Recent Plumbing IQ Answers
Browse the latest plumbing questions from Calgary homeowners.
Is $14,000 reasonable to repipe a Poly-B bungalow in Calgary?
For a Poly-B repipe on a Calgary bungalow, $14,000 sits at the higher end of the typical range but is not unreasonable d...
$180 an hour for an emergency plumber in Calgary, too much?
At $180 an hour for an emergency call in Calgary, you're sitting right in the middle of the typical range, which runs ro...
Calgary plumber hourly rates, what is normal to pay?
Daytime hourly rates for Calgary plumbers typically run $85 to $150 per hour, and a call-out or dispatch fee of $50 to $...
Whole house Poly-B repipe in Calgary, how much should I budget?
Budget roughly $8,000 to $15,000 for a whole-house Poly-B repipe in Calgary, with most homes landing between $10,000 and...
My quote for a new water heater is $4,200 in Airdrie, fair?
Typical Calgary-area figures for a supplied-and-installed gas water heater are $1,500 to $3,500 for a standard 50-gallon...
Tankless water heater installed in Calgary, what should the price be?
A tankless gas water heater supplied and installed in Calgary typically runs $2,200 to $5,000, and if the gas line needs...
Replacing a 50 gallon hot water tank in Calgary, what does it cost?
A standard 50-gallon gas tank water heater, supplied and installed by a Calgary plumber, typically runs $1,500 to $3,500...
Why is the fee higher when a Calgary plumber comes after hours?
After-hours plumbing calls in Calgary typically run $150 to $250 an hour, compared with roughly $85 to $150 during regul...
Plumbing permits for a secondary suite in Calgary, what's required?
Adding a secondary suite in Calgary usually involves new plumbing, which needs a plumbing permit, and any new gas work n...
Between my house and the street, who owns the Calgary water line?
The City of Calgary draws the line at the service valve, which sits at or near the property line. From that valve to the...
Sewer cleanout outside my Calgary house is cracked, who fixes it?
Repairing or replacing a cracked sewer cleanout is plumber's work. There is no single going rate: a plumber prices it af...
Propane BBQ to natural gas conversion in Calgary, who does it?
Converting a propane barbecue to natural gas in Calgary is gas work, which means it must be done by a certified gasfitte...
Standing water in the basement shower of my Calgary house after laundry?
Standing water in a basement shower right after the washing machine drains is almost always a sign that the shared drain...
How much drywall gets opened for a Poly-B repipe in Calgary?
Whole-house Poly-B replacement in Calgary typically means opening drywall in dozens of spots, and how much depends almos...
Is a verbal plumbing quote binding in Alberta?
A verbal quote does not give you the protection a written contract does in Alberta, and the gap between what was said on...
How do I shut off water to a single toilet in Calgary?
The shut-off valve for a toilet is almost always right there at the wall or floor behind the toilet, on the supply line...
Does a backwater valve stop groundwater in a Calgary basement?
A backwater valve does one specific job: it blocks sewage from flowing backward through the drain pipe into your basemen...
Upflush toilet or cutting concrete for a Calgary basement bathroom?
Cutting concrete for a full rough-in typically runs $2,500 to $5,500 in Calgary, rising to about $8,000 where the concre...
Pipe froze in the exterior wall of my Calgary kitchen, now what?
A frozen pipe in an exterior kitchen wall can thaw without bursting, but if the pipe has already split, the repair is bi...
Water heater thermostat setting for a Calgary family, how hot?
We do not publish a tank setting of our own: the water heater's manual gives the manufacturer's setting, and a plumber c...
Backwater valve versus sump pump, which does a Calgary basement need?
These two devices solve different problems, and some basements need both rather than one or the other. A backwater valv...
Pressure gauge on my Calgary main reads 90 psi, too high?
A reading that high is worth having a plumber look at. We do not publish a pressure figure of our own: the plumber will...
Budget for a basement bathroom rough-in on a Calgary house?
A basement bathroom rough-in in Calgary typically runs $2,500 to $5,500, and can reach around $8,000 where the concrete...
Replacing a kitchen faucet in Calgary, does it need a permit?
No permit is needed to replace a kitchen faucet in Calgary. Under Alberta's Permit Regulation, swapping out a faucet doe...
