A gas odor in an Alexandria home means leaving first, then calling 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1, once you are outside. Repairs and new gas lines beyond the meter fall to the owner and, inside city limits, are permitted by the City's Department of Code Administration. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Alexandria.
How gas work runs in Alexandria
Washington Gas serves Alexandria. Its responsibility covers the main and the meter; once the pipe leaves the meter, it belongs to the property owner, along with every branch to the furnace, boiler, water heater, range and dryer.
Inside the city, the Department of Code Administration's Permit Center processes residential fuel gas permits under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, with applications filed online through the APEX system. Watch the address, though. Many homes with an Alexandria mailing address, in ZIPs such as 22306 through 22312 and 22315, sit in unincorporated Fairfax County, and those properties are permitted by Fairfax County rather than the City.
The city's median home dates to 1974, and the range is wide: 18th- and 19th-century rowhouses in Old Town, early 20th-century houses in Del Ray and Rosemont, and high-rise buildings in the West End and Potomac Yard. In the oldest houses, gas pipe has often been rerouted more than once as kitchens moved and coal or oil heat was converted, so a plumber may find abandoned branches that were never properly capped.
Repair, extend or replace
| Situation | Usual approach | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leak at a single fitting or valve | Repair the joint or replace the valve | Retest the line before relighting |
| Adding a range, dryer or fireplace | Extend from a branch with enough capacity | Sizing depends on total appliance load |
| Switching to a tankless water heater | Often a larger line from the meter | Tankless units draw far more gas at full fire |
| Corroded or patched piping throughout | Replace sections or re-pipe the gas system | Common in heavily remodeled older homes |
Signs to act on
- A sulfur smell near an appliance or the meter: leave, then call from outside
- Burners that lift off the ports or burn yellow
- Soot around a vent or a stuffy feeling in the room when the heat runs
- A dead plant patch over the route of a buried line to a grill or outbuilding
Seasonal notes
Fall is when many Alexandria furnaces and boilers start up after months of rest, and it is the season when weak connectors and sticky valves get noticed. Before winter, check that carbon monoxide alarms work on every level. In spring and summer, outdoor kitchen and grill lines are the common request, and any buried run should wait until the utility lines in the yard are marked through 811.
Gas Line Services questions in Alexandria
I smell gas inside. What should I do first?
Does new gas piping need a permit here?
What gas piping problems show up in older homes?
Will a tankless water heater need a larger gas line?
More plumbing services in Alexandria
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