Plumbing Services in Nanaimo & Vancouver Island
P3 Mechanical & Electrical repairs, replaces, and installs plumbing for homes and businesses across Nanaimo and central Vancouver Island — drains and sewer laterals, water lines, Poly-B repipes, fixtures, and water heaters. Most repair visits are finished in a single trip, while larger work like a repipe or a sewer line replacement runs over several days. Every job is priced in writing after we have looked inside the pipe, and the estimate itself costs nothing.
Plumbing on Vancouver Island
Much of the housing stock between Nanaimo and Courtenay went up during the Poly-B years: grey polybutylene supply pipe went into BC homes from roughly 1985 through 1997, and it rarely fails mid-run — the trouble starts at the fittings, as a slow drip behind drywall or a crawlspace that smells damp. Insurers ask about Poly-B at renewal now, so a leak in one of these systems is usually a repipe conversation as much as a repair one.
Drains here are a seasonal problem. Rain arrives in volume from October through March, the water table rises with it, and any sewer lateral with a cracked joint starts taking on groundwater and handing tree roots an easy path to water. The older streets around downtown Nanaimo still run on clay and cast iron, and those back up first each winter. We put a camera down the line before quoting a repair — the difference between a clearing and a trenchless replacement is something you should see on a screen.
Water supply varies more across the region than people expect. Inside city limits you are on municipal water and sewer; a few minutes out, on a private well and septic, where pressure tanks, pumps, and filtration join the conversation. Hardness and iron content differ by district, and they decide how fast a tankless heat exchanger scales up or an anode rod gets eaten through. Water heaters sit in this hub rather than under heating because in BC they are a plumber’s work, and a gas fitter’s when they burn gas — if the job also touches a furnace, boiler, or heat pump, our heating services cover that side.
Services in this hub
- Drain Cleaning
Augers, hydro-jetting, and camera verification for kitchen, bathroom, and main line clogs that keep coming back.
- Drain Repair
Repair or replacement of cracked, bellied, and root-damaged drain lines when clearing no longer holds.
- Sewer Line Repair
Sewer lateral repair and replacement, including trenchless methods that spare your driveway, lawn, and trees.
- Sewer Camera Inspection
A waterproof camera pass down the line to find root intrusion, offsets, and bellies before digging.
- Water Leak Detection
Acoustic listening and thermal imaging to locate a hidden leak behind drywall or under a slab.
- Water Line Repair
Repair of leaking or failing supply lines inside the house, from the shutoff to each fixture.
- Water Main Repair
Repair and replacement of the buried service line carrying municipal or well water onto your property.
- Poly-B Pipe Repair
Targeted repairs and fitting replacement for the grey polybutylene pipe installed in BC homes, 1985–1997.
- Home Repipe Services
Full or partial repiping in PEX for houses on failing polybutylene, galvanized steel, or corroded copper.
- Bathroom Fixtures
Supply and installation of toilets, faucets, tubs, and shower valves, including rough-in changes mid-renovation.
- Kitchen Fixtures
Sinks, faucets, garburators, fridge water lines, and dishwasher hookups, sealed so the cabinet below stays dry.
- Water Heater Services
Repair, maintenance, and anode or element replacement for tank and tankless heaters, gas and electric.
- Water Heater Sales & Installation
New tank, tankless, and heat pump water heaters sized to the household, venting and gas hookup included.
- Commercial Plumbing Services
Plumbing for restaurants, strata buildings, and light industrial sites, including backflow devices and grease lines.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my house has Poly-B pipes?
Look at the exposed pipe in the crawlspace, at the tank, or under a sink: Poly-B is dull grey plastic, joined with crimped fittings and usually stamped "PB2110" along its length. Age is the other clue — most BC houses built between 1985 and 1997 got it.
Why do my drains back up every fall when the rain starts?
Heavy autumn rain raises the water table and pushes groundwater into any lateral with a cracked joint, and that same moisture draws tree roots to the pipe. Around the older parts of Nanaimo those laterals are often clay or cast iron laid decades ago, so a line that copes in August starts backing up in November.
Is a water heater a plumbing job or a heating job?
In BC a water heater is a plumber's work, and a gas fitter's when it burns gas, which is why our tank, tankless, and heat pump water heater pages sit under plumbing rather than heating. If the job also touches a furnace or boiler, our heating team handles that side.
Do I have to repipe the whole house, or can you just fix the leak?
Both are real options. A single failed fitting or one damaged run can be repaired on its own, and on copper or PEX that is usually the right call. Once a Poly-B system starts losing fittings in more than one place, repeat repairs stop being economical and a partial or full repipe works out cheaper.
How much does it cost to repipe a house in Nanaimo?
We do not publish a figure for it, and a whole-home repipe is a far bigger job than replacing a single crawlspace run or one bathroom branch. What moves the number is the number of bathrooms and how much wall has to be opened to reach the pipe, not the square footage. The estimate is free: we walk the house first, then put the price in writing.
What should I do first if a pipe bursts?
Shut the water off at the main, then open the lowest tap in the house so the remaining pressure drains out instead of through the split. If water has reached a panel, an outlet, or a light fixture, cut the power to that circuit before going near it. Then call us — emergency repairs carry the same one-year warranty on our labour as scheduled work, with any part we supply covered by its own manufacturer.
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