Commercial Plumbing in Mount Rainier, MD

Local conditions in Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is an early-1900s streetcar suburb on the DC line, bordering Woodridge, with many Sears kit houses and Craftsman homes and a large National Register historic district. Its commercial strip runs along US 1 with more along Queens Chapel Road, 34th Street and Bunker Hill Road. With the median home built in 1952, galvanized supply pipe, cast iron drains and older sewer laterals are likely in many buildings, and small mixed-use buildings with apartments over shops are especially prone to shared-line problems.

Even though the city borders the District, DC Water's rules don't apply here. WSSC Water supplies water and sewer, and its tap water report gives the Potomac plant a yearly average hardness of about 140 mg/L and the Patuxent plant about 65 mg/L, with no statement of which plant serves which neighborhood. WSSC issues permits for and inspects plumbing and all natural gas and LP gas work in Prince George's County, and most of it must be done by a plumber or gasfitter holding a WSSC license (Permit Services 301-206-4003). The city's Code Compliance Department issues city building permits and notes that some permits come from the county. Testable backflow assemblies have to be tested every year and after installation or repair by a certified cross-connection technician; WSSC doesn't test them itself. The county cross-connection line is 301-206-8601.

Repair now or replace?

Signs to call about

• Brown water when a tap first opens
• Drains backing up into a basement or ground-floor shop
• Sewer smell along an interior wall
• Pressure that drops when two fixtures run
• Damp spots on basement walls near the service entry

Timing and seasonal notes

Older basements and crawlspaces under storefronts are the first places to freeze in a cold snap, and heavy summer storms push water toward floor drains. Planning a repipe or lateral replacement for a slow season, or between tenants, is easier than an emergency in January. If anyone smells gas, leave first, then call 911 or Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.