Emergency Plumber in Sterling, VA

Signs you need help tonight

• A pipe or fitting has burst and water is spreading
• Wastewater coming up through a tub, shower or basement drain
• Water pooling around the base of the water heater
• A crack in a pipe that froze in a crawlspace or exterior wall
• No water in the house while the neighbors have service
• Any gas smell

Small drips and slow drains can wait for a weekday. Water that keeps moving into floors and walls cannot.

Sterling's housing and utilities

Sterling is older than most of Loudoun County. It began with the Sterling Park development in the early 1960s, and about 43 percent of homes in ZIP 20164 were built before 1980. Houses of that age often have original valves, older drain lines and water heaters in tight closets, which is where many emergency calls start.

Sterling is unincorporated, so Loudoun Water provides its public water and sewer. Loudoun Water's after-hours emergency line is 571-291-7878, and customer relations is 571-291-7880. Call Loudoun Water for a break in the street, a damaged hydrant or a problem at the meter, or when sewage backs up in several homes at once. A leak inside the house, a failed water heater or a backup only in your home is a plumber's work. Loudoun Water states its system has no lead service lines.

Gas service in Loudoun County is split between Columbia Gas and Washington Gas, with propane in places neither reaches, and many homes are all-electric. Your gas bill names your utility. If you smell gas, leave first, then call 911 and that utility from outside; propane homes call 911 and their propane supplier.

What affects cost

• Time of the call. Nights, weekends and holidays usually carry a higher service charge.
• Age of the plumbing. Corroded fittings or stuck valves in older homes can add time.
• Access. Finished basements and tiled walls take longer to open and close.
• Permits. A water heater replacement or new gas piping needs plumbing or gas trade permits from Loudoun County Building and Development, filed under a parent building permit.

What happens when you call

You'll reach an independent plumber who handles urgent jobs in Sterling. Give the address and a nearby road such as Sterling Boulevard, Route 28 or Route 7, say whether the main is closed, and describe what you see. Ask how after-hours pricing works. No arrival time is promised.