Gas Line Services in Triangle, VA

Local conditions

Triangle is a community in southeastern Prince William County, wedged between Dumfries, Prince William Forest Park and Marine Corps Base Quantico, and home to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Housing is mostly newer; the median home was built in 1999. If you rent, the landlord normally arranges gas repairs, but everyone in the house should still know the emergency steps and where the meter is. Homes from the late 1990s and 2000s generally have sound original piping, so most calls involve connectors, appliance swaps and additions rather than worn-out pipe.

Prince William County says both Columbia Gas of Virginia and Washington Gas run distribution systems in the county. No single utility covers every Triangle street, so check your bill and keep that company's emergency number handy. Some homes are all-electric.

Triangle is unincorporated, so the County's Building Development Division issues permits (703-792-6930). For a gas water heater, such as a tankless unit in an existing home, a gas permit covers the piping and venting, and a plumbing permit is added when water piping is extended more than 10 feet or its material changes.

Repair or upgrade?

Signs to watch

• A rotten-egg smell: leave and call from outside
• Burners with yellow tips or uneven flames
• Hissing at a valve or behind an appliance
• Dark residue around a vent

Timing and seasons

Furnace start-up in the fall is when weak connectors and pilot problems tend to surface, so it's a good time for a check. In winter, keep the meter and any sidewall vents clear of snow. Outdoor gas lines are easiest in warm months, after utilities have been marked through 811. Moving season also brings requests to cap lines left behind when a gas dryer or range leaves with its owner.