Water Heater Repair in Chevy Chase, MD

Signs it's time for a service call

• No hot water, or water that never gets beyond warm
• Hot water running out faster than it used to
• Rumbling or crackling as the burner fires
• Rust-colored water from hot taps only
• Water on the basement floor near the tank
• A sooty smell or scorch marks near the burner opening

Local conditions in Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase has some of the oldest housing in Montgomery County. In ZIP 20815, about two-thirds of homes were built before 1980, and more than 2,600 date from 1939 or earlier. Water heaters in those houses usually sit in basements alongside a furnace or boiler, sometimes sharing an old chimney flue, and the gas line and valves feeding them may be decades older than the tank. A sooty burner or a pilot that keeps going out can point to a venting problem rather than the heater itself, which is worth having checked.

WSSC Water provides water and sewer service. Its report notes UV disinfection at both treatment plants, residual chlorine in the distribution system and an orthophosphate corrosion inhibitor. Gas comes from Washington Gas; if you smell gas, get out of the house first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

Permits have an extra layer here. Plumbing and fuel gas permits come from WSSC Water, and only plumbers and gasfitters registered with WSSC can apply, so a gas water heater replacement is a job for one of them. "Chevy Chase" also covers an unincorporated area plus several separately incorporated towns and villages. The Town of Chevy Chase, for example, requires its own permit for larger projects and won't approve it until the county permit is issued. A plain heater repair doesn't trigger those steps, but a remodel that moves the heater might.

What affects cost

Price depends on the failed part, how accessible the heater is in an older basement, and whether corroded fittings, a stuck shutoff or flue repairs turn up along the way. A replacement adds the WSSC permit and, in larger homes, possibly a bigger or different type of unit.

What happens when you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Chevy Chase. Say whether the heater is gas or electric, how old it is and what you've noticed, and mention which town or village you're in if you know it.