Plumbers in Ashburn, VA

From rail stop to Data Center Alley

Ashburn was farmland and a rail stop before it grew fast from the 1980s into planned neighborhoods: Ashburn Farm, Ashburn Village, Broadlands, Brambleton and One Loudoun among them. It is a census-designated place of 46,349 residents (2020 Census), about 27 miles from downtown Washington, threaded by Virginia Route 7, the Dulles Greenway and Loudoun County Parkway. It is also known worldwide as Data Center Alley. Loudoun Water's headquarters is here.

Very new houses

Housing in Ashburn is young. In ZIP 20147, only about 2 percent of homes predate 1980, and the biggest building decade was the 2000s. That means fewer old-pipe problems and more of the issues that come with the first and second decade of a house: original water heaters wearing out, PEX fittings and fixture valves that need attention, sump pumps that run hard in wet seasons, and tankless units that need descaling or service. Homes with pools and irrigation add yearly backflow testing.

Loudoun Water

Loudoun Water serves unincorporated parts of the county within its designated service areas, while incorporated towns run their own systems. Ashburn's water comes mainly from the Potomac River, with Goose Creek and the Beaverdam and Goose Creek reservoirs used as needed. It is treated at Loudoun Water's Trap Rock Water Treatment Facility and at Fairfax Water's Corbalis plant, from which Loudoun Water buys water. Both facilities disinfect with chloramine. For hardness, Loudoun Water's annual water quality report is the place to look. Loudoun Water says its system has no lead service lines, and its inventory, accepted by the Virginia Department of Health, lists none. Customer relations: 571-291-7880; after-hours emergencies: 571-291-7878.

Sewer and backflow

Loudoun Water also handles public sewer in its service areas; much of rural Loudoun is not on public sewer, but planned Ashburn neighborhoods generally are. Its Cross-Connection Backflow Program covers non-drinking connections like pools and irrigation systems, and backflow preventers on them must be tested every year by a certified tester.

Permits and gas

Loudoun County Building and Development handles residential gas, mechanical and plumbing permits as sub-records of a parent building permit, either online through LandMARC or in person at 1 Harrison Street SE in Leesburg; plan review questions go to 703-777-0220. On gas, Loudoun County says Columbia Gas and Washington Gas each serve portions of the county, and homes outside both use propane. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and your gas utility, using the emergency number on your gas bill. For a propane system, call 911 and your propane supplier.

Different from the District

DC homes are mostly older and served by DC Water and Washington Gas. Ashburn is a newer suburb with a different water utility and a gas provider that varies by address. When you call, share your neighborhood and the problem, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who sets price and timing with you.