Water Heater Replacement in Sterling, VA

How to tell it's time

• A damp ring, puddle or rust stain on the floor under the tank
• Hot water that comes out cloudy, brown or with flakes
• A heater that rumbles, pops or hisses while heating
• Showers going lukewarm earlier than they used to
• Corroded connections on top of the tank
• A unit old enough that you can't remember when it went in

A heater under ten years old with one failed part may still be worth repairing. Ask the plumber to check before you commit to a new unit.

Sterling homes, water and gas

Sterling is one of the older parts of Loudoun County. It began with the Sterling Park development in the early 1960s, and about 43 percent of homes in ZIP code 20164 predate 1980, with many more from the 1980s. Older homes can mean worn shutoff valves, dated venting and utility rooms built for smaller tanks, which can add steps to an otherwise simple swap.

Loudoun Water supplies Sterling with Potomac River water, using Goose Creek reservoirs as needed, treated at its Trap Rock facility and at Fairfax Water's Corbalis plant and disinfected with chloramine. Its annual water quality report lists hardness if you're weighing a softener. For water emergencies such as a main break, Loudoun Water's after-hours line is 571-291-7878.

Loudoun County is split between Columbia Gas and Washington Gas, with propane where neither reaches, so your bill names your gas utility. If you smell gas, leave the house, then call 911 and that utility from outside; propane homes call their supplier.

What affects cost

• Fuel type, tank size and efficiency
• Updating older venting, valves or connectors
• Loudoun County trade permits, filed as sub-records of a parent building permit
• Expansion tank and drain pan
• Haul-away of the old heater

When you call

You'll reach an independent plumber who works in Sterling. Have the heater's capacity, fuel and age ready. If it's leaking, close the cold supply valve and turn off the gas or breaker. Ask whether the quote covers the County permit and disposal so you can compare offers on the same terms. In older Sterling Park houses, also ask whether the price allows for replacing a stiff shutoff valve or an aging flue connector, since those are easiest to fix while the old heater is out.