Clear the Work Area Before We Arrive

Under the sink

Empty the cabinet completely: cleaning bottles, recycling bins, garbage bags. Lay an old towel on the cabinet floor and set a shallow pan or bucket under the P-trap. When we loosen the slip nuts, whatever sits in the trap comes out, and on a clogged kitchen line that can be several litres of greasy water. If a garbage disposal is mounted under the sink, leave it switched off at the wall.

At the cleanout and floor drain

The main cleanout is usually a capped fitting on the cast iron or ABS stack by the street-side basement wall, or a plug in the floor near the drain. Move storage shelving, laundry baskets and stacked boxes at least a metre back. We may need to feed a cable or a camera from that spot, and a backup can push water out of the opening when the cap comes off. Pull up rugs nearby. If the floor drain has a grate screwed down, leave it; we carry the drivers.

The water heater and furnace room

Tank heaters need clear space at the drain valve, around the venting and in front of the gas control. If storage is packed against the tank, slide it out of the room. We run a hose from the drain valve to the floor drain, so keep that path open too.

The sump crock

Lift any boxes off the sump lid and clear the wall where the discharge pipe exits. If the pit is overflowing, keep the power cord dry and do not unplug a pump standing in water. Tell us on the phone and we treat it as urgent.

Bathrooms

• Take shampoo bottles and caddies off the tub ledge if we are working on the shower valve or drain.
• Remove the bath mat and anything stored behind the toilet.
• If an access panel exists behind the tub, clear the closet in front of it.

None of this is mandatory. We will move things if we need to, carefully. Prepping simply means more of the visit goes to the pipe itself.

Ready when you are. One call, a real plumber, an arrival window.