Rockville is unusual because the City of Rockville supplies about 70% of the city from its own Potomac River treatment plant, and WSSC Water serves the rest. With public water on both systems, a private well pump is rare here, and pressure problems usually trace to valves, service lines or fixtures. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Rockville.
Do Rockville homes have well pumps?
Very few. Roughly 54,000 people on about 13,500 accounts get their water from the City system, which treats Potomac River water at a City plant and buys water from WSSC when that plant is offline. Everyone else in Rockville is on WSSC Water, which also draws on the Potomac. The City publishes a Water Service Provider Map so you can look up which system serves your address. If you find a pressure tank and well cap on your property, you are one of the exceptions, and a plumber who services pumps and tanks is the right call.
Why did my pressure drop if I don't have a pump?
The likely list is short. A pressure-reducing valve near the main shutoff wears out with age, and Rockville's median home was built in 1980, so many original valves have had a long run. A leak on the service line between the property line and the house lowers pressure and raises the bill. Clogged aerators or shower cartridges cut flow at one fixture only. Some homes have a booster pump; if yours does, its switch, tank and check valve fail much like a well system's would. When the whole street loses water at once, the problem sits with the utility, so call whichever system serves your address.
Who issues the permit for the repair?
It depends on your water provider. For a water heater permit, City-water addresses go to the City's Department of Community Planning and Development Services, while WSSC-water addresses get plumbing permits from WSSC Water Permit Services. The same split is worth knowing for any plumbing job. Your plumber will confirm which office applies once you know your provider.
A Rockville note
Because the City sometimes switches to purchased WSSC water, you might notice small changes in taste or pressure during those periods. A temporary, area-wide change like that is the utility's matter. A change that affects only your house, or a pump that runs, clicks or hums without delivering water, is a job for a plumber. Older neighborhoods like Twinbrook, built after the war, can also have supply pipe that narrows over time, which is worth checking during the same visit.
Well Pump Repair questions in Rockville
Who do I call about a problem on the utility side of the meter?
Pressure dropped and I am on public water. What is the likely cause?
Who issues permits for plumbing work tied to a well system?
What can I check safely before the plumber gets here?
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