Burst Pipe Repair in Clarksburg, MD

Clarksburg's housing and water

Clarksburg grew from an old crossroads into one of the newest suburbs at the top of the I-270 corridor. Its median home was built in 2010, and roughly 84 percent of housing units went up between 2000 and 2019. That likely means PEX or copper supply lines, modern valves and a basement. It also means many water heaters, supply hoses and fixture valves are reaching the age when they start to fail. WSSC Water serves most addresses, though some properties on the rural edges are categorized for private wells.

What to do now

1. Close the main valve. In most Clarksburg homes it is in the basement or utility room where the line enters, often near the water heater.
2. Keep away from water touching outlets, cords or a finished basement's electronics; cut power to that area if the panel is dry and reachable.
3. Open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain the lines.
4. Switch off an electric water heater at the breaker, or set a gas model to pilot.
5. For a break in the street or near the meter, call WSSC Water's Emergency Service Center at 301-206-4002.
6. Take photos before moving anything, then start drying out.

Signs and likely causes

What affects cost

• Pipe type; PEX and copper repairs use different fittings and tools
• Whether the break is in a finished basement ceiling or an open utility room
• Whether a fire sprinkler line is involved
• Digging on the customer side of the service line
• After-hours timing

WSSC is responsible for the service line from the main to the property line; the owner is responsible from the property line into the house. WSSC also notes that homes built from 2007 to 2009 were required to have testable backflow assemblies on residential fire sprinkler systems, which need testing every year.