Commercial Plumbing in Lorton, VA

About Lorton

Lorton runs along I-95 and Route 1 between Fort Belvoir and the Occoquan River. Most of its buildings are fairly new, with the 2000s the biggest building decade and only about 17% of homes in ZIP 22079 built before 1980. Retail, offices, contractor yards and light industrial space make up much of the commercial mix.

What to do now

1. Turn off the water at the fixture or the building's main valve.
2. Smell gas? Leave. Once outside, call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.
3. Sewage backup? Call Fairfax County's Customer Communications Center at 703-323-1211, any hour, to have the County main checked. The private lateral is the owner's responsibility under County code.
4. Main break in the street? Report it to Fairfax Water's after-hours line, 703-698-5613.
5. Document it. Take photos and note the time, which helps with landlords and insurers.
6. Call for a plumber and say whether the business needs to stay open.

Signs and likely causes

Lorton's water comes from Fairfax Water, which draws on the Occoquan Reservoir, treated at the Griffith plant near Lorton with ozone and granular activated carbon, and on the Potomac River at its Corbalis plant. Disinfection is chloramine most of the year and free chlorine roughly April through June, so a spring chlorine taste is normal. Wastewater goes to the County's Noman M. Cole, Jr. Water Recycling Facility. Testable backflow assemblies are tested at installation, after repair and at least yearly under the Fairfax Water and County program.

Cost factors

• Building size and number of fixtures
• Locating underground leaks across lots and yards
• Permits through Fairfax County LDS in PLUS
• After-hours scheduling
• Whether a backflow assembly passes on the first test or needs parts
• Water heater replacements, which Fairfax County permits even like-for-like

Fairfax Water's finished water is moderately hard to hard, so ask about flushing commercial water heaters while the plumber is on site.