If a pipe bursts in a McLean home, close the main water valve right away and keep out of any area where water has reached outlets or the electrical panel. A plumber can track down the failure and replace the damaged section. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in McLean.
McLean's water and housing
Fairfax Water supplies McLean. Most of its customers get water from its own plants on the Potomac River and the Occoquan Reservoir, while some receive Potomac water treated by the Washington Aqueduct. Fairfax Water owns the service line up to and including the meter; past the meter, the line is the customer's. For a problem at the meter or in the street, call Fairfax Water at 703-698-5800 on weekdays or its after-hours emergency line, 703-698-5613.
The median home in McLean was built in 1976, and neighborhoods near Langley, Lewinsville and Old Dominion Drive hold plenty of houses from the 1950s and 1960s, many since enlarged. Additions often put new plumbing next to original lines, and the joints where old meets new are a common failure point. Large houses with long runs across crawlspaces, garages and attic spaces have more pipe exposed to cold air.
Repair choices
| Situation | Usual approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One split from freezing | Replace a short section | Fast and contained if the pipe around it is sound |
| Break inside a finished wall | Open a small access, repair, then patch | Moisture readings narrow the spot first |
| Leak in the yard service line | Spot repair or a new line from the meter | Depends on age, depth and material |
| Repeated failures in an older section | Replace that branch | Patching aging pipe tends to move the leak |
Warning signs
- Water stains spreading on a ceiling or along a baseboard
- A sudden pressure drop at several faucets
- Running water heard in a wall when no fixture is open
- Ice on an exposed pipe in a garage or crawlspace during a cold snap
Seasonal notes
January and February nights bring the most calls, especially after a stretch of hard freezes followed by a thaw. Outdoor kitchens, pool equipment and irrigation lines need to be drained before winter. Fairfax County requires lawn irrigation backflow assemblies to be tested every year by a county-authorized tester, so a replaced assembly after a freeze needs a test too. Fairfax County Land Development Services issues permits for new, repaired or relocated plumbing, with an exemption for like-for-like replacement in the same spot; your plumber can tell you which applies.
Burst Pipe Repair questions in McLean
Water is bubbling up near the street or the meter box. Who do I call?
Does a burst pipe repair need a permit here?
An outdoor spigot or irrigation line split. Is that a plumbing job?
How does a plumber find a break hidden behind drywall?
More plumbing services in McLean
Burst Pipe Repair nearby
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