Burst Pipe Repair in Greenbelt, MD

What happens when you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Greenbelt. Expect a few questions: Is the main off? Where is the water showing up? Is the pipe copper, plastic or old gray steel? Is the house a detached home, a townhouse or a unit in one of the city's cooperative or garden-apartment buildings? In shared buildings, the shutoff for your unit may be separate from the building's main, and the board or management office may need to know.

On site, the plumber confirms the source before opening walls, cuts away the split or corroded length, joins in new pipe and fittings, then restores water slowly while watching every nearby joint. If the break froze, they'll look for other cold spots along the same run, since one crack often has a neighbor.

What affects the cost

• Getting to the pipe. A line exposed in a utility room is faster than one inside a block or plaster wall.
• Material. Older galvanized pipe may crumble when cut, so more of it has to go.
• Number of breaks. A deep freeze can split a pipe in more than one place.
• Permits. Larger work may need a WSSC Water permit and, for projects that need a county building permit, a City of Greenbelt permit too.
• Hour. Late-night and holiday calls usually cost more.

Greenbelt conditions

Greenbelt began as a New Deal planned community, and its median home was built in 1976, so plenty of houses and apartments still have original plumbing from the 1930s through the 1970s. WSSC Water supplies water and sewer service; the city sends residents to WSSC's 24-hour Emergency Service Center at 301-206-4002 for breaks in the street or at the meter. Part of the service line is WSSC's and part belongs to the customer, and WSSC asks owners to let it know before replacing their portion.

WSSC's tap water analysis shows water from its Potomac plant averaging about 140 mg/L of hardness and water from its Patuxent plant about 64 mg/L, and the plant serving a given address varies. Scale matters more for valves and water heaters than for pipe walls. If you have gas appliances and smell gas, get out and call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

Before the plumber gets there

• Main valve closed and a low faucet opened to drain the lines
• Breaker off for any wet room
• Water heater off or on pilot
• Photos of the break and damage
• A clear path to the basement, utility closet or crawlspace