What lies under these streets
Courtice is the western edge of the Municipality of Clarington, directly east of Oshawa along King Street and Highway 2. Most of its housing went up between the 1980s and the 2010s, in subdivisions north and south of the main road. The older streets have copper supply lines and ABS drains; newer ones rely on PEX.
The area is on Durham Region's municipal water and sewer, and the Courtice Water Pollution Control Plant serves the community. Below the streets, mains and laterals are mostly PVC, in good shape compared with older cities.
Seasonal trouble spots
Winter is hard on outside taps. Many 1980s homes in Courtice still have older non-frost-free hose bibs, and owners who forget to shut the inside valve in fall find split pipes in spring. Newer homes have frost-free taps, which only protect you when the hose is removed.
Spring storms bring heavy runoff toward the creek valleys that run through Courtice, including the Farewell and Black Creek systems. Homes backing onto ravines often rely on their sump pumps more than they realize.
Summer and fall are renovation seasons. As owners update kitchens and bathrooms, old shut-offs and supply lines get replaced.
Typical calls from this area
- Outdoor faucet replacement after freeze damage, often swapping an old hose bib for a frost-free model.
- Late-night leaks and water heater failures, where our emergency plumbing service matters most.
- Recurring drain blockages that need a sewer camera inspection to find the cause, such as a sag, root intrusion or a broken joint.
- Water heater replacements in homes approaching thirty years old.
If you live in an older Courtice home, look for a separate shut-off valve inside the basement behind each outdoor tap. Close it and open the outside tap every fall.
Booking a visit
Courtice is right next to east Oshawa, so it falls within our usual area. Call and describe what is going on, and we will set a time. Tell us if water is actively leaking so we can treat it as urgent.
Before any work starts, we explain what we found and walk you through the options. Farther east in Clarington, Bowmanville has a different mix of heritage and new housing.
Planning ahead
Courtice houses from the 1980s are now around forty years old. Original copper is generally holding up, but water heaters, toilets and fixtures have usually been replaced once or more. When you plan a renovation here, consider the age of every visible valve and supply line. Replacing them while the cabinets are out costs little, and it means the new kitchen or bathroom is not let down by an old part hidden behind it. The same goes for the main shut-off, which deserves a test before any project begins.