Tankless Water Heater in Bladensburg, MD

What happens when you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Bladensburg. Expect a few questions up front: the fuel and size of your current heater, how many people shower in the morning, and whether the heater is in a basement, a utility closet or an apartment mechanical room. From that the plumber can say whether a gas tankless unit, an electric model or a new tank makes the most sense, and what the gas line and vent would involve. If a visit is needed, the plumber looks at the meter, the pipe route and the outside wall before quoting.

Cost factors

• Gas supply. Original pipe from the 1960s is often too small for a whole-house tankless burner.
• Venting. A new dedicated vent through a foundation or exterior wall.
• Scale protection. Worth more on harder water; see below.
• Permit. WSSC Water permits plumbing and all natural gas and LP gas installations in the county.
• Replacement parts. Old shutoff valves and connectors near the heater.

Bladensburg conditions

Bladensburg is a historic Anacostia River town just outside the District, crossed by US 1 Alternate, Kenilworth Avenue and Annapolis Road. Its housing is mostly mid-century, so heaters often vent into a flue shared with the furnace and sit near original valves and pipe. A gas tankless unit needs its own vent and enough gas pipe for its full burner input.

Water comes from WSSC Water, which runs two treatment plants with quite different water. WSSC's tap water analysis puts the Potomac plant's yearly average hardness around 140 mg/L and the Patuxent plant's around 65 mg/L, and it doesn't say which plant serves a given street. Harder water builds scale in a tankless heat exchanger faster, so a tap test helps decide between flushing alone and adding a softener or scale cartridge. WSSC disinfects with chlorine, adds UV at both plants and uses an orthophosphate corrosion inhibitor.

Before the plumber arrives

• Clear the area around the heater and the gas meter
• Locate the main water shutoff and make sure it turns
• Check your gas bill to confirm the utility; BGE serves some county areas
• Write down any error code if you already have a tankless unit
• If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), select option 1, from outside