Plumbing Inspection in Chevy Chase, MD

Signs to book one

• You're buying a prewar or postwar house and want plumbing answers before your deadline
• Water pressure upstairs is weak or drops when a toilet flushes
• The basement has a floor drain that has backed up before
• Valves under sinks and at the main are stiff or weeping
• A renovation is planned and you want to know what you're tying into

Chevy Chase conditions

Chevy Chase began in the 1890s as a streetcar suburb along Connecticut Avenue on the District line. Today it's a patchwork of small incorporated towns and villages plus an unincorporated area. In ZIP 20815, about 68% of homes predate 1980 and more than 2,600 were built in 1939 or earlier. In houses that old a plumber expects galvanized steel supply lines, cast iron drain stacks, older service lines and a history of partial updates, and checks each transition between old and new pipe.

WSSC Water supplies water and sewer. It says it removed all known lead pipe from its distribution system in the early 2000s, publishes a service line inventory map, and notes that homes with a lead service line may need to run the tap longer before drinking. The plumber can compare the map with the pipe where it enters the house.

What affects the cost

• House size, number of bathrooms and how many have been redone
• Finished basements and plaster walls that limit access
• Adding a camera run of the building sewer
• Gas appliances and older gas piping to look over
• Photos or written notes for a seller negotiation

What happens when you call

An independent local plumber who covers Chevy Chase takes the call and sets the scope with you. Have the address, contract dates and any renovation history ready. If repairs follow, WSSC Water issues plumbing and gas permits and only a WSSC-registered master plumber or gasfitter can apply. Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services handles building permits, and the Town of Chevy Chase requires its own permit for larger projects such as additions, and won't approve it until the County permit is issued; other incorporated villages have their own steps. If you smell gas, leave first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.