Takoma Park has one of the oldest housing stocks around, with a median build year of 1954 and a Victorian-era core, so galvanized steel supply lines and patchwork repairs are common. A repipe replaces that old pipe with PEX or copper when rust, low flow or leaks keep returning. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Takoma Park.
What pipe is likely inside a Takoma Park house?
Takoma Park was laid out in 1883 as a commuter suburb on the District line, and its large historic district is full of older homes. Houses from the late 1800s through the 1950s were commonly plumbed with galvanized steel, sometimes alongside earlier materials, and nearly all have seen piecemeal repairs since. Galvanized pipe rusts from the inside, so the opening slowly narrows until flow at upstairs fixtures drops off and water runs brown after sitting overnight.
Copper replaced galvanized in many homes during later remodels, often one bathroom or kitchen at a time. The result is a mix of materials joined at many transitions, and those joints are frequent leak points.
How do I find out whether my service line is lead or galvanized?
WSSC Water supplies water and sewer service here, and its What's Your Pipe Type? program inventories service line materials on both the utility-owned and customer-owned portions. It verifies lines listed as lead, unknown or galvanized, and helps customers replace lead lines on either portion. WSSC says the line is part utility-owned and part customer-owned, and asks customers planning to replace their own portion to notify it. Looking up your address before a repipe tells you whether the incoming line belongs in the same project.
How hard is the water on new pipe?
WSSC water comes from its Potomac or Patuxent plant, and which one serves an address varies. Potomac plant water averages about 140 mg/L of hardness and Patuxent plant water about 64 mg/L. That is moderate, so scale is a slow build-up at valves and fixtures, not a threat to new lines. WSSC disinfects with chlorine. If old galvanized lines have been shedding rust, expect the water to run clearer once new pipe is in.
One local note
Older Takoma Park houses often have plaster walls, tight crawlspaces and basements with low ceilings. Plumbers typically route new lines through the basement and up inside closets or chases to limit wall openings. Plumbing permits come from WSSC Water, and the work has to be done by a plumber registered with WSSC Water. Ask how plaster will be patched and whether that is in the quote.
Repiping questions in Takoma Park
How can I tell whether my house still has galvanized steel pipe?
What changes when the walls are plaster instead of drywall?
Should the buried service line be replaced at the same time?
Will new pipe fix weak water pressure?
More plumbing services in Takoma Park
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