Plumbing Inspection in Olney, MD

Olney conditions

Olney was mostly farmland until the 1960s and is now a largely residential suburb centered on the Georgia Avenue and Olney-Laytonsville Road crossroads, about 13 miles north of the District. The median home was built around 1986, so many houses are on their second water heater and still have original fixture valves, pressure regulators and toilet internals.

WSSC Water supplies the core of Olney, and the Patuxent reservoirs that feed one of its treatment plants border the north side of the area. WSSC's tap water analysis lists average hardness near 64 mg/L for Patuxent plant water and about 140 mg/L for Potomac plant water; which plant serves an address varies. The Olney master plan notes public water was extended to Mt. Zion to relieve well problems, and that some outlying properties sit outside the sewer envelope or can't be reached by gravity sewer. Those homes are on a private onsite wastewater system.

Comparing inspection setups

Signs to have it done

• A water heater that's original or of unknown age
• A sprinkler system with no record of a recent backflow test
• Toilets that run, or valves that drip under sinks
• Low or uneven pressure on the upper floor
• Damp spots on the basement floor near the water heater

Timing and seasonal notes

Lawn irrigation backflow assemblies need a yearly test reported at spring start-up by a plumber who is a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician. Homes built from 2007 to 2009 may also have a testable dual check on the fire sprinkler line that must be tested or replaced, so a buyer looking at a house from those years should ask. In late fall, before hard freezes, the plumber can confirm outdoor faucets and irrigation lines are drained. Repairs in WSSC areas go through a WSSC Water permit. Olney's gas service varies by address, so check your bill; if you smell gas, leave the house, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.