Water Line Repair in Gaithersburg, MD

Gaithersburg conditions

Gaithersburg's median home was built in 1989, younger than the inner-ring suburbs closer to the District, but the city still mixes very different housing. Old Town, around the MARC station, has the oldest streets, while planned communities like Kentlands and the subdivisions off I-270 and MD 124 came later. In the newer areas, a service line problem is more often a loosened fitting or a pipe damaged during later yard work than a pipe that has simply worn out.

WSSC Water runs the mains here and posts its own Gaithersburg water main repairs. For work on your property, WSSC is the inspection agency for plumbing, while the City of Gaithersburg handles building permits separately. WSSC's homeowner permit route does not cover below-grade piping deeper than four feet or connections to WSSC service connections, so a buried service line job is normally handled by a plumber registered with WSSC Water.

Spot repair or full replacement?

Signs the line needs attention

• A soft, green or sunken strip between the meter and the house
• Pressure falling at every fixture at once
• A WSSC bill rising while household use stays the same
• Water seeping through the basement wall where the line enters
• Hissing at the main valve with every tap closed

Timing and seasons

Winter is when many leaks surface. Freezing nights stress the shallow section where the line rises into the house and any pipe in a cold crawlspace or garage, and frozen ground makes excavation slower. Spring brings its own round of discoveries when irrigation systems start up and the ground thaws. If you can see a slow leak but have pressure, there is usually time to schedule the repair and the permit properly; a gushing break calls for closing the main valve and calling right away. If water is coming up in the street, report it to WSSC Water at 301-206-4002.