Leak Detection in Centreville, VA

Signs to watch for

• A bill that rises for a cycle or two with no new guests, garden or pool
• The meter dial or flow indicator moving while the house is quiet
• A cool, damp section of basement floor, or carpet that never quite dries
• Drips or stains around the water heater, the washing machine box or under a kitchen sink
• Weaker flow at upstairs fixtures than you are used to

Centreville homes and water service

Centreville is on Fairfax Water, which treats Potomac River water at its Corbalis plant and Occoquan Reservoir water at its Griffith plant. Fairfax Water owns and maintains the meter. The buried line from the meter or street valve to the main shutoff inside your house is your plumbing, so a leak in that run is a private repair, not the utility's.

Much of Centreville went up in the 1980s and 1990s, with a median build year of 1991, so most houses have copper or plastic supply lines rather than galvanized steel. Leaks in homes of that age tend to come from fittings, crimp rings, supply hoses, ice maker lines and water heater connections more than from failing pipe. Fairfax Water's analyses put hardness at about 70 to 185 mg/L from the Potomac plant, averaging roughly 7.5 grains per gallon, which is enough to wear out toilet fill valves and cartridge seals over the years.

Not sure where your meter is? Fairfax Water notes that inside meters are common in houses built from 1971 to 1980, and for those it maintains only the meter and its remote reader.

What affects the price

• How many isolation tests it takes to separate hot from cold, and the house from the yard line
• Whether the leak is in a finished basement, behind tile or under the lawn
• Equipment used, from moisture meters to acoustic and thermal gear
• Repair scope once found, from one fitting to a rerouted section of line

When you call

The number on this page connects you with an independent plumber who serves Centreville. Mention when the bill started climbing, whether the meter moves with all water off, and any spots that feel damp. If the repair turns into new piping, Fairfax County Land Development Services handles residential plumbing permits through its PLUS system, and the plumber can tell you whether one applies.