Commercial Plumbing in Lanham, MD

Local conditions in Lanham

Lanham sits along the Beltway next to the New Carrollton Metro and Amtrak station, with office and commercial employers, Doctors Community Hospital and residential neighborhoods such as Seabrook. The Lanham mailing name stretches beyond the community itself, but it is all unincorporated county. The median home dates to 1969, and many nearby commercial buildings are from the same era, so original cast iron drains, copper supply and older water heater rooms are common.

Prince George's County's DPIE issues no plumbing permits. WSSC issues and inspects them, with a satellite office inside DPIE (Permit Services 301-206-4003), and water heater replacements and testable backflow devices need a permit. WSSC also requires a professional holding its license for service line repairs, repiping and all gas work. Backflow assemblies on fire sprinkler lines, chemically treated boilers and irrigation have to be tested every year, and after installation, repair or relocation, by a journeyman or master plumber with a WSSC license who is a certified cross-connection technician. The county cross-connection line is 301-206-8601.

WSSC owns the water service line from the main to the property line, and the owner is responsible from there into the building. Washington Gas serves the county, though BGE serves some areas, so confirm on the bill. If anyone smells gas, get out, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (927-4427), option 1, from a safe place.

Repair or replace?

Signs to watch

• Recurring clogs in ground-floor restrooms
• Water stains spreading on ceiling tiles
• Rust-colored water after a shutdown
• A boiler or heater room floor that's always damp
• A backflow device leaking from its relief valve

Timing notes

Schedule shutdowns for drain work and water heater swaps around office hours or weekend closures. Before winter, check that backflow assemblies and pipes in unheated stairwells, loading docks and garages are insulated.