I found an interesting article about how so many plumbers are busy these days because of the recent round of cold weather.  Luckily for us Vancouverites, we’ve been blessed with an exceptional warm winter this year. Something to do with the “Pineapple Express” It think they call it.

Here’s a quote from the article.

Speaking to the BBC, the body’s chief executive Clive Dickin commented that its members have been reporting that they are extremely busy at the moment, with the cold snap playing havoc on people’s homes, causing freezing pipes and resulting water damage.

He added that the increase in workload has generally been good news for professionals.

“After a period of deep recession and little work either in construction or domestic renovations this is a welcome and possibly business-saving busy period for many plumbers,” he said.

He went on to encourage homeowners who plan on thawing out frozen pipes to consult a Gas Safe Registered worker if gas is involved.

– End of Quote –

Even though we’ve had this warm spell it doesn’t mean you won’t have problems with your plumbing. I talk to Vancouver plumbers in the lower mainland all the time and they’re into their busy season too right how.

So it’s especially important to be careful if you need a plumber for something, that you take the time to do a little due-diligence if you think the bill is going to stretch your budget. Check out the BBB, talk to your neighbors and ask around. Someone you know might have a great referral.  If not you can always check out the plumbers at www.CertifiedLocalPro.com

The Vancouver plumbers listed there have all the right credentials.

Here’s a great article with some good guidelines on how to prep for a plumbing project. I’ve edited the article a little for better reading, and you can find the original article here. http://findbetterwork.com/career-articles/planning-for-a-new-plumbing-system

– Beginning of Article –

The first step to any plumbing project is deciding where to run the pipes. This is often easier said than done because pipes are usually concealed in wall spaces by finished surfaces. Most often it is easiest to simply run new pipes in the same cavities that contain old plumbing. These spaces are already designed to allow for long, unbroken runs for pipes.

If there are some changes required for the new plumbing design, then it is better to run the pipes up from the basement. Like, you can get the bathroom drain line dropped into the basement and then connected to the main line under the joists rather than running them over the floor joists.

Do not try to modify the floor joists or the support beams as this can be very dangerous and can weaken the entire building. The local building codes have to be followed for any issues with support beams. Here are some tips that can help you while taking up any plumbing remodeling project.

Build a wall chase which is a false wall used to conceal plumbing. The chase can be stacked from floor-to-floor of the home. This allows plumbing to run from the basement to the attic. The chase is most commonly used for running new vent stacks.

Similar to the chase is the soffit. Instead of running from floor-to-ceiling, a soffit runs across the top of a wall. Inside pipes can be run vertically to accommodate new plumbing.

If you have an unused laundry space, it can be used to run new plumbing pipes. The connections are mostly made in the basement area in this case.

A long piece of pipe can be used to check prospective plumbing routes for any obstructions. Once the route is determined to be adequate, the pipe can be a guide for running larger diameter plumbing. This is easily done by sliding the larger pipe over the guide pipe.

These are a few different ways to run new plumbing in your home. As far as incorporating a modern plumbing framework is concerned, it is better to keep the operation to the open spaces and not behind-the-wall areas. Of course the local officials can be consulted if you’re uncertain about the architecture you chose.

– End of the Article –