Plumber in Stittsville, from Main Street to the newest subdivisions
Stittsville was a village of a few thousand people until city water and sewer arrived in the 1980s. Most of its homes have been built since, and many depend on a sump pump to keep the basement dry.
Stittsville at a glance
- Built
- Mostly the 1980s to today
- Likely pipes
- Copper, Poly-B, Kitec or PEX, by decade
- Water
- City supply in town, wells on the rural edge
- Watch for
- Sump pumps and storm backups
- July 1, 2026
- 104 mm at the Maple Grove gauge
A village that became a suburb
Stittsville got its first post office in 1854, with Jackson Stitt as postmaster, and spent more than a century as a farming and railway village in Goulbourn Township. The Great Fire of August 1870 destroyed much of it.
The turning point came in the late 1970s, when the town council decided to connect the village to municipal water and sewage. Once service arrived in the 1980s, development took off. The population, about 3,000 in the 1970s, had quadrupled by 2000, and Stittsville became part of Ottawa with the rest of Goulbourn in 2001.
That timing explains its plumbing. A handful of older houses line Main Street, but most of Stittsville was built from the 1980s onward. Jackson Trails, started in 2005, was Canada's first Energy Star community. For a plumber in Stittsville, that means modern materials, a lot of sump pumps and a generation of homes now replacing their first major equipment.
What Stittsville homes have behind the walls
The decade a street was built is the best guide to what a plumber will find.
Sump pumps are Stittsville's front line
In much of Stittsville, groundwater is kept out of the basement by a sump pump. Perforated pipe around the foundation collects the water and carries it to a pit in the basement floor, and the pump lifts it outside. If the pump stops, the water keeps coming.
Stittsville has flooded before. The storm of July 24, 2009 that hit Glen Cairn also flooded homes here, and Stittsville residents were among the group that later sued the City. On July 1, 2026, the City's Maple Grove gauge recorded 104 millimetres and the Jackson Trails gauge 65.
The usual causes of a sump-related flood are simple: a pump that has worn out, a float switch that sticks, a power cut in the middle of the storm, or a discharge line that freezes solid in winter.
City rebates for sump pumps
The Residential Protective Plumbing program rebates up to $1,500 for a sump pump with battery backup in an existing pit, and up to $3,000 where a new pit is built, plus the permit fee. Eligibility depends on when the house was built, so check before booking. Residential Protective Plumbing program
Amounts from the City's website in November 2026.
What Stittsville homeowners call a plumber about
Most of the work here follows the age of the house and the season.
Getting a Stittsville basement ready for spring
Do this in March, before the melt, and the pump will be ready when the water arrives.
Test the pump
Pour water into the pit until the float lifts. The pump should start, empty the pit and stop on its own.
Clear the discharge
Make sure the outside end of the discharge line is clear of ice and snow and empties well away from the house.
Check the backup
Test the battery backup pump the same way, and replace the battery on the schedule its maker recommends.
Clean the pit
Gravel, silt and debris in the pit can jam the float switch. Clear them out.
Move roof water away
Extend downspouts so roof water lands well away from the foundation instead of soaking back toward the weeping tile.
On a well in rural Stittsville
Homes beyond the urban area run their own water supply. These are the things that matter most.
Plumbing in a newer, high-efficiency home
Stittsville's newer houses use equipment that older homes never had. Each piece needs a little attention to keep working.
Winter on the west edge
Stittsville sits at the western edge of the city, on open ground where the wind has room to build. In a cold snap, pipes in exterior walls and over attached garages freeze first, and so do sump discharge lines that hold water.
Before the first hard frost, close the inside valves to outdoor taps, drain them and take the hoses off. If a tap gives no water on a cold morning, leave it open, warm the pipe gently and call a plumber in Stittsville before it splits. Never use a flame on a frozen pipe.
Signs your water heater is near the end
Many Stittsville homes are now on their first or second water heater. These are the warnings to watch for.
What plumbing costs in Stittsville
The plumber looks at the job, explains what is wrong and gives you a price before starting. Nothing is added without asking.
Most Stittsville homes are relatively easy to work on, with modern materials and accessible equipment. Costs rise with finished basements, with Kitec replacement, with new sump pits cut into a concrete floor, and with well and septic work on rural properties.
A planned replacement in autumn costs less than an emergency in April. That applies to sump pumps more than anything else.
Questions people ask
How long does a sump pump last?
It depends on how often it runs and how well it was made. A pump in a pit that fills every spring works hard. If yours is from the 1990s or early 2000s, has started to rattle, or you do not know how old it is, it is worth testing now and planning a replacement before it fails.
Do I need a battery backup for my sump pump?
If your basement is finished, yes. The storms that flood basements are often the same storms that cut the power, and a pump without backup stops exactly when it is needed.
Why does my sump pump discharge freeze?
Water left standing in the line freezes in a cold snap. A discharge line that slopes so it drains completely, and a fitting outside that lets water escape if the end ices over, prevent it.
Is Stittsville water hard?
Homes on City water get the same supply as the rest of the urban area, which is soft. Rural homes on private wells usually have much harder water and may need a softener or other treatment.
Can I get a City rebate for a new sump pump?
For a new installation in an eligible home, yes, up to $1,500 in an existing pit or $3,000 with a new one, plus the permit fee. Replacing an existing pump does not qualify, and the permit must be in place before the work.
What should I do if my well runs dry?
Conserve water first and give the well time to recover. If the pump runs without delivering water, switch it off to protect it and call. Do not keep running a pump that is drawing air.
Why is there water on the floor beside my furnace or water heater?
In a high-efficiency home, the most common cause is a blocked condensate line or a failed condensate pump. A leak from the water heater tank itself is more serious and needs attention the same day.
Should I flush my water heater?
Draining a few litres from the valve at the bottom of a tank once a year clears sediment and helps it last. Tankless units need a fuller flush and a filter clean on a schedule set by the maker. If you have never done it on an older tank, ask a plumber first, because an old drain valve can stick open.
My new home's sump pump never runs. Is something wrong?
Not necessarily. On high ground or in a dry year, a sump pit may stay nearly empty. Test it anyway each spring, because a pump that never runs can seize from disuse and fail the first time it is needed.
Plumbing services and other areas
The Ottawa Plumber works across the city. Start with the main page for a plumber in Ottawa, or go straight to a service.
Tell us what the water is doing
613-820-5583Calling is fastest when something is leaking. For anything that can wait a day, send the form and you will get a call back.