Resources
Plumbing guides for DMV homeowners
What to watch for, what to do in the first ten minutes, and when to call.
Plumbing Guide
Frozen pipes causing ceiling damage
What to do when a frozen pipe bursts into the ceiling or walls, how the repair works, and what sets the cost in a DMV home. Urgent plumbing is scheduled within 48 hours. Call (240) 695-4415.
Read the guide →Plumbing Guide
Repair the water heater or replace it
Age, what failed, and the one symptom that ends the conversation. How to decide without being sold to.
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Why the same drain keeps blocking
Grease, roots, bellied pipe and venting. The four reasons a line blocks again, and how to tell which one you have.
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A pipe has burst. What to do first
The first ten minutes decide how expensive this gets. Shutting off, draining down, and what to leave alone.
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Why the water pressure dropped
One fixture or the whole house, sudden or gradual. Those two questions narrow it to a short list.
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Tank or tankless water heater
What each one actually suits, what the install involves, and where tankless costs more than people expect.
Read the guide →Plumbing Tips
Toilet keeps running in Silver Spring? What now? 5 easy fixes
Toilet keeps running? 5 easy fixes Silver Spring and Bethesda homeowners should know, the 15-minute food coloring test, and when it's time to call a licensed plumber.
Read the guide →Plumbing Tips
The toilet leak trick everyone in a DC row house misses
Water around the toilet in a DC row house? The paper towel trick that tells a real leak from a sweating tank, and why tightening the bolts can crack the toilet.
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12 things your plumber wishes Arlington homeowners knew
12 things plumbers wish Arlington homeowners knew, from where the main shutoff is to why Arlington runs its own water and sewer, before the next leak.
Read the guide →Plumbing Tips
Kitchen sink won't drain in Bethesda? 6 things to try before you call
Kitchen sink won't drain in Bethesda? 6 things to try before you call, from the disposal reset button to the trap under the sink, and when it's the main line.
Read the guide →Plumbing Tips
Replace your bathtub drain? What Capitol Heights homeowners should know
Slow or leaking bathtub drain in Capitol Heights? What to try first, when to replace the drain, and why old galvanized and cast iron pipe changes the answer.
Read the guide →Home Value
Selling in Clinton? 8 plumbing problems home inspectors flag
Selling in Clinton? 8 plumbing problems home inspectors flag, from an old water heater to slow drains, and why public sewer vs septic changes the inspection.
Read the guide →Cost Guide
What moves the price of a plumbing repair
Access, pipe material, repair or replace, and what the fault turns out to be. The five things that move a plumbing price, and why a phone quote is a guess.
Read the guide →Common Problem
Is it the drain or the sewer line?
More than one drain backing up, gurgling toilets, sewage smell or a wet patch in the yard. How to tell a main line problem from a blocked drain.
Read the guide →Maintenance
The yearly plumbing checklist
The yearly plumbing checks that head off the expensive calls, from the water heater flush and the shutoffs to outside taps before the freeze, supply lines and pressure.
Read the guide →Process
How we find a hidden leak
Meter test, isolating the system, narrowing it down by zone, then one opening instead of five. What happens on a leak detection visit and what it costs you in walls.
Read the guide →Cost Guide
What moves the price of a water heater replacement
Tank size, gas or electric, venting, location and what the code now asks for. What sets a water heater replacement price, and why we quote only after a look.
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What moves the price of a sewer line repair
Depth, what sits over the pipe, spot repair or replacement, and where the public line begins. What sets a sewer repair price, and why the camera goes first.
Read the guide →Cost Guide
What moves the price of drain cleaning
One fixture or the main line, cable or jetter, cleanout access, and whether a camera is worth it. What sets a drain cleaning price, and what a cheap one skips.
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When plumbing fails around DC, month by month
What the DC area weather does to pipes, drains, sewer lines and water heaters in each season, what to do first when something fails, and what to settle with any plumber before work starts.
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How much does drain cleaning cost in Washington, DC?
Published DC figures put drain cleaning at $182 to $390, averaging $282 (Angi). What moves a rowhouse drain price, and how a written price from us is built.
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How much does it cost to replace a 50 gallon water heater in Maryland?
HomeAdvisor puts the average Maryland water heater install or replacement at $1,322 in Greenbelt and $1,084 in Columbia. What moves a 50 gallon job, and how we quote it.
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What does sewer line repair cost in Silver Spring, MD?
Homeyou puts a Silver Spring sewage leak repair at $1,447 to $2,115 on average, and HomeAdvisor's Olney sewer main average is $2,531. What sets yours, and how our camera audit works.
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How much does a plumber charge to find a hidden leak in Northern Virginia?
We could not find a reliable published figure for finding a hidden leak in Northern Virginia on any of the cost sites we checked. What sets the fee, and how our leak plan works.
Read the guide →Cost Guide
What is the average price to repipe a house with galvanized pipe in Prince George's County, MD?
No published source prices a galvanized repipe in Prince George's County. The fixture count, the walls opened and WSSC rules set it. Here is how we write it up.
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Repiping a house around DC: cost, time, permits and pipe
What a whole house repipe costs around Washington, DC, what moves the price, how the walls are opened, the permits in DC and Maryland, and PEX against copper.
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