Toilet flushing weakly in an older Calgary bungalow, why?
A weak flush in an older Calgary bungalow usually comes down to one of a handful of causes, and most of them are inexpen...
How deep is the main drain in a typical Calgary basement?
Basement drain depth in Calgary varies too much from house to house for a reliable single figure, and this is one of tho...
Do I need a gasfitter to hook up a new gas stove in Calgary?
Swapping a gas stove in Calgary sits in a grey zone that trips up a lot of homeowners, so here is the straight answer: i...
How long does a hydro-jet cleaning last on a Calgary sewer?
How long hydro-jetting holds up depends more on your pipe's condition and what caused the blockage than on the cleaning...
Poly-B under the kitchen sink only in my Calgary house?
A short section of Poly-B under the kitchen sink is a very different situation from whole-house piping, and it does not...
Can roots be cut instead of replacing my Calgary sewer line?
Root cutting buys time, but whether it buys enough time depends on what the camera shows. In Calgary, mechanical root cu...
After the 2013 flood, what should Calgary homeowners install?
The City of Calgary's flood-protection advice centres on two installations: backwater valves and sump pumps. A backwater...
Hissing sound in the wall but no visible leak in Calgary, what is it?
A hissing sound inside a wall with no visible leak is worth taking seriously, because the two most common sources are a...
What is an anode rod and should Calgary homeowners replace it?
An anode rod is a metal rod, usually magnesium or aluminium, that sits inside a tank water heater and corrodes slowly so...
Signed a plumbing contract in my Calgary home yesterday, can I cancel?
Yes, almost certainly. Alberta's Consumer Protection Act gives you 10 days to cancel a direct-sales or prepaid contract,...
Budget for adding a bar sink to a Calgary basement?
There is no single going rate for a basement bar sink in Calgary: plumbers price it after seeing the space, at roughly $...
Is there an extra Airdrie fee when a homeowner does their own plumbing?
Yes. Since January 2026, the City of Airdrie charges an additional $100 fee per trade when a homeowner takes out their o...
Does hard water in Calgary damage a tankless water heater?
Calgary's water is genuinely hard, and tankless water heaters feel that more than tank units do. The City of Calgary rep...
My toilet rocks on the floor in my Calgary bathroom, what now?
A rocking toilet in Calgary is usually a straightforward fix, but it is worth taking seriously because what looks like a...
Can a basement bathroom in Calgary tie into the existing floor drain?
Whether a basement bathroom can tie into an existing floor drain depends on what that drain connects to and how the new...
Carbon monoxide alarm went off near my Calgary water heater, what now?
Get everyone out of the house right now, including pets, and call emergency services from outside. Do not stop to look f...
Are chemical drain cleaners bad for older Calgary pipes?
Chemical drain cleaners are hard on older pipes, and in a Calgary home with aging plumbing they can quietly make a slow...
Which season suits a repipe in Calgary?
Repiping a Calgary home has no bad season, but each time of year brings practical trade-offs worth knowing before you bo...
Sewer line replacement in Calgary, how many days does it take?
Duration depends heavily on what method is used and what the pipe runs under, but most residential sewer line replacemen...
Pinhole leaks in copper pipes, what causes them in Calgary homes?
Pinhole leaks in copper pipe usually come from corrosion that starts on the inside of the pipe wall, and there is rarely...
Does my Airdrie home need a permit for a new water heater?
In Airdrie, yes, replacing a water heater requires a permit. The City of Airdrie lists plumbing and hot water tanks, and...
What warranty should a Calgary plumber give on labour?
Labour warranties from Calgary plumbers are not set by provincial law, so what you get depends entirely on what the cont...
What is a normal call-out fee for a Calgary plumber?
A call-out or service fee of $50 to $150 is typical for a Calgary plumber during regular business hours, and that jumps...
Which plumbing jobs need a permit in Calgary?
Most plumbing work in Calgary requires a permit from the City of Calgary, but the list of exemptions is longer than many...
Irrigation backflow device in my Calgary yard, who tests it?
Irrigation systems connect to your drinking water supply, so the backflow preventer protecting that connection must be t...
Adding a bidet seat to my Calgary toilet, a DIY job?
For most bidet seats, yes, this is a reasonable DIY job for a Calgary homeowner, and no plumbing permit is needed. A bi...