Plumbers in Mount Rainier, MD

A streetcar suburb on the DC line

Mount Rainier received its city charter on April 14, 1910, and borders Washington's Woodridge neighborhood, about 4 miles from downtown in a straight line. US Route 1 is its main street, with Queens Chapel Road (MD 500), MD 501, Bunker Hill Road and 36th Street crossing town. Much of the city lies in the Mount Rainier Historic District on the National Register, full of Sears kit houses and Craftsman homes.

The oldest housing in this part of the county

The median Mount Rainier home was built around 1952, and many are far older. In houses like these, plumbers routinely find galvanized supply pipe narrowed by corrosion, cast iron drains and stacks, older sewer laterals of clay or cast iron, and generations of patches. Weak upstairs pressure, brown water after a shutoff, sewer smells from cracked pipe and roots in the lateral are all familiar. A camera inspection of the lateral and an honest look at the supply lines are good first steps before any major repair or renovation.

Water, hardness and sewer

The city runs no water system; WSSC Water supplies water and sewer service. WSSC's tap water analysis shows water from its Potomac plant averaging 140 mg/L of hardness, and water from its Patuxent plant averaging 65 mg/L, without saying which plant serves which address. Scale is a modest issue at those levels, but it shows up in tankless heaters and faucet aerators.

Part of each water service line belongs to WSSC and part to the property owner. WSSC's "What's Your Pipe Type?" map, drawn from more than a century of plumbing records, lets you look up your address and flags lead, galvanized lines needing replacement, or unknown material. WSSC banned lead for service lines in 1954, so in a house older than that, checking the map is worthwhile. Water and sewer emergencies go to 301-206-4002.

City and WSSC permits

• WSSC Water issues permits for and inspects plumbing and all natural gas and LP gas installations (Permit Services 301-206-4003). Most work must be done by a plumber or gasfitter holding a WSSC license.
• The City of Mount Rainier's Code Compliance Department issues city building permits and notes some permits come from Prince George's County, so a remodel can involve both.
• Furnace and gas water heater replacements generally need a WSSC permit.
• Testable backflow assemblies must be tested every year by a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician; the county cross-connection line is 301-206-8601.

Gas safety

Washington Gas serves Prince George's County, with some areas served by BGE, so confirm on your bill. If you smell gas, leave the house immediately, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

How Mount Rainier differs from the District

The houses look much like those across the line in Woodridge, but in Washington DC Water and the Department of Buildings handle the work. Here it is WSSC plus a city permit desk. When you call, tell us your street and what is going on, and you will be connected with an independent local plumber who sets the price and timing with you.