If you smell gas in a Damascus home, leave first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1, from outside; homes on propane should call 911 and their propane supplier. For house-side repairs and new gas lines, call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Damascus.
Signs the gas piping needs attention
- A rotten-egg odor indoors. Get out and call from outside before anything else.
- A hiss at the meter, a propane regulator or an appliance shutoff
- Burner flames that turn yellow, sooty or uneven
- A pilot light that won't stay lit
- Dead grass or bubbling puddles over a buried line to a barn, shop or outdoor appliance
- A propane tank draining faster than in past seasons
Gas service and housing in Damascus
Damascus is a historically rural community in upper Montgomery County, where MD 27, MD 108 and MD 124 meet, about 26 miles from downtown Washington. Its homes are older than most of upcounty: the median was built in 1984, about 35% of houses predate 1980 and another 37% went up in the 1980s. That means plenty of original steel gas piping with decades of appliance changes tapped into it.
Washington Gas serves Montgomery County, with BGE serving parts of it, so your bill names your company. Out toward the family farms and equestrian properties, some homes have no gas main and run on propane or electricity. WSSC Water permits and inspects all natural gas and propane installations in Montgomery County, and gas appliance replacements need a WSSC-registered plumber or gasfitter.
What affects the cost
- Run length, especially to detached garages, shops or outbuildings
- Trenching and backfill for buried lines on larger lots
- Natural gas versus propane regulators and fittings
- Replacing worn sections of 1970s and 1980s steel pipe
- Upsizing when a range, tankless heater or generator is added
- The WSSC permit and inspection
A small connector or valve repair is usually quick; a long new run across a rural lot is a larger project with more digging and testing.
What happens when you call
The number on this page connects you with an independent plumber who takes gas work in the Damascus area. Say whether the home is on Washington Gas, BGE or propane, which appliance is involved and how far it is from the meter or tank. If the job involves a buried line, mention any outbuildings, fences or paddocks along the route. The plumber will explain the WSSC permit, the pressure test and how appliances are relit afterward.
Gas Line Services questions in Damascus
What if the house runs on propane instead of utility gas?
Do I need to call 811 before a buried gas line is dug?
Can gas be piped outdoors to a grill, fire pit or generator?
Which gas company serves my address, and where does its part end?
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