Temple Hills is unincorporated Prince George's County, so WSSC Water runs the public sewer and issues plumbing permits. Most homes and apartment buildings here went up between the 1950s and 1970s, and their original sewer lines are a frequent source of backups. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Temple Hills.
Temple Hills is mostly garden apartments, duplexes and single-family neighborhoods built from the 1950s through the 1970s, near the Green Line and Joint Base Andrews. The median home dates to about 1973. The Temple Hills mailing address also covers Marlow Heights, Hillcrest Heights and other nearby areas, all on the same county and WSSC arrangement. With drain lines this age, cracked joints, roots and corroded cast iron come up often. Here is how to respond.
What to do now
- Stop all water use in the home: no flushing, laundry, dishes or showers.
- Step outside and check the street. An overflowing manhole or backups at several homes are a WSSC Water emergency: 301-206-4002.
- In a duplex or apartment, tell your neighbor, landlord or property manager, since the line may be shared.
- Keep children and pets away from the water, and use gloves if you must move anything.
- Don't use chemical drain cleaners on a backed-up main line.
- Call the number on this page and explain which drain backed up first.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Water rises in the basement drain when upstairs fixtures run | Blocked or collapsed building sewer |
| Toilet gurgles after a shower | Partial blockage trapping air in the line |
| Clogs return within weeks | Roots through cracked joints, or scale in cast iron |
| Your unit and the one next door both back up | A shared line problem, or the public main if more homes are involved |
| Soggy, smelly ground over the line | A break leaking into the soil |
Cost factors
- Pipe material and how much has deteriorated
- Depth and length of the damaged run
- Whether the line serves one home or several
- Pavement, stoops or landscaping over the route
- Lining versus excavation, plus the WSSC permit and inspection
Prince George's County issues no plumbing permits itself. WSSC handles them and requires sewer service line repairs and replacements to be done by a plumber holding its license, so the plumber who does the work files the permit. For an apartment or duplex, the owner or association usually arranges that work, so tenants should report a backup to them right away and keep a record of when it happened.
Sewer Line Repair questions in Temple Hills
Who is responsible for the sewer pipe between my house and the main?
Sewage is coming up through a basement floor drain. What should I do first?
What are older sewer lines in this area usually made of?
Can a broken sewer line be fixed without digging up the whole yard?
More plumbing services in Temple Hills
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