Emergency Plumber in Glenn Dale, MD

The leak is in my front yard. Is that mine or WSSC's?

It depends where in the yard. WSSC Water owns the service line from the water main to the property line, and the homeowner owns the rest, from the property line into the house. A wet spot by the curb or in the road is WSSC's to investigate; call its Emergency Service Center at 301-206-4002. A soggy patch closer to the house, or water hissing in the basement where the line comes in, is usually on the owner's side and calls for a plumber. In Prince George's County, water and sewer service line repairs must be done by a plumber holding a WSSC license, under a WSSC permit.

My house is fairly new. What usually goes wrong?

Glenn Dale's median home was built in 1991, newer than the inner-Beltway towns to the west. Emergencies here tend to involve water heaters reaching the end of their life, washing machine and ice maker hoses, frozen pipes in exterior walls or above garages, and sump pumps that quit during heavy summer storms. Irrigation systems add another one: testable backflow assemblies must be tested each year by a certified cross-connection technician, and a device that cracked over the winter can leak hard at spring start-up.

What if I smell gas and don't know who my gas company is?

Leave the house first. Then call 911 from outside, and call your gas utility using the emergency number on the gas bill. Washington Gas serves much of Prince George's County, but some areas are served by BGE, so the bill is the reliable way to tell. Many homes are all-electric; an odor still deserves a 911 call. After the utility makes the line safe, any gas piping repair goes through a WSSC permit and a qualified gasfitter.

One local note

When you call, give the address and a nearby road such as Annapolis Road, Glenn Dale Boulevard or Good Luck Road, and say whether the main is off. Building permits here come from Prince George's County DPIE in Largo, while plumbing permits go through WSSC. No arrival time is promised; it depends on the hour and the plumber's schedule.