Plumbers in Suitland, MD

Next door to the District

Suitland sits about a mile southeast of the Washington line and roughly 6 miles from downtown in a straight line. It grew quickly after federal offices arrived during World War II, and the Suitland Federal Center, home of the U.S. Census Bureau, is still its best-known address. Three Green Line stations, Suitland, Naylor Road and Branch Avenue, serve the area, along with Suitland Parkway, MD 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue), MD 5 (Branch Avenue), MD 218 (Suitland Road) and MD 458 (Silver Hill Road). Suitland has no city government; Prince George's County and WSSC Water fill those roles.

Older houses, original pipe

The median Suitland home was built around 1973, so many houses still have the supply and drain piping they were built with. After fifty years or more, that tends to show up as pinhole leaks, galvanized lines that have lost pressure, cast iron drains that crack or scale up, and water heaters tucked into tight utility closets that are awkward to replace. A plumber may suggest a camera look at the sewer lateral before a big repair.

Water and sewer from WSSC

WSSC Water supplies water and sewer service across Prince George's County, including Suitland. Its water comes from the Potomac River and the Patuxent River reservoirs and is disinfected with chlorine; WSSC also adds a corrosion inhibitor that coats pipes on customer property. For a main break or sewer overflow, call the WSSC Emergency Services Center at 301-206-4002. General questions go to 301-206-4001.

WSSC is responsible for the part of the water service line that connects to the main, and the owner has the stretch from the property line into the house. WSSC's service line map is at wsscwater.com/LCR-map, and its "What's Your Pipe Type?" program says some customer-side galvanized lines need replacing.

Permits and rules

• WSSC Water is the permit and inspection agency for plumbing and gasfitting in Prince George's County (Permit Services 301-206-4003). The county's DPIE handles building, electrical and mechanical permits.
• Homeowners may not do any gasfitting work, and gas water heater replacements need a plumber or gasfitter holding a WSSC license.
• Water and sewer service line repairs and replacements also require a plumber with a WSSC license.
• A testable backflow assembly on record with WSSC must be tested yearly by a certified cross-connection technician.

If you smell gas

Washington Gas and BGE each serve parts of Prince George's County, so the company named on your gas bill is the one to call. Get everyone out of the house first. Once you are outside, call 911 and your gas utility's emergency line. Some homes and apartments here are all-electric and have no gas service at all.

How Suitland differs from the District

Cross into Washington and the water utility becomes DC Water and permits come from the DC Department of Buildings. In Suitland, the same work goes through WSSC. When you call, give your street and describe the problem, and you will be put through to an independent plumber who agrees on price and timing with you.