Martindale Plumbers Calgary — Plumbing and Heating for Busy 1980s and 1990s Homes
Martindale sits between 64 and 80 Avenue NE, from Métis Trail over to Falconridge Boulevard, and it is older than a lot of people assume. The community was established in 1983, and the City of Calgary's 2021 census profile puts about a fifth of its homes in the 1980s and more than two in five in the 1990s. That timing matters, because much of the neighbourhood went up during the years when Poly-B supply pipe was going into Canadian houses. FlameTech's Red Seal journeyman plumbers and Alberta-licensed gas fitters look after the plumbing and heating in these homes, from the water main where it enters the basement to the flue on the roof.
The census shows something else about Martindale: the houses are full. The average household here is 3.7 people, against 2.6 across Calgary, and close to three in ten households have five or more people living in them. Equipment chosen for a smaller family works much harder under that load: the third shower of the morning runs cold, and the kitchen line plugs more often than it should.
We handle water heater replacement, Poly-B repiping, furnace replacement and gas work, drain clearing and day-to-day repairs here and across NE Calgary, including Taradale on the far side of Falconridge Boulevard and Saddle Ridge north of 80 Avenue.
We dispatch from both Calgary and Airdrie. Call 587-834-3668 and describe what's going on; you'll get a straight answer on whether it's urgent or can wait for a booked visit. Quotes are free, and the price is settled before anyone picks up a tool.
Grey plastic pipe in the basement, a tank that can't keep up with the family, or a furnace near the end? Call 587-834-3668 for a free quote on your Martindale home.
Call 587-834-3668“Fast efficient quality workman ship. I would recommend them any time for plumbing and gas fitting work”
Andy and Debbie Leclerc
Calgary · 5 months ago
Poly-B in Martindale: why so many houses are worth a look
Poly-B (polybutylene) water pipe was common in Canadian homes from roughly the late 1970s into the mid-1990s. Martindale's first houses went up in the mid-1980s and construction carried on through the 1990s, so a big share of the neighbourhood overlaps that window. Not every home from those years has it, and plenty have already been repiped. The only way to know is to go and look.
Finding it yourself
Start where the water main comes up through the basement floor, then follow the lines to the water heater and under the sinks. Poly-B is usually grey, occasionally blue or black, and is often printed with PB2110. Fittings are plastic or held with copper or aluminium crimp rings. The PEX that replaced it tends to be red, blue or white and says PEX along its length.
What finding it means
Poly-B doesn't fail on a timetable, and discovering it isn't an emergency. It does raise the odds of a leak at fittings and near hot connections, and some home insurers ask about it at renewal. Our article on whether you need to replace Poly-B goes through the decision. When owners go ahead, a whole-house Poly-B repipe runs $3,500 to $7,250 as of September 2026, depending on house size and how much of the basement is finished. More on our Poly-B plumbing page.
Large households, lower units and hot water
Martindale's households are bigger than the city's by a wide margin, and 9% of its homes are recorded in the 2021 census as an 'apartment or flat in a duplex', the category for two dwellings stacked one above the other. That is how a house with a separate lower unit gets counted.
Sizing a tank for five or more people
A 40- or 50-gallon tank suits a couple. With four or five people showering before work, it empties fast. Stepping up to a 60- or 75-gallon atmospheric tank is often the simplest cure; those install for $2,450 and $2,990 as of September 2026. Before quoting, our gas fitters confirm the gas line and vent can carry the bigger burner. See hot water tank replacement.
Where tankless fits, and where it doesn't
A tankless water heater doesn't run dry, which appeals in a busy house. It does have a flow ceiling: open too many hot taps at once and the temperature sags. It needs its own venting and often a larger gas line. Installed, they run $5,400 to $6,500 as of September 2026. Sometimes a large tank does the same job for less.
One tank and one furnace for two households
When a lower unit shares the upstairs water heater and furnace, the complaints are familiar: hot water disappears at the busy times of day, and one floor is always too warm or too cool because a single thermostat runs the whole house. Fixes range from a larger tank to separate equipment downstairs. A ductless mini split can give the lower unit its own heat and cooling, and those install for $3,500 to $5,000 as of September 2026.
Drains carrying more traffic
Grease from the kitchen and wipes flushed upstairs are the usual causes when a busy house backs up. We clear the line and can put a camera down to see what caused it. If the camera shows a broken or collapsed pipe, that is excavation or lining work we don't do, and we'll tell you plainly. See drain cleaning.
Heating equipment in houses that have changed hands
In many Martindale homes the furnace and water heater are no longer what the builder installed, so what we find in the mechanical room depends on what was changed, and when.
Swapping an older furnace
An older mid-efficiency furnace sends its exhaust up a metal flue, often shared with the water heater. A high-efficiency replacement vents through plastic pipe out a side wall and needs a drain for the water it produces, so the job is more than trading one box for another. Furnace installs run $4,500 to $9,600 as of September 2026. We are an authorized AirEase dealer and install other brands too. See furnace replacement.
The water heater left alone on the chimney
Once the furnace moves to plastic venting, the water heater can end up by itself on a flue sized for two appliances, and it may not draft properly. That venting needs to be checked whenever the furnace changes, and when it needs work we include it in the same quote instead of leaving it for later.
Frozen drain lines on the coldest nights
High-efficiency furnaces make water. If the drain line or the vent passes through a cold spot and ices up, the furnace locks itself out. Rerouting the line is often a modest fix. See no heat issues.
New gas lines
Our Alberta-licensed gas fitters run lines for gas ranges, dryers, barbecues and garage heaters, and handle the gas side of every furnace and water heater we put in.
Martindale Plumbing and Heating Questions
When was Martindale built?
The community was established in 1983 on land Calgary annexed in 1961. Building ran through the late 1980s and the 1990s, with a smaller wave after 2000. The City's 2021 census profile counts about 21% of homes from 1981 to 1990, 43% from 1991 to 2000 and 24% from 2001 to 2010.
Does my Martindale house have Poly-B?
It might. Homes from the 1980s and early 1990s are the likeliest to have it. Check where the water main enters the basement and near the water heater: grey pipe, often marked PB2110, is Poly-B. Later-1990s homes are more likely to have PEX, but builders switched at different times, so it is worth checking either way.
Our lower unit shares the furnace. Can it be split?
Often, yes. How depends on the ductwork and where there is space for equipment. A second furnace is one route; a ductless mini split for the lower level is another. We'll price the options side by side so you can compare.
My water heater is leaking from the bottom. Repair or replace?
If the tank itself is leaking, it can't be repaired and needs replacing. If the water is coming from the drain valve, the relief valve or a fitting, that can often be fixed. See leaking water heater for how to tell the difference, and shut the cold supply to the tank if water is pooling.
Do you repair sewer lines?
No. We camera-inspect and clear sewer and drain lines. If the camera shows a broken, collapsed or separated pipe, that needs excavation or lining, which we don't do. We'll show you the footage.
How do I book a quote?
Call 587-834-3668 or use the form on this page. Quotes are free, and we dispatch from both Calgary and Airdrie.
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