Silver Spring sits on WSSC Water's public sewer, but the pipe running from your house to the WSSC connection is the owner's to repair, and in a 1960s-era neighborhood that pipe is often clay or cast iron. A plumber registered with WSSC handles the repair under a WSSC permit. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Silver Spring.
Silver Spring is an unincorporated edge city right on the District line, with a dense downtown wrapped by older residential streets inside the Beltway. The typical home here dates to about 1964, and blocks around Woodside Park, Long Branch and Lyttonsville have plenty of houses older than that. Sewer laterals from that period were commonly laid in vitrified clay or cast iron. Both last a long time, but clay joints let roots in and cast iron rusts and scales from the inside until waste starts catching. WSSC Water owns the mains under the streets and runs plumbing inspections for this part of the county out of its Lyttonsville depot.
What to do right now
- Stop using water everywhere in the house, including the washer and dishwasher, so nothing more drains toward the backup.
- Look outside. If sewage is rising from a manhole or running in the street, call WSSC Water's emergency line at 301-206-4002.
- If only your house is affected, keep people and pets away from the overflow at the basement floor drain or lowest toilet.
- Find the outdoor cleanout if you have one, but don't open it yourself if the line is full; it can spill.
- Take photos of any water damage for your records and your insurer.
- Call the number on this page to reach a plumber who can clear the line and run a camera.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Floor drain fills when the washer empties | Blockage in the main line past the drain |
| Toilets and tubs slow at the same time | Roots or a sag in the building sewer |
| Line clears, then backs up again within weeks | Broken or offset pipe holding debris |
| Sewer odor in the basement with no visible spill | Cracked cast iron or a dry trap |
| Soggy patch in the yard along the pipe route | Collapsed or separated section |
What affects the cost
- Pipe material and depth, and whether the damage is one spot or the whole run
- Access in tight Silver Spring lots: fences, mature trees, steps and retaining walls
- Repair method, from a point repair to a full liner or a new section
- Breaking concrete if the problem is under a basement slab
- WSSC permit and inspection, plus restoring the surface
Sewer Line Repair questions in Silver Spring
Sewage is coming up through a basement floor drain. What should I do first?
What are sewer lines under older homes here usually made of?
Why do tree roots keep getting into my sewer line?
Can heavy summer storms push sewage into my basement?
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