Plumbers in Annandale, VA

An inner-ring suburb inside the Beltway's edge

Annandale lies about 12 miles from downtown Washington, bounded on the west by the Capital Beltway, with Little River Turnpike, Columbia Pike and Braddock Road running through it. The census-designated place had 43,363 residents in 2020, and the postal name stretches past the CDP. It grew rapidly after World War II; today its downtown along Little River Turnpike is known as Koreatown, and neighborhoods such as Lake Barcroft and Ravensworth surround it, along with the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale campus.

Older housing, older plumbing

Annandale has one of the older housing stocks in Fairfax County, with a median build year around 1968. Many houses still have plumbing from the original era, which tends to mean aging supply pipes, corroded shutoffs, slow drains in older drain lines, and laterals that have had decades for roots to find them. Split-levels and basements make sump pumps and floor drains common, and winter freezes catch pipes in exterior walls and crawlspaces. Fairfax Water notes that inside meters are common in houses built between 1971 and 1980.

Fairfax Water service

Water comes from Fairfax Water's Corbalis plant on the Potomac and its Griffith plant on the Occoquan Reservoir, on an interconnected system that also takes Washington Aqueduct water. Its seasonal pattern uses chloramine for most of the year and free chlorine from about April to June, when the water may smell more like chlorine. Plant analyses show moderately hard water, around 7.5 grains per gallon on average from Corbalis, varying by season. The utility owns the meter, and the underground line from the meter or street valve to the main shutoff in the house is the owner's. Fairfax Water's Lead Free Fairfax survey asks owners to identify the material on their side, which is a useful step in an older home. Customer service is 703-698-5800.

Sewer laterals

Fairfax County's public works department owns the sewer mains, while the private lateral from the house is the owner's responsibility, and the county doesn't locate private laterals. For a backup, the county's 24-hour line is 703-323-1211; once it confirms the main is flowing, a plumber can camera the lateral to find roots, offsets or a collapsed section.

Permits and gas

Fairfax County Land Development Services issues permits through PLUS (703-222-0801). A like-for-like gas water heater, furnace or boiler swap with no new gas piping takes a Household Appliance permit; new gas piping takes a Residential Plumbing permit. Washington Gas serves most of the county. If you smell gas, get out of the house first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

Annandale and the District

Annandale's postwar houses share some of the age problems of DC's older neighborhoods, but the utilities and permit offices are different: Fairfax Water and county agencies instead of DC Water and the DC Department of Buildings. Call with your street and a description of the problem, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who sets price and timing with you.