Emergency Plumber in Chantilly, VA

Which gas company do Chantilly homes call?

Most of Fairfax County is served by Washington Gas, and its leak line is 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1. Chantilly sits near the Loudoun County line, though, and Fairfax County notes that parts of Chantilly may be served by Columbia Gas of Virginia instead. Check your gas bill now, before anything goes wrong, so you know which number to call. Whatever the utility, the order is the same: leave the house without touching switches, then call 911 and the gas company from outside. A plumber can repair house gas piping once the utility has made it safe.

Water is coming up in the street. Who handles it?

Fairfax Water supplies Chantilly, and its after-hours emergency number is 703-698-5613 (customer service is 703-698-5800 on weekdays). Broken mains, leaking hydrants and meter problems belong to the utility. Anything on the house side, including a burst pipe inside or a leaking water heater, is a plumber's job.

What about a sewer backup in the basement?

Fairfax County owns the public sewer and runs a 24-hour line for backups and overflows at 703-323-1211. If sewage comes up while no fixtures are running, the county asks you to call it first so a crew can check the main. If the main is flowing, the blockage is in your private lateral, which the owner maintains from the house to the county main, and a plumber clears it. The county does not locate private laterals, so a plumber may need a camera to find the problem.

Homes in Franklin Farm, Greenbriar and other neighborhoods around Route 50 and Route 28 have a median build year of 1987. At that age, these are the usual emergencies:

• A water heater giving out with water on the floor
• A supply hose bursting behind a washer or under a sink
• A pipe in an exterior wall splitting in a hard freeze
• A main drain clog that sends sewage into the basement

Before you book

Fairfax County requires a permit even for a direct water heater replacement, which the plumber files with Land Development Services. Nights and weekends usually cost more than a weekday visit, so ask how pricing works. Arrival time depends on the hour, and none is promised.