Plumbers in Lanham, MD

A Beltway suburb by New Carrollton

Lanham sits along the Capital Beltway about 9 miles from downtown Washington in a straight line, across the highway from the New Carrollton Metro and Amtrak station. It is fully built out, mixing neighborhoods with offices and commercial employers, and Doctors Community Hospital is a local landmark. Annapolis Road and Lanham Severn Road are the main streets. The Lanham mailing address (ZIP 20706) covers more ground than the Lanham census area, including Seabrook, but all of it is unincorporated Prince George's County, so the same county and WSSC rules apply.

Built in the 1960s

The median Lanham home was built around 1969. Houses of that age are often running original copper or galvanized supply lines, cast iron or early plastic drains, and sewer laterals that have been in the ground for more than half a century. Typical calls include low water pressure, pinhole leaks, slow kitchen drains from years of buildup, roots in the lateral and a water heater squeezed into a utility room that was sized for a smaller tank. Before a remodel, it is worth having a plumber look at the supply and drain lines you will be closing up behind new walls.

Water and sewer

WSSC Water supplies drinking water and wastewater service across Prince George's County, including Lanham. Its water comes from the Potomac River through the Potomac Water Filtration Plant and from the Patuxent River's Triadelphia and T. Howard Duckett reservoirs through the Patuxent plant. WSSC uses residual chlorine as the disinfectant and adds a corrosion inhibitor to protect pipes on customer property. No hardness value appears in its report. Call WSSC at 301-206-4002 for water and sewer emergencies, or 301-206-4001 for billing.

WSSC owns the water service line from the main to the property line, and the homeowner owns the rest into the house. WSSC's "What's Your Pipe Type?" program maps customer-side materials at wsscwater.com/LCR-map and notes some customer-side galvanized lines need replacing, which is worth checking in a 1960s home.

Permits and licensing

• Prince George's County DPIE issues no plumbing permits; WSSC Water Permit Services (301-206-4003) issues and inspects them. DPIE handles building permits.
• Water heater replacements and testable backflow devices need a permit.
• WSSC requires a holder of its license for water and sewer service line repairs and replacements, interior repiping and all gas work, including gas water heater and furnace replacement.

Gas safety

Washington Gas serves Prince George's County, and BGE serves some areas, so check your bill. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and the Washington Gas Emergency Leak Line, 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1, from a safe place.

Compared with the District

Inside Washington, the same jobs go through DC Water and the DC Department of Buildings. In Lanham, WSSC is both the utility and the plumbing permit office. When you call, give your street and what you are seeing, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who sets the price and timing with you.