Plumber in Saanich

Saanich at a glance

Saanich had 117,735 people at the 2021 census, making it the most populous municipality on Vancouver Island and the largest in Greater Victoria at about 103 square kilometres. It takes its name from the Saanich First Nation, and it mixes city streets, suburbs, farms and nearly 30 km of shoreline.

What that means for your plumbing

A municipality this size has every kind of house, from early farmhouses to post-war bungalows and 1980s and 1990s subdivisions where Poly-B pipe is common. Ground here is undulating with glacially scoured rock outcrops, so sewer laterals and service lines are sometimes shallow or run around rock. See Poly-B replacement.

Lakes, creeks and low ground

Saanich has more than 8 square kilometres of freshwater lakes and many small creeks. Homes near water and in low spots tend to have damp crawl spaces and work their perimeter drains and sump pumps hard through the wet months.

Observatory Hill and 1906

Saanich was incorporated on March 1, 1906. Its best-known landmark may be the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, whose 1.8-metre telescope was, for a few months in 1918, the largest of its kind in the world. Saanich is also home to the northeastern half of the University of Victoria and both campuses of Camosun College, so many houses near the campuses have suites or are rented to students. More people in a house means more strain on drains and hot water tanks; see hot water tanks.