Plumbing Inspection in Bowie, MD

When Bowie owners and buyers ask for one

• A purchase contract with an inspection contingency
• A water heater of unknown age, or one that rumbles when it fires
• Gurgling toilets or a slow basement floor drain
• Rust-colored stains in fixtures or a water bill that jumped
• Plans to finish a basement or add a bathroom

Bowie-specific things a plumber checks

Bowie is split between two utilities. The City runs its own water and sewer for the Levitt-era sections, including Somerset, Tulip Grove, Kenilworth, Foxhill, Meadowbrook, Whitehall, Heather Hills and Yorktown, and WSSC Water serves the rest of the city. The bill tells you which applies. City water comes from five wells in the Magothy, Patapsco and Patuxent aquifers and is treated to remove naturally occurring iron and manganese, while WSSC areas draw on the Potomac and Patuxent rivers.

The City says its Levitt homes were built with copper service connections, so it has no lead service lines in its water area. In WSSC areas, WSSC publishes a service line inventory map at wsscwater.com/LCR-map. Either way, the plumber looks at the pipe where it enters the house and at the main shutoff beside it.

The median Bowie home was built around 1981, but much of Belair dates to the early 1960s. In those houses, sewer laterals under mature trees, original drain lines and decades-old valves get the closest look. In the City's sewer area, Bowie maintains only the mains, and it says breaks or blockages in the house connection are usually the owner's responsibility, which is a good reason to add a camera run.

What affects the cost

• House size, bathroom count and whether there's a finished basement
• Adding a sewer camera run and locating any defects
• How easy it is to reach the water heater, cleanouts and main shutoff
• Whether you need a written summary for a contract deadline

What happens when you call

We connect you with an independent local plumber who works in Bowie. Have the address, the neighborhood name and any contract dates ready. If a repair follows, plumbing permits in Prince George's County come from WSSC Water rather than the county, and the county says a water heater replacement needs one. Bowie's gas utility is Washington Gas; if you smell gas, get out first and call 911 and 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.