If your Falls Church water heater is leaking or has gone cold, a few quick steps limit the damage, and a plumber can usually trace the cause to a worn part, a valve or sediment. A tank leaking from its body needs to be replaced. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Falls Church.
Falls Church in brief
The City of Falls Church is a small independent city just inside the Beltway. Its median home dates to 1971, and about half the homes are older than that, so basements with older gas piping, venting and shutoff valves around the water heater are common. Water is supplied by Fairfax Water from the Potomac River and the Occoquan Reservoir, with some customers receiving Washington Aqueduct water; tests at Fairfax Water's Potomac plant show total hardness of about 70 to 185 mg/L, enough to leave sediment in a tank over time. Gas service is Washington Gas.
The Falls Church mailing area spreads well beyond the city into Fairfax and Arlington counties. Inside the city, the Department of Code Administration handles permits; Falls Church-addressed homes outside the city are permitted by Fairfax County or Arlington County. If you are not sure which side of the line you are on, your tax bill or water bill will tell you, and the plumber will want to know before any replacement work.
What to do right now
- Gas smell: leave the house first. From outside, call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.
- Active leak: close the cold-water valve on the supply to the heater.
- Energy off: flip the breaker for an electric unit, or turn the gas control to off.
- Protect the basement: move stored items and lay towels toward the floor drain.
- Quick checks: look for a tripped breaker or a pilot that has gone out.
- Gather details: photograph the label and note any sounds or smells.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Pilot will not stay lit | Thermocouple, dirty burner or gas control |
| Electric unit cold | Element, thermostat or high-limit reset |
| Short hot water supply | Sediment, broken dip tube or lower element |
| Rusty hot water | Spent anode or internal corrosion |
| Dripping relief valve | Excess pressure or temperature, or valve wear |
| Water pooling at the base | Drain valve, fitting or tank failure |
Cost factors
- The specific part and whether it is common
- How much sediment has to be cleared
- Updating old gas connectors, valves or venting in older basements
- Tight access around furnaces and laundry equipment
- Evening or weekend timing
Water Heater Repair questions in Falls Church
Does water heater work here need a permit?
Is it worth fixing a water heater that is 10 or more years old?
Why is the relief valve pipe on my tank dripping?
Why does my hot water smell more like chlorine in the spring?
More plumbing services in Falls Church
Water Heater Repair nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
- City of Falls Church new resident checklist
- City of Falls Church Code Administration
- Falls Church housing by year built (city-stats.com)
- Falls Church, Virginia (Wikipedia)
- Fairfax Water annual water quality report
- Fairfax Water: Corbalis plant finished water analyses
- Fairfax Water: water quality
- Washington Gas: safety and emergency leak line
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