For a burst pipe in Burke, turn off the main water valve and stay out of areas where water has reached outlets or cords. A plumber can track down the failure, replace the cracked section and test the line. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Burke.
Are Burke homes at higher risk?
Burke stayed rural into the mid-1900s, then filled in quickly with Kings Park, Lake Braddock and later the Burke Centre planned community. The median home was built in 1979. That puts many houses at the age when original supply lines, shutoff valves and connectors start to wear. Split-level and rambler layouts often run pipe through garage walls and lower-level rooms with little insulation, which are the spots that freeze first during a cold snap. In attached homes, a burst in one unit can also soak the one next door.
Whose pipe is it, and who do I call?
Fairfax Water supplies Burke. It owns the service line up to and including the meter; past the meter, the line is the customer's. If water is coming up at the street or the meter box, call Fairfax Water at 703-698-5800 on weekdays or its after-hours emergency line, 703-698-5613. A break on your side of the meter, outdoors or indoors, is a private repair. Fairfax Water keeps an online inventory of service line materials and asks owners to report what their side is made of.
Will the repair need a permit?
Fairfax County Land Development Services lists permits as required for new, repaired or relocated plumbing fixtures, with an exemption for like-for-like replacement in the same location. A short patch on an existing line usually falls on the simple side; rerouting pipe or replacing a long run may not. Permits are filed online through PLUS, and LDS answers questions at 703-222-0801. The plumber you are connected with can explain which applies to your repair.
A note for Burke owners
If your Burke yard has an irrigation system, keep in mind that Fairfax County requires the testable backflow assembly on lawn irrigation to be tested every year by a county-authorized tester and again after a repair, so a freeze-cracked assembly needs a test once it is replaced. Drain outdoor lines and disconnect hoses before winter. If a gas smell shows up while you are dealing with the leak, leave the house and call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1, from outside.
Burst Pipe Repair questions in Burke
Who pays to fix a leak between the water meter and the house?
How do we keep an empty house from flooding during a winter trip?
What should I record for an insurance claim?
A pipe is frozen but has not split yet. What should I do?
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