If your Manassas water heater is leaking, making rusty water or failing to keep up, a replacement is usually the better investment than another repair. Inside city limits, the City of Manassas Development Services issues the building permits for equipment covered by the Virginia building code, while Manassas addresses outside the city go to Prince William County. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Manassas.
What happens when you call
The number on this page connects you with an independent plumber who covers Manassas. Expect a few questions: how big the heater is, whether it's gas or electric, where it sits and whether it's leaking. If water is spreading, close the cold valve above the tank and shut off the gas or breaker.
On the visit, the plumber checks the tank, the vent, the gas or electric supply and the shutoff, then prices a like-for-like unit and any upgrade you want to see.
What moves the cost
- Fuel type, capacity and efficiency rating
- A gas-to-electric or electric-to-gas switch, with the venting or wiring that brings
- Whether the heater is in a garage, basement or closet
- Code items such as an expansion tank or drain pan
- The City permit, or the County permit for addresses outside city limits
- Haul-away of the old unit
Manassas conditions that matter
The City runs its own water, sewer and electric utilities. Its water comes mainly from Lake Manassas on Broad Run, treated at the City plant and disinfected with chlorine, with Prince William Water supplying extra water during peak demand or emergencies. The City reports total hardness of 47 ppm, noticeably softer than most of the region, so scale builds more slowly in a tank here. Sediment still settles over the years, so an annual flush is still a good habit.
Gas in Manassas is Columbia Gas of Virginia territory, not Washington Gas. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and Columbia Gas of Virginia at 1-800-544-5606 from outside. The City's after-hours line, 703-257-8353, covers City electric, water and sewer problems, not gas. The median home in the city was built in 1985, so many heaters are second or third replacements.
Checklist before the plumber arrives
- Clear the area around the heater
- Write down the label details: gallons, fuel and manufacture year
- Know where the main water shutoff and gas valve or breaker are
- Confirm whether your address is inside city limits, since that sets the permit office
- Ask that the quote list the permit and disposal
- Move stored items away from the tank so the old one can be drained and carried out
Water Heater Replacement questions in Manassas
Does replacing a water heater here need a permit?
What should I do if I smell gas near the water heater?
Is it worth adding a water softener with the new heater?
Can I change from gas to electric, or the other way around?
More plumbing services in Manassas
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