What is…? A plain-English plumbing glossary.

A plumber is a licensed tradesperson who installs, repairs and maintains the water supply, drainage, venting and gas piping in homes and commercial buildings. In Manitoba, a journeyman plumber has completed a four-year apprenticeship and passed the provincial Red Seal exam.

A plumbing contractor is a licensed plumbing business that pulls permits, performs the work, and warranties installations. Contractors handle everything from a leaking faucet to a full-house repipe, water heater swap, sewer line replacement, gas line installation and bathroom remodel rough-in.

Drain cleaning is the mechanical or hydraulic removal of hair, grease, soap scale, food and root intrusion from drain lines. Plumbers use handheld augers for sinks and tubs, drum machines for toilets, sectional cables for branch lines, and 100-foot sewer machines or hydro-jetters for main sewer lines.

Hydro-jetting is high-pressure water cleaning of drain and sewer lines — typically 1,500–4,000 PSI through a specialized nozzle that flushes the pipe walls clean of grease, scale and roots. It's the deepest cleaning method short of replacing the pipe.

Rooter service is the mechanical cutting of tree roots out of a sewer line using a powered cable machine with a cutting head. After cutting, the line is usually camera-scoped to verify the roots are gone and to check the condition of the pipe.

A backwater valve is a one-way flap installed on the main sewer line that seals shut if flow reverses — preventing municipal sewer surcharge from backing up into your basement during heavy rain. The City of Winnipeg offers a Basement Flood Protection Subsidy that covers part of the install cost.

A sump pump sits in a pit (the sump) in the lowest part of your basement and pumps incoming groundwater out and away from the foundation. Primary pumps run on household power; battery backup pumps run during power outages, which is when most basements actually flood.

A battery backup sump pump is a secondary pump powered by a deep-cycle marine battery. It activates when the primary pump fails, jams, or loses power. In Manitoba spring storms, power outages and peak groundwater usually happen at the same time.

A hot water tank is a 40-, 50- or 60-gallon insulated cylinder that heats and stores domestic hot water using a gas burner or electric elements. Manitoba tanks typically last 8–12 years before the inner glass lining fails and the tank starts to leak.

A tankless (or on-demand) water heater heats water as it flows through a heat exchanger, with no storage tank. Sized correctly for Manitoba's 4 °C winter inlet temperature, a tankless unit provides endless hot water and frees up basement floor space.

CIPP — cured-in-place pipe lining — is a trenchless sewer rehab method. A felt liner soaked in epoxy resin is inverted into the damaged pipe and cured with hot water, steam or UV light. The result is a smooth, jointless 'pipe within a pipe' rated for 50 years of service.

Trenchless sewer repair rehabs or replaces an underground sewer lateral with minimal digging — typically one or two small access pits rather than a full trench. The two main methods are CIPP pipe lining (inserting a structural liner) and pipe bursting (pulling a new HDPE pipe through the old one).

Pipe bursting is a trenchless replacement method where a cone-shaped bursting head is pulled through the old sewer pipe — splitting it outward — while simultaneously pulling a new HDPE pipe into place behind it.

A clogged or plugged drain is any drain line where water flows slowly, gurgles, or backs up. Common causes are hair in showers and tubs, grease and food in kitchen sinks, sanitary products and wipes in toilets, and tree roots in main sewer lines.

A burst pipe is a water supply line that has split open — usually because water inside it froze and expanded. In Manitoba, the most common burst-pipe locations are rim joists, exterior wall cavities, garage hose bibs and unheated cottage lines.

A backflow preventer (typically an RPZ or DCVA assembly) is a mechanical device that prevents contaminated water from flowing backward into the clean drinking-water supply. Commercial buildings and irrigation systems in Manitoba require certified backflow preventers tested annually.

Backflow testing is an annual inspection of a backflow prevention assembly by a certified tester. The tester verifies the valves seal correctly, fills out a report, and submits it to the City of Winnipeg or local utility for compliance.

Leak detection is the process of locating hidden water leaks behind walls, under slabs or above ceilings — using acoustic listening equipment, thermal imaging, moisture meters and pressure tests — so the plumber can open the minimum amount of finish to make the repair.

A water softener removes calcium and magnesium ions from hard water through ion exchange with sodium or potassium. Winnipeg city water is moderately hard; many rural Manitoba wells are very hard. A softener protects fixtures, water heaters and appliances from scale build-up.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that forces water through a semi-permeable membrane, removing dissolved solids, minerals, chlorine and most contaminants. Most homes install a small under-sink RO system for drinking water rather than treating the whole house.

A carbon filtration system uses activated carbon to absorb chlorine, chloramine, taste and odour compounds from water. It can be installed as a whole-home backwashing tank or as a small under-sink unit for drinking water.

A garburator (or garbage disposal) is a motorized grinding unit installed under the kitchen sink that pulverizes food scraps so they can flow into the drain line. Most residential units last 8–10 years before bearings or impellers fail.

A sewer camera inspection runs a self-illuminating, waterproof camera on a flexible push-rod through your sewer line. The plumber records video of the entire lateral — locating cracks, root intrusion, bellies and the City connection — so repairs are based on evidence, not guesswork.

A plumbing inspection is a documented walk-through of the home's water supply, drainage, fixtures, water heater and main shut-off — typically for pre-purchase, insurance compliance, or annual maintenance. A full inspection includes a main sewer camera scope.

A hose bib (also called a sillcock or outdoor faucet) is the threaded spigot on the outside of the house. Frost-free models extend into the heated wall cavity so the actual valve doesn't freeze in Manitoba winters.

A P-trap is the U-shaped section of drain pipe under every sink, tub and shower. The water sitting in the bend forms a seal that blocks sewer gas from rising up into the room.

A shut-off valve isolates the water supply to a fixture or to the whole house. Every Manitoba homeowner should know where the main shut-off is — usually in the basement, near the front of the house where the city supply enters.

Gas fitting is the licensed installation and service of natural gas piping for appliances — ranges, dryers, water heaters, furnaces, BBQs and garage heaters. In Manitoba, only ticketed gas fitters can install or alter gas lines, and the work must be permitted and inspected.

Most Winnipeg plumbers charge a dispatch or diagnostic fee (typically $80–$150) plus flat-rate or hourly labour. Mawejje Custom Plumbing quotes up-front, flat-rate pricing for most jobs before any work begins, and offers free written estimates for installs and renovations. Call (204) 509-6322 for a quote.