Plumbers in Chevy Chase, MD

Maryland's Chevy Chase, not the DC neighborhood

There is also a Chevy Chase neighborhood inside Northwest DC, so it helps to be clear. This page covers the Maryland side, about 7 miles from downtown Washington, which grew as an 1890s streetcar suburb along Connecticut Avenue developed by Senator Francis Newlands' Chevy Chase Land Company. Today it is a mix of the unincorporated Chevy Chase area and several separately incorporated municipalities, including the Town of Chevy Chase, with Chevy Chase Lake to the north and Friendship Heights shopping on Wisconsin Avenue. Jones Bridge Road, Jones Mill Road and Beach Drive cut through.

A very old housing stock

In ZIP 20815, about two-thirds of homes were built before 1980 and more than 2,600 date to 1939 or earlier. Large old single-family houses here often carry galvanized supply lines, cast iron and sometimes clay drain lines, old basement floor drains and multiple rounds of remodeling. Repiping, sewer lateral repair, low pressure, slow drains and gas line work for kitchen and laundry remodels are the bread and butter.

WSSC Water, not DC Water

Even right at the District line, water and sewer come from WSSC Water. It has added UV disinfection at both filtration plants, keeps a chlorine residual in the system and adds orthophosphate to limit corrosion. WSSC says it removed all known lead pipe within its distribution system in the early 2000s and that water leaving its plants is free of lead; it keeps a service line map at wsscwater.com/LCR-map and notes that homes with a lead service line may need to flush longer. Water and sewer emergencies go to 301-206-4002.

Three layers of permits

• Plumbing and fuel gas: WSSC Water. Only WSSC-registered master plumbers and gasfitters can apply, and gas water heaters, furnaces, appliance replacements and service line repairs need someone holding a WSSC license (301-206-4003).
• Building: Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services in Wheaton, 240-777-0311.
• Town level: the Town of Chevy Chase issues its own permits for construction, demolition, additions of 500 square feet or more, decks, walls, driveways, pools, fences and right-of-way work, and will not approve a town permit until the County permit is issued. Other incorporated villages may have their own steps.

Irrigation backflow assemblies need a field test every spring by a certified cross-connection technician.

Gas leaks

Washington Gas serves the area. If you smell gas, get out first, then call 911 and the Washington Gas Emergency Line, 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

When you call

Tell us your street and, if you know it, which town or village you live in. You will be connected with an independent local plumber who sets the price and schedule with you.