Emergency Plumber in Alexandria, VA

How Alexandria is served

Inside the City of Alexandria, drinking water comes from Virginia American Water, which buys treated water from Fairfax Water's Potomac River and Occoquan Reservoir plants. Many homes with an Alexandria mailing address, in ZIP codes such as 22306 through 22312 and 22315, are actually in unincorporated Fairfax County and are generally on Fairfax Water instead; the water bill tells you which. The city owns and maintains the sanitary sewers and the city-owned parts of laterals, and AlexRenew treats the wastewater. Part of Old Town is served by a combined sewer system.

The median home in the city was built in 1974, and blocks in Old Town and Del Ray are much older than that. Original valves, aging drain lines and older water heaters are common sources of late-night calls.

Who to call for what

Signs that should not wait

• Water dripping through a ceiling or pooling on a basement floor
• Gurgling and sewage odor from the lowest drain in the house
• A rusty puddle forming beneath the water heater
• A hiss inside a wall with a sudden drop in pressure

For gas, Washington Gas runs the leak line: 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1. Leave first, then call 911 and that number from outside.

Seasonal notes

Hard freezes can split pipes in exterior walls and unheated spaces, and heavy summer storms can push water toward basement drains, especially near the combined sewer area in Old Town. The city offers homeowners a reimbursement for backflow preventers installed on sewer laterals, which is worth asking about once the emergency is over. Gas and plumbing permits for city addresses go through the Department of Code Administration, while Fairfax County handles addresses outside city limits. Nights and weekends usually cost more than a weekday visit, and no arrival time is promised.