Repiping in Riverdale, MD

Signs your supply lines are failing

• Brownish water from a tap that has not been used for a while
• Pressure that has slowly weakened throughout the house
• Leaks at threaded joints on gray steel pipe
• Copper with recurring pinholes
• Rust stains in sinks and tubs

Riverdale conditions

Riverdale (ZIP 20737) is a postal name that covers the Town of Riverdale Park, an older streetcar-suburb town just south of College Park along US 1, plus nearby unincorporated areas such as Riverdale Heights. With a median build year of 1957, many homes date from the early and middle 20th century and can still have galvanized steel supply pipe, sometimes mixed with copper.

WSSC Water supplies the area. Part of the service line is WSSC's and part belongs to the customer, and WSSC asks customers planning to replace their portion to notify it. WSSC's What's Your Pipe Type? program helps customers identify and replace lead service lines on both the utility and customer portions. WSSC's tap water analysis puts Potomac plant water at an average of 140 mg/L hardness and Patuxent plant water at 64 mg/L.

Plumbing and gas work in WSSC territory generally needs a plumber holding a WSSC license and a WSSC permit, and interior re-piping is included. Building permits are handled by Prince George's County. Older houses are often renovated in stages, so it is common to find galvanized steel feeding one bathroom and newer copper or PEX feeding another. The plumber will trace which runs are original before recommending how much to replace.

Cost factors

• Number of floors and fixtures
• Plaster or drywall, and how much must be opened
• Basement access for running main lines
• PEX or copper
• Replacing the customer-side service line at the same time
• WSSC permit and inspection

When you call

You will be connected with an independent plumber who serves Riverdale. Tell them the age of the home, whether the pipe you can see is gray steel or copper, and where leaks or rusty water have shown up. The plumber will inspect the visible pipe and explain the options, including whether the service line should be replaced at the same time.