Emergency Plumber in Clifton, VA

Emergencies worth a call tonight

• Water spraying from a pipe, fitting or water heater
• No water at all, which on a well often means the pump, its controls or a power loss
• Drains backing up throughout the house
• A pipe that froze in an old exterior wall or crawlspace and burst
• Any smell of gas or propane

A dripping faucet or slow sink can wait. Water soaking old floors and plaster should not.

How Clifton is different

The Town of Clifton is a tiny historic village in southwestern Fairfax County, and its plumbing works differently from the suburbs around it. The town has no water system; homes rely on private wells, and new houses must have a lot big enough for a well and an onsite wastewater field. Public sewer is available only to existing buildings that meet Fairfax County guidelines, so many homes are not on municipal sewer and use a private onsite wastewater system. When drains back up in one of those homes, the problem may be in the line to the tank or the system itself rather than a public main.

There's no natural gas utility in town either. Residences keep their own propane tanks. If you smell gas, leave the house, then call 911 and your propane supplier from outside, and don't relight anything until it's been checked.

The median home in Clifton was built in 1940, so original piping, older valves and drafty crawlspaces are common, and frozen pipes are a real winter risk. Outside the town, the wider 20124 ZIP code covers a much larger area where some homes may be on Fairfax Water (703-698-5800); service there varies by address.

What affects the cost

• Timing. Nights, weekends and holidays usually cost more.
• Well equipment. A failed pump, pressure tank or switch needs a plumber who works on wells.
• Older materials. Decades-old pipe and fittings can take more time to cut out and replace.
• Permits. Fairfax County issues building permits, but the Mayor or a designee must sign the application first; for interior-only work, the town clerk provides a letter to the county.

When you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who takes urgent work around Clifton. Say whether the house is on a well and an onsite system, what failed, and whether the water is off. A landmark such as Main Street, Clifton Road or Chapel Road helps. No arrival time is promised.