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Tankless Water Heater in Fort Washington, MD

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From Tantallon and Fort Washington Forest to the homes along Route 210, get connected with a plumber who repairs and installs tankless heaters in Fort Washington.

No hot water from your tankless unit in Fort Washington?
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If a tankless water heater in Fort Washington has stopped heating, start with power, the gas supply and the vent before assuming the unit has failed. Any gas repair or replacement has to be done by a gasfitter registered with WSSC Water, which permits plumbing and gas work in Prince George's County. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Fort Washington.

Wall-mounted tankless water heater with copper and PEX lines in a bright laundry room, tankless water heaters in Fort Washington, MD

About Fort Washington homes

Fort Washington stayed rural until about 1960, and the median home here was built around 1980, so most houses have a basement or garage with room for a wall-mounted heater. Riverfront homes and larger houses off Livingston Road and Old Fort Road often have long pipe runs to upstairs bathrooms, which affects how quickly hot water arrives. Water and sewer come from WSSC Water. Washington Gas serves Prince George's County, though BGE serves some areas of the county, so the bill tells you which utility you have.

What to do now

  1. Note the error code. Most units show a number on the front panel; write it down.
  2. Restore power. Check the breaker and any outlet the unit plugs into. Without electricity a gas tankless heater won't fire.
  3. Check other gas appliances. If the range won't light either, the problem is upstream of the heater.
  4. Clear the vent. Look outside for leaves, ice or debris over the intake and exhaust.
  5. Test one tap. Open a single hot faucet fully; very low flow may not trigger ignition.
  6. Stop there. Don't remove the cover or work on the gas valve; that's work for a registered gasfitter.

If you smell gas at any point, leave the house first, then call 911 and the Washington Gas Emergency Leak Line at 844-WASHGAS (927-4427), option 1, from outside. If your gas bill is from BGE, call BGE's emergency line instead.

Call now to be connected with a local plumber in Fort Washington.
(202) 915-7612

Symptoms and what they usually mean

SymptomLikely cause
No hot water and no displayTripped breaker, unplugged unit or failed board
Burner lights, then shuts offFlame sensor, gas pressure or venting fault
Hot water weak only in winterUnit too small for cold incoming water
Water temperature swingsScale in the heat exchanger or a dirty inlet screen
Water dripping from the unitCondensate line problem or internal leak

Cost factors

  • A descaling flush and filter cleaning costs far less than a new fan, board or heat exchanger
  • Gas pipe or venting corrections bring in a WSSC Water permit and inspection
  • Replacing the whole unit needs a WSSC permit, since the county requires one for water heater replacements
  • Access in finished basements and the age of nearby valves and connectors

Tankless Water Heaters questions in Fort Washington

Should I repair or replace a tankless unit that keeps showing error codes?
Look at the age of the unit and what the code points to. Sensors, igniters and fans are replaceable parts; a leaking heat exchanger on an older unit usually tips the decision toward a new heater, which needs a WSSC permit in Fort Washington.
Will a gas tankless heater work during a power outage?
No. A gas tankless heater uses electricity for its controls and fan, so it shuts down in an outage. Some owners add a small backup power source sized to the manufacturer's specifications.
How often should a tankless heater be flushed?
Plan on once a year as a starting point. WSSC adds an orthophosphate corrosion inhibitor and disinfects with chlorine but doesn't publish a hardness number for Fort Washington, so the plumber can adjust the schedule after seeing the first flush.
What causes a burst of cold water partway through a shower?
A few seconds of cold between bursts of hot water is common with tankless units. Water left in the pipe cools, and the burner needs a moment to fire again. Recirculation or a small buffer tank can smooth it out.

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