Water Heater Replacement in College Park, MD

A quick look at College Park

College Park mixes early 20th-century neighborhoods such as Calvert Hills and Old Town with newer apartments and mixed-use buildings along US 1. The city's median home dates to about 1979. Many basement water heaters here sit next to older galvanized or copper piping and a shared chimney flue, so a replacement often involves a little more than unbolting one tank and setting another. The Lakeland area is low-lying and has a history of flooding, which matters for heaters on a basement floor.

If your basement has taken on water before, ask about raising the new heater on a stand or adding a pan, and check whether a gas unit's burner sits low enough to be at risk. In rental houses near campus, the owner is usually the one who arranges and pays for a replacement, so tenants should report a leak to the landlord right away rather than waiting.

What to do right now

1. If water is spreading, close the cold water valve on the pipe above the heater.
2. For a gas unit, turn the gas control to off. For an electric one, switch off its breaker.
3. If you smell gas, skip the steps above. Leave the house, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1, from outside.
4. Move stored boxes away from the heater and put down towels or a shop vacuum.
5. Take a photo of the data plate showing size, fuel and model.
6. Call for a plumber. Water and sewer emergencies outside the house go to WSSC at 301-206-4002.

Symptoms and likely causes

What affects cost

• Tank size, fuel and efficiency, or a switch to tankless
• Venting changes, especially where an old chimney flue is shared with a furnace
• Access down narrow basement stairs in older houses
• Code items such as an expansion tank, pan or relief line
• The WSSC permit and inspection, plus disposal