Water heater repair in Arlington, VA

Potomac water by way of the Washington Aqueduct

Arlington County does not treat its own water. The county's Department of Environmental Services buys finished water wholesale from the Washington Aqueduct, a federal system run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that also supplies the District of Columbia. The Aqueduct pulls raw water from the Potomac at Great Falls and Little Falls and treats it at the Dalecarlia and McMillan plants before it crosses the river into Arlington's mains and storage tanks.

Potomac water is moderately hard, and the mineral load rises in dry late summers when the river runs low and drops after heavy rains upstream. A tank in a Bluemont or Arlington Forest basement that has never been drained will usually hold a layer of white and tan scale by year six or seven, and the popping noise it makes during a burn is a common reason for a service call. Tankless owners in Arlington generally plan on descaling the heat exchanger every year.

The Aqueduct disinfects with chloramine for most of the year and switches to free chlorine for several weeks each spring to clean the pipes. Chloramine is harder on some rubber gaskets and flapper seals, and the springtime chlorine smell at the hot tap is normal rather than a sign of a failing heater.

Garden apartments, colonials and towers

Arlington built thousands of brick garden apartments in the 1930s and 1940s, as federal workers flooded in. Colonial Village, Buckingham, Fairlington, Lyon Park's apartment blocks and the courts along Columbia Pike still define whole neighborhoods. Many have been converted to condos, and in those units the water heater often sits in a closet off the kitchen or bath, sometimes stacked beside a furnace or air handler with only inches to spare.

In single-family areas such as Cherrydale, Lyon Village, Westover, Leeway Overlee, Rock Spring and Arlington Forest, the typical house is a brick or frame colonial, Cape Cod or bungalow with a basement. The heater usually stands in an unfinished corner of that basement near the furnace and laundry tub. Many basements have since been finished, and in those the tank ends up boxed into a small mechanical room, which is fine until it leaks onto new carpet or drywall.

Along the Rosslyn to Ballston corridor, in Crystal City, Pentagon City and the newer parts of Columbia Pike, high-rise apartments and condos often give each unit its own small electric tank in a closet. Building rules on access, elevator reservations and insurance certificates add steps to any replacement there.

Winter cold and basement moisture

Arlington gets a real winter. In January and February the Potomac runs cold enough that water reaches homes in the low 40s, so a 40-gallon tank shared by a family of four can run short at the end of a second shower. That is when plumbers hear the most complaints about lukewarm water, and the fix is often a larger tank, a higher setting with a mixing valve, or a closer look at a failing dip tube.

Summer thunderstorms bring a different problem. Heavy downpours overwhelm older storm drains and push water through basement walls and floor drains in low spots near Four Mile Run, Lubber Run and Spout Run. A gas heater whose burner sat in even a few inches of water should not be relit until it has been inspected, and a floor-standing tank in a basement that floods every few years is a good candidate for a raised stand.

The problems plumbers see most in Arlington

• Scale-choked tanks knocking and popping in colonial basements on hard Potomac water.
• Leaks inside finished basements that soak carpet and drywall before anyone notices.
• No-room replacements in garden apartment closets where a modern tank barely fits.
• Orphaned chimney flues after a furnace upgrade leaves the gas heater venting alone.
• Tripped breakers and failed elements on small electric tanks in high-rise units.
• Lukewarm winter showers from undersized tanks and worn dip tubes.

Typical water heater prices in Arlington

Northern Virginia labor costs push Arlington prices above most of the state. A walkout basement in Westover with a clear path sits near the low end, while a condo tank on an upper floor with a narrow closet, a building move-in window and parking in a garage often lands at the top.

County permits and Virginia licenses

Arlington County issues its own building, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits through its inspection services staff, applying Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code. Replacing a water heater in a house or condo generally needs a plumbing permit, and new gas piping or a changed vent adds another. Condo buildings often have their own requirements on top of the county's, including approved contractors and drain pan rules.

Virginia licenses trade work through the Board for Contractors at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Look for a firm with a Class A, B or C contractor license and a plumbing or gas fitting specialty, and a technician carrying a Virginia master or journeyman card in plumbing or gas fitting. Plumbers based in Maryland or the District also need Virginia credentials to work on an Arlington job.

Venting in older Arlington colonials

Most 1930s to 1950s Arlington colonials were built with a masonry chimney that carried exhaust from an oil or gas furnace and the water heater together. Arlington homeowners who upgrade to a condensing furnace with PVC venting often forget that the gas tank still depends on that old brick stack, which now carries only a trickle of warm exhaust. Cold flue walls cause condensation that eats mortar and lets exhaust drift back into the basement.

A plumber replacing a gas tank in one of these houses should check the draft and the flue and may recommend a stainless liner sized for the heater alone. Power-vent tanks and condensing tankless units avoid the chimney entirely, though close lot lines in Lyon Park and Maywood can limit where a sidewall vent is allowed.

Fuel and utilities in Arlington

Dominion Energy supplies Arlington's electricity, and Washington Gas serves natural gas across most single-family neighborhoods and many older apartment complexes. High-rise buildings tend to be all-electric at the unit level or run central boilers that make domestic hot water for the whole building, in which case a no-hot-water problem is the building engineer's call rather than yours.

For houses, a heat pump water heater in an unfinished basement is a strong option. The basement stays in a workable temperature range most of the year, and the unit helps dry the air in summer. Dominion and Washington Gas have run efficiency programs at times, so check the current offerings before you choose.

Repair or replace in Arlington

Hard water shortens tank life here somewhat compared with the soft-water cities to the south, and eight to twelve years is a typical range. On a younger tank, an igniter, element, thermostat or relief valve repair is good value. When the tank is past ten years, scale is loud and heavy, or there is any seepage at the base in a finished basement, water heater replacement protects floors and drywall that cost more than the heater. A noisy but sound tank may just need a flush.

Around Arlington

Alexandria to the south is served by Virginia American Water and runs its own permits for Old Town rowhouses and Del Ray bungalows. Falls Church and most of Fairfax County, including McLean, are supplied by Fairfax Water from the Potomac and the Occoquan Reservoir, with permits from the city or county. Across the river, Washington, DC shares Aqueduct water but has its own licensing and permit system.

Water heater questions from Arlington