Altadore Plumbers Calgary — Post-War Bungalows and the Infills That Replaced Them
Altadore plumbing and heating work in SW Calgary splits along one line: whether the house is one of the original post-war bungalows or one of the infills that went up where a bungalow used to stand. Most of the neighbourhood is now the second kind. FlameTech's Red Seal journeyman plumbers and Alberta-licensed gas fitters handle both, and quotes are free.
Altadore was established in 1945, and the homes built through the late 1940s and 1950s were mostly single-storey stucco bungalows on 50-foot lots. Starting around the turn of the century, many of those bungalows came down and were replaced by semi-detached pairs and tall single infills. The 2021 census counts roughly six in ten occupied homes here as built in 2001 or later, which is unusual for a community this old.
That changes what the calls look like. A surviving bungalow can still have steel supply pipe, a cast iron stack and an old clay sewer connection under a big street tree. A 2006 infill has none of that, but it may be running the water heater, furnace and sump pump it was built with. We work on both, from water heater replacement to drain cleaning and furnace replacement.
We dispatch from both Calgary and Airdrie. Call 587-834-3668 for a realistic booking time, and you get a price before any work starts.
Water heater leaking in an Altadore infill, or low pressure in an original bungalow? Call 587-834-3668 and tell us what you're seeing. Quotes are free.
Call 587-834-3668“Exceptional customer experience from scheduling an appointment to the service call for our year-old AC unit. Shaun is highly knowledgeable, listens to the customer and their specific needs and comes up with solid options to choose from and has top notch people skills. Shaun has been our go to for plumbing and HVAC for the past 5 years - glad to see he’s started up his own business.”
Pam Louie
Calgary · 1 year ago
When the infill is the older house on the block
The first wave of Altadore infills is now roughly twenty years old. Nothing about that age means a failure is coming, but it is when owners start weighing a repair against a replacement for the equipment the builder put in.
Original water heaters and furnaces
Plenty of mid-2000s infills still run their builder-installed tank and furnace. When one of them starts leaking, short-cycling or making new noises, we tell you whether it is a part or the whole unit, and we price both. Replacement tank options are on our hot water tanks page, and if you are thinking about going tankless for a tall house with several bathrooms, tankless water heaters covers the trade-offs.
Three storeys of hot water pipe
A tall infill can put the top-floor ensuite a long way from a basement water heater, so it takes a while for hot water to arrive. Some houses were built with a recirculation line and some weren't. Where there is one, a failed pump or timer is usually the reason the wait got longer. Where there isn't, we can talk about adding one when the ceilings are open or the tank is being replaced anyway.
Sidewall vents in a narrow side yard
High-efficiency furnaces and many water heaters vent through the wall in plastic pipe. On a lot where two houses sit close together, those vents often end up in a tight side yard where snow drifts and frost can build up in a cold snap. A blocked intake or exhaust will shut the appliance down. If you have lost heat on a cold morning, check that the vents are clear before anything else, then call. No-heat problems has more on what else causes it.
Basements, sump pits and backwater valves
Many infills were built with deep finished basements, some with a sump pit and some with a backwater valve. A pump that has sat in a dry pit for years can seize without anyone noticing, and a backwater valve needs its cover opened and the flap checked now and then. Failed sump pumps get replaced rather than repaired; see sump pump installation and backwater valves.
Plumbing in the bungalows that stayed
The Heritage Inspires YYC history of the area describes Altadore's late-1940s and 1950s building as mostly one-storey stucco bungalows. Those that remain have usually been updated in stages, so no two are quite alike inside.
Steel supply pipe and falling pressure
Galvanized steel water pipe was common in houses of that era. Over decades it corrodes from the inside and the bore narrows, so the usual complaint is weak flow at one or two fixtures that gets slowly worse. Replacing the worst runs helps; replacing it all is the lasting fix. We will show you which pipe is which before you decide.
Cast iron drains
Original cast iron stacks and basement drain lines can rust through along the bottom or weep at joints. Often a section can be cut out and tied into plastic with a proper coupling. Sometimes the whole stack has to go. A leak stain on a basement ceiling under a bathroom is the usual first sign, and leak detection helps when the source isn't obvious.
Big trees and old sewer connections
Altadore's older streets are well treed, and roots will find their way into the joints of an old sewer connection. A slow main drain or a floor drain that backs up after laundry day are typical signs. We run a camera to find out whether it is roots, grease or a collapsed section, then clear what can be cleared. If the pipe itself has broken, that is excavation work we don't do, and we will say so.
Renovations from the Poly-B years
Relatively few Altadore homes were built between 1981 and 2000, but older bungalows renovated during that stretch sometimes had their supply lines redone in Poly-B, which was common in Canadian homes from roughly the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. It is grey plastic pipe, often stamped PB2110. Our Poly-B page explains how to spot it and what a repipe involves.
Condos and low-rise buildings
About a quarter of Altadore households live in apartments in buildings under five storeys, according to the 2021 census.
Know what is yours before you call
In some buildings each suite has its own water heater and furnace or fan coil; in others a central boiler serves everyone. Anything past your suite's shut-off valves usually belongs to the condo corporation. Check your bylaws or ask the property manager first, and we can work on whatever falls on your side. For businesses and suites right on the strip, see our Marda Loop page.
Common questions from Altadore homeowners
My Altadore infill was built around 2005. Should I replace the water heater before it fails?
Not automatically. Age alone doesn't tell you much. Rust at the fittings, water around the base, rumbling or a drop in hot water are the signs worth acting on. If you see those, we will look at it and price a repair and a replacement side by side.
We share a wall with the other half of a semi-detached. Is our plumbing connected?
Usually each half is a separate house with its own water service, sewer connection, water heater and furnace. The two sides were often built at the same time with similar equipment, though, so problems tend to show up on both sides within a few years of each other.
Why does it take so long to get hot water in our top-floor bathroom?
Distance. In a three-storey house the pipe run from a basement water heater can be long. If the house has a recirculation pump and the wait has recently got worse, the pump or its timer is the first thing to check. If there is no recirculation line, we can quote adding one.
Our furnace shut off during a cold snap. What should I check first?
Go outside and look at the two plastic pipes where the furnace vents through the wall. In the narrow gap between Altadore infills, drifting snow or frost can block them. If they are clear and it still won't run, call 587-834-3668. We are Alberta-licensed gas fitters as well as plumbers.
Is my original 1950s bungalow likely to have galvanized pipe?
It is possible, depending on what previous owners replaced. Look at the pipe near the water meter: dull grey threaded steel is galvanized, copper is orange-brown, and PEX is coloured plastic. Many older houses have a mix. We can tell you which is which on site.
Can you fix a broken sewer line under my yard?
No. We camera-inspect sewer lines and clear roots and blockages, but we don't excavate or line pipe. If the camera shows the line has cracked or collapsed, you keep the recording so an excavation contractor can quote from it.
Do you work in neighbouring communities?
Yes. We cover the rest of SW Calgary, including Killarney across Crowchild and Britannia on the far side of the Elbow River from River Park.
What does a quote cost?
Quotes are free. We tell you the price before any work starts, and nothing goes ahead until you have agreed to it.
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