate valve that is hard to turn, swapping in a quarter-turn ball valve is well worth it.
Are cast iron stacks a concern?
They last a long time, but cracks and corrosion appear with age.