Sewers and drains in Orléans
Fallingbrook, where our Apollo Way listing sits, began development in 1985. Most of Orléans followed the same pattern: separate storm and sanitary sewers, ABS drains, a sump pit fed by weeping tile, and basements finished over time. Older Convent Glen and Queenswood Heights streets date to the 1970s, and Avalon and Cardinal Creek kept building through the 2000s and 2010s.
That gives Orléans two kinds of plumbing risk: water coming in (sump failures, sewer surcharge) and supply pipes from the 80s and 90s, including Poly-B in some homes.
City works on your street
Most Orléans homes were built before 2004 or 2012, which puts them inside the City's rebate cut-offs: up to $1,500 for a sump pump with battery backup in an existing pit (up to $3,000 with a new pit) and up to $1,000 for a backwater valve. The permit has to come first, and we handle it.
Buying in Orléans? Ask when the sump pump was last replaced, whether there's a battery backup, and whether there's a backwater valve. Then look at the water pipes near the water heater. Grey pipe stamped "PB2110" is Poly-B.
Storms and basement flooding
Spring melt and summer storms are when Orléans basements flood. A battery backup sump pump keeps water moving when the power goes out, and a high-water alarm tells you before the floor gets wet. Nous servons aussi les familles francophones d'Orléans.
Live in Orléans?
Tell us what's going on at your place. You get a clear answer and one written price before any work starts.
What's in your house, by the year it was built
The year a home was built tells us most of what's behind the walls and under the floor. Builders used the materials of their time, so one subdivision can share the same weak spots. Here's what we usually find in Orléans:
| Built | What's usually in the walls and under the floor | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Late 1970s to mid-1990s | ABS drains, copper or Poly-B (grey "PB2110") supply lines, sump pits in many suburbs | Poly-B fitting failures and insurance limits; first-generation sump pumps; no backwater valve |
| Mid-1990s to 2007 | ABS drains, copper, PEX or Kitec-style supply pipe, sump pit and finished basement | Brittle fittings on early plastic supply systems; sump with no battery backup |
| 2008 and newer | ABS drains, PEX supply, sump pit, often a backwater valve from new | Sump pumps never tested; discharge lines that freeze |
Buying a home here
Before you firm up an offer, ask for:
- A sewer camera inspection of the lateral from the house to the street. Replacing a failed sewer line is one of the biggest repair bills a homeowner can face.
- The water pipe material where it enters the house (lead before 1958; Poly-B in some 1980s and 1990s homes).
- A look at the sump and floor drain: age of the pump, battery backup, and whether there's a backwater valve.
- Any history of water in the basement, and what was done about it.
Already own here?
- Test your sump pump each spring and fall, and check the backup battery's age.
- If a floor drain has backed up even once, get the line cameraed before the next storm.
- If the City sends a renewal notice for your street, call us before their crew reaches your connection.
How old plumbing ties into new
Most homes here are a mix of eras: an original cast iron stack with an ABS bathroom added in the 1990s, or copper lines patched with PEX. That works when the joins are done properly. Cast iron to ABS needs the right transition couplings and support so the old pipe doesn't crack under the new. Copper or Poly-B to PEX needs the right fittings, not a quick crimp onto pipe that's already brittle. And a backwater valve has to go into the building drain at the right spot, with an access cover you can actually reach.
Why call Michael
When the problem is under the basement floor or out under the lawn, most plumbers send you to someone else. We don't. Michael's crews cut the concrete, dig the trench, replace the pipe, pass the City inspection and put the floor back, in Orléans and every other part of Ottawa. One crew, one written price, and a 2-year workmanship warranty.
