Plumbing in Don Valley Village

Don Valley Village housing and pipes

Don Valley Village grew from the late 1960s through the 1980s. The detached and semi-detached houses use copper supply with cast-iron or ABS drains, while condominium towers along Sheppard and Don Mills bring their own building systems. Many original homes are now around fifty years old, which is when water heater rooms and laundry areas start to show their age.

Polybutylene, a grey plastic pipe used in some areas in the late 1970s and 1980s, occasionally turns up in renovated sections. It is prone to failure at fittings and is worth replacing when found.

Common calls here

• Leaks inside walls around shower valves and tub spouts, see shower valve replacement.
• Kitchen redesigns needing new supply and drain locations, through kitchen plumbing.
• Gas lines for new ranges or barbecues, under gas line installation.

Moving a sink to an island sounds simple but involves venting and drain slope, not just running a pipe across the floor. We look at the joists and the route before planning anything.

Flooding and sewers

Lots slope toward the East Don and its tributaries. Houses with finished basements have the most at stake in a sewer backup. Original floor drains here rarely have a backwater valve, and older homes may still have weeping tiles connected to the sewer, adding to the risk during storms.

Field notes from fifty-year-old houses

Copper lines in these homes generally hold up, but the fittings and valves around them age. Saddle valves added decades ago for fridge ice makers often drip. Main shut-offs installed as gate valves frequently no longer close fully. Replacing the main with a ball valve is a small job with an outsized benefit.

Bathroom floors deserve a look too. Original toilets here were set on wax rings that eventually fail, and a slow leak under the base rots the subfloor long before it shows below. A toilet that rocks slightly is the early warning.

Condo owners in the Sheppard towers have different priorities: suite shut-offs, appliance hoses and the shower valve behind a tiled wall. Their drains run into building stacks, so a clog that reaches the stack becomes a management issue.

The detached houses mostly have rental or owned tank heaters in the 40 to 50 gallon range. Families who have grown or added a basement bathroom sometimes outgrow that size, which is worth considering at replacement time.

Getting to Don Valley Village

The area sits on Sheppard East near the subway, close to the 401 and DVP. Condo visits need building access details. Nearby Henry Farm and other areas appear in the enclave list.