Water Line Repair in Annandale, VA

Annandale conditions

Annandale is an older inner-ring part of unincorporated Fairfax County that grew fast after World War II, with Koreatown along Little River Turnpike and neighborhoods such as Lake Barcroft and Ravensworth around it. Its median home was built in 1968, among the oldest housing in the county, so many houses still have their original-era plumbing. A service line that has been in the ground that long may be due for replacement even if the first leak looks small.

Fairfax Water supplies the area from the Potomac River and the Occoquan Reservoir. It notes that inside meters are common in houses built from 1971 to 1980, and in that case it owns only the meter and remote reader; the line from the street valve into the house is the homeowner's. Fairfax Water also keeps a service line material inventory and runs a Lead Free Fairfax survey for owners to report the pipe on their side.

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Signs of a failing line

• A soggy patch or small sinkhole between the street and the house
• Rusty water after the house sits overnight
• The meter's leak indicator turning with everything shut
• Damp block or efflorescence where the pipe enters the basement
• Pressure that fades when two fixtures run at once

Seasonal timing

Late winter is when many older lines give up, after freeze and thaw cycles have worked at weak joints. A spring chlorine taste is usually Fairfax Water's annual switch from chloramines to free chlorine, not a sign your pipe is failing. If the leak is at the meter, call Fairfax Water at 703-698-5800. Fairfax County Land Development Services requires permits for new, repaired or relocated plumbing through PLUS; the plumber can say what your job needs and pull the permit. Plumber Washington DC Pros is a referral service rather than a plumbing company; your call reaches an independent local plumber who works in Annandale.