Water Line Repair in Lanham, MD

Lanham's housing and water lines

Lanham is a fully built-out, unincorporated suburb along the Capital Beltway beside the New Carrollton Metro and Amtrak station. The median home was built in 1969, so many service lines have been in the ground for more than half a century. That puts plenty of houses in the range where galvanized pipe or early copper joints start to fail. WSSC's What's Your Pipe Type? program and inventory map show what is recorded for an address, with verification and replacement prioritized for those most at risk, and WSSC notes that some customer-side galvanized lines require replacement.

WSSC Water owns the line from the main to the property line. For water bubbling up in the street or at the meter, call its emergency number, 301-206-4002. Between the property line and the house, repairs are the homeowner's to arrange.

Repair or replace?

Signs to watch for

• Muddy ground or a depression between the curb and the front of the house
• Rust-tinted water from the cold tap first thing in the morning
• The meter turning while everything is off
• Dampness on the basement wall where the line comes through
• A hissing or rushing sound near the main shutoff with all taps closed
• Higher WSSC bills from one cycle to the next with no new usage

Seasonal timing

Freezing nights can split a shallow line close to the foundation or in an unheated crawlspace, and the damage often shows up only after a thaw. Late winter and early spring are when soggy patches tend to surface. Summer has its own risk: dry, shrinking soil can shift around an old pipe and stress a joint that was already weak. Year round, WSSC requires service line repairs and replacements to be done by a plumber who holds a WSSC license, with permits issued and inspected by WSSC rather than the county.