Plumbers in Fairfax Station, VA

A railroad stop turned residential area

Fairfax Station started in 1851 as a stop on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, and the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum keeps that history. Today it is a mostly residential, car-dependent part of southern Fairfax County, a census-designated place of 12,420 people (2020 Census) about 18 miles from downtown Washington. Ox Road (Route 123) and the Fairfax County Parkway are the main routes, and St. Mary's Church, Burke Lake Park and Brimstone Hill are local landmarks. The median home dates to about 1982.

Water service and your side of the line

Fairfax County lists Fairfax Water, the Fairfax County Water Authority, as the provider for county residents. Its supply comes from the Occoquan Reservoir at the Griffith plant and the Potomac River at the Corbalis plant. Chloramines are the normal disinfectant from July through March, with free chlorine from April through June. Fairfax Water's analyses show moderately hard water, so a water heater that hasn't been flushed in years may be carrying sediment and scale.

Fairfax Water owns the meter and its setting. Every pipe on the property, including the service line from the street meter or valve to the main shutoff in the house, belongs to the homeowner. On larger lots, that yard line can be long, and a soft spot in the grass or an unexplained jump in the bill is often the first sign it is leaking. Customer service is 703-698-5800, with an automated after-hours option. Owners can report their line's material through the Lead Free Fairfax survey.

If you're unsure whether your home is on public water and public sewer, your utility bills are the quickest check, and the plumber you're connected with will ask.

Sewer and backflow

Where public sewer exists, Fairfax County's Wastewater Management program runs it, and the owner maintains the private lateral under County Code 65-6-1. For a backup, the county's 24-hour line is 703-323-1211. Backflow assemblies on underground lawn irrigation systems must be tested when installed, every year after and when repaired or replaced, under Fairfax Water's cross-connection program run with Fairfax County (571-722-7653).

Permits

Fairfax County Land Development Services, at 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 324, in Fairfax (703-222-0801), issues residential plumbing and Household Appliance permits through PLUS. Gas water heater and furnace replacements need a permit even like for like, and new gas piping needs a residential plumbing permit.

Gas

Washington Gas serves most of Fairfax County. If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

Compared with the District

DC homes sit on small lots with short service lines and DC Water on every street. Fairfax Station homes often have longer private lines and county oversight. Call with your road and the problem, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who sets price and timing with you.