Plumbing Inspection in Herndon, VA

Herndon conditions

Herndon is an incorporated town with a historic downtown, the W&OD Trail and Silver Line access, and the median home was built around 1983. Many houses are at the age where original water heaters, shutoffs and pressure regulators need replacing.

Inside town limits, the Town of Herndon runs water and sewer. It buys finished water from Fairfax Water, mainly from the Corbalis plant on the Potomac, where hardness averages about 7.5 grains per gallon, so scale is a reasonable thing to check. The Town keeps a service line inventory and reports no lead lines found. Herndon-addressed homes outside the town, such as some south of the Dulles Toll Road, are under Fairfax County rules and usually Fairfax Water.

Gas is split too. Columbia Gas of Virginia serves the Town; some outside addresses are on Washington Gas. The utility named on the gas bill is the one that applies. During the visit the plumber can look over appliance connectors, shutoff valves at each gas appliance and the water heater's venting, which is where most gas-related findings show up in a house of this age.

Common findings and what usually happens

Signs it's time

• A purchase with an inspection contingency
• An irrigation system with no recent test report
• Gurgling fixtures or recurring slow drains
• A water heater past its expected life

Timing and permits

The Town requires backflow devices in town, including irrigation systems, to be tested every year by a certified tester, with results sent to Town Building Inspections; spring, before the sprinklers go on, is a sensible time. Have outdoor spigots looked at before the first freezing nights. Inside the town, plumbing and gas permits come from Town Building Inspections; outside it, from Fairfax County Land Development Services. If you smell gas, leave first, call 911, then Columbia Gas at 1-800-544-5606 or Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1, whichever is on the bill.