Homes and streets in Milliken Mills
Milliken Mills covers the south-west of Markham, roughly from Steeles Avenue north toward 14th Avenue and around Kennedy Road and McCowan. Much of it was built in the 1970s and 1980s: detached back-splits and two-storeys, semis and townhouse complexes, with a busy commercial strip along Steeles and Kennedy that many residents know well.
Houses of this vintage often still carry original copper supply pipes, some with replacement sections, and drain systems that may include cast iron stacks or early plastic. Some have had several owners and several rounds of renovation, which means the plumbing is a mix of eras.
Plumbing problems we see there
We often find the same handful of issues in Milliken Mills homes:
- Toilets with worn flappers, tired fill valves and cracked flanges from decades of use.
- Water heaters, often rentals, that have been replaced more than once with venting that needs a careful look.
- Pinhole leaks in older copper, especially on hot lines.
- Older laterals that let roots in, causing slow drains and occasional backups.
- Basement suites added later, with plumbing that was not always planned for the load.
Seasonal concerns
Winter is the season for frozen hose bibs and pipes running along exterior walls in back-split homes, where a lower level may sit partly below grade. Spring brings basement seepage on some lots, and heavy summer rain can show up as backups if the lateral is already partly blocked. A check of the floor drain and backwater valve, if you have one, is worth doing before each wet season.
Services most requested
Toilet repair is near the top of the list, simply because many homes have three or four toilets of mixed age. Water heater repair is also frequent, from pilot problems to leaking relief valves. For a running toilet you would like to look at first, our guide to diagnosing a running toilet walks through the likely parts.
Calling us from Milliken Mills
When you call, let us know roughly when the house was built, whether there is a basement suite, and whether the water heater is rented or owned. Those three details shape what we bring. We work regularly in nearby Armadale as well, so the two neighbourhoods are covered by the same visits.
If a repair turns up something larger, such as a corroded stack or a lateral full of roots, we explain what we found, show you where possible, and leave the decision with you. Nothing beyond the agreed work goes ahead without a conversation first.
Reach us at (365) 414-5810.
Markham note: village-core houses tend to hide cast iron and galvanized behind plaster, while Cornell and Box Grove builds run PEX to a manifold. We ask the year your house was built so the right fittings ride along on the truck.
Straight from the phone log
Do 1970s homes in Milliken Mills have poly-B piping?
Poly-B was used in some Ontario homes from the late 1970s into the 1990s. Many Milliken Mills homes have copper, but it is worth checking any grey plastic supply lines.
Why do my basement drains back up only during storms?
It often points to a partly blocked lateral or a sewer under heavy load. A camera inspection and, where appropriate, a backwater valve are the usual next steps.
Ready to get it fixed?
One call, a clear explanation, and work finished tidily before we leave.