Faucet Repair in Annandale, VA

Annandale's older fixtures

Annandale grew quickly after World War II, and neighborhoods such as Ravensworth and the streets around Lake Barcroft are full of homes from that boom. Faucets in those houses have often been replaced once or twice, but the valves under the sinks, the supply tubes and sometimes the faucets themselves can date back decades. Older compression faucets use rubber washers pressed against brass seats; when the seat gets pitted, a new washer alone will not stop the drip, and the seat has to be dressed or replaced.

Fairfax Water supplies Annandale with treated Potomac River and Occoquan Reservoir water. Its Potomac plant figures show hardness from about 70 to 185 mg/L, averaging near 7.5 grains per gallon, so scale on aerators and stems is normal here. Fairfax Water uses chloramines most of the year and free chlorine generally from April through June. Fairfax Water owns the meter; everything past it, including every faucet in the house, belongs to the homeowner.

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Signs it is time for a plumber

• Constant drip that a new washer did not cure
• Handles that spin without shutting the water off
• Leaks at the stems that soak the countertop
• Under-sink valves that are green with corrosion or will not budge
• Rust-colored water at one tap after the faucet has sat unused

Timing and seasonal notes

Winter is hard on Annandale's older homes: outdoor spigots without frost-free valves can split during a freeze, and the leak may only show up in spring. Shut and drain them in the fall. Spring is a good time to notice whether a faucet truly closes, since the stronger chlorine taste during Fairfax Water's seasonal switch sends many people to the tap more often. Fairfax County treats a direct, same-location faucet replacement as exempt from a permit; adding fixtures or moving a sink needs one through Land Development Services.