Past Work

How Plumbing Now Performed a Plumbing Inspection for a Riverside Park, Ontario Homeowner

Work Completion Date: November 3, 2025
Location: Riverside Park, Ontario

Plumbing Now performed a comprehensive plumbing inspection for Elisabeth in the Riverside Park neighbourhood of Ottawa, tracing a mysterious basement ceiling water stain to its source and identifying additional plumbing failures throughout the home.

Our diagnostic service uncovered bathroom water infiltration through deteriorated tile grout, an irreparable basin faucet with multiple leak points, and a frost-damaged exterior hose bibb requiring future replacement.

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What Our Plumbing Inspection Found

Here’s what our Red Seal Licensed Plumber discovered during their detailed inspection:

1. Basement Ceiling Water Stain

Opening the ceiling required removing 1×1 stapled tiles attached to wood strapping.

When we accessed the space above the stain, we found no plumbing pipes in the area. Careful investigation confirmed the water damage sat directly beneath the outer edge of the bathtub, along the wall farthest from the faucet.

The tile wall along the bathtub window was separating, with deteriorated grout creating pathways for shower water to escape onto the floor and seep through to the basement below. The grab bar mounting points also showed potential leak sources.

2. Basin Faucet Leak

The main bathroom basin faucet also had two separate failure points: water seeping from the cold water cartridge and from the joining tee beneath the spout.

The 8-inch centre-set faucet used a three-piece design with separate hot and cold handles connected to the spout via hoses. Meanwhile, the tee connection used a factory-crimped fitting that couldn’t be serviced in the field, making the entire faucet irreparable.

3. Exterior Hosebibb Damage

The rear hose bibb showed classic signs of frozen pipe damage with a visibly swollen and cracked brass body. At some point, water trapped inside had frozen and ruptured the unit internally, causing it to leak whenever pressure was applied.

Recommendations from Our Licensed Plumber

For the basement ceiling stain, our licensed plumber advised draping protective covering over the window and back wall tiles during bathing as a temporary measure. 

Permanent repair will require tile replacement or a bathroom renovation to properly address the grout failure and grab bar mounting points.

The basin faucet requires complete replacement due to the non-serviceable crimped fittings. A new 8-inch centre-set faucet installation was recommended.

For the hose bibb, we isolated the water supply by shutting off the valve to prevent water waste and further damage. Elisabeth elected to defer this replacement until after the bathroom repairs are completed, with a frost-free hose bibb recommended before next spring.

Mystery Solved for Elisabeth

The basement ceiling stain was traced to shower water escaping through failed tile grout rather than pipe failure, which significantly affects repair planning and cost. 

The basin faucet requires full replacement due to a non-serviceable factory-crimped fitting. The frost-damaged outdoor faucet has been isolated and can be replaced before next spring.

With documented findings for her property assessment and a prioritized sequence for the plumbing repairs, Elisabeth can address the bathroom first while the hose bibb remains safely shut off.