We clear your drain tonight, or you pay nothing.

Multiple fixtures backing up simultaneously means the problem is in your main sewer line, not in any individual drain. Every fixture in your house drains into branch lines that merge into one main line running to the street. When that main line is blocked, sewage reverses and comes up through the lowest accessible point, typically a basement floor drain or shower. This is not a plunger situation. A camera locates the blockage and its cause, whether grease buildup, root infiltration, or pipe collapse, before any work starts, because the method depends entirely on what's actually there.

The pipes that freeze are almost always the same ones: runs through uninsulated exterior walls, in crawl spaces, or through an attached garage. You already know where yours are. Last winter told you. Pipe insulation sleeves on those specific runs before November is the fix that works. Keep cabinet doors open under sinks on exterior walls during extreme cold snaps, maintain at least 13 degrees Celsius throughout the whole house including basement corners, and never turn heat completely off when you're away. If the pipe that froze last year also burst, rerouting it away from the exterior wall is the right long-term answer. Not just repairing it in the same vulnerable location.

A camera inspection decides that, and it should happen before any recommendation is made. A drain that clears easily and flows well after cleaning is a cleaning job. A pipe with root infiltration along its length, structural cracks, sections that have shifted at the joints, or material that's collapsed is a replacement job. Cleaning a structurally failed pipe temporarily restores flow and does nothing for the underlying condition. Aqua Drain runs camera inspection first so the recommendation matches what's actually in the ground. You can see the footage yourself before agreeing to anything.

It depends entirely on where the water is entering. A backwater valve stops city sewer water from reversing into your home through the drain system. If that's the source, it's highly effective. If water is entering through the foundation wall, window wells, or failed weeping tile, a backwater valve does nothing for those entry points. Many Ottawa basements flood from a combination of both. The tell is where water appears first and under what conditions: sewer surcharge typically comes up through floor drains; groundwater infiltration tends to appear at the wall-floor joint or through wall cracks. Getting that diagnosis right determines whether you need a valve, a waterproofing system, or both.

Call a plumber first if water is still actively entering. A water damage restoration company handles drying and remediation, but they can't work usefully while water is still coming in. Stop the source, then deal with the damage. If you can't locate a shutoff, or the water is coming from the sewer system rather than a burst pipe, that's a 24/7 emergency call, not something to troubleshoot on your own at midnight. Once the source is stopped and identified, the restoration company takes over. Aqua Drain's emergency line is answered around the clock for exactly that moment.

Yes. Commercial drain clearing, grease trap maintenance, and sewer line service are all part of the scope. For property managers running multiple buildings, there are preferred rate arrangements and a dedicated account contact so you're not re-explaining your properties every time something needs attention. A grease trap that isn't serviced on schedule doesn't just back up. It backs up during service hours, and the cost of a restaurant shutting down for half a day far exceeds the cost of scheduled maintenance. With 47 trucks running Ottawa to Kingston, commercial response time holds regardless of where the property is located.