A plumber in Fairfax.
Plumbers for the City of Fairfax and the county side: leaks, drains, sewer lines and water heaters, priced before the work.
- Prices in writing, first
- Camera before any dig
- Dedicated plumbing team
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Fairfax plumbing comes down to the decade the pipe went in.
The Fairfax ZIP codes hold four pipe eras. The City of Fairfax and Mantua are mostly 1960s houses: copper supply, cast iron drains, and galvanized steel on the oldest streets. Kings Park West runs to the 1970s. Fair Lakes and Fair Oaks went up in the late 80s and 90s, and some of those houses were built in the years polybutylene supply pipe was going in.
Water pressure is the other Fairfax call. Fairfax Water commits to a minimum at the main, not an even number at your tap, so some houses see more than 80 psi, and the valve that brings it down sits on your side of the meter, yours to buy and maintain. Houses built before December 4, 1972 that see more than 80 psi can get the valve itself from Fairfax Water, though installing and keeping it up is still on the owner.
Under the street, the sewer lateral is yours too: Fairfax County puts the whole line on the homeowner, out to the county main. A camera down it, $89 added to a visit, is the cheapest way to find out what’s wrong before anybody prices a dig.
Winter brings the rest. Fairfax Water asks you to find your main shutoff and tag it before the first hard freeze, and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue says to drain the outdoor faucets, open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, and thaw a frozen pipe with room heat or a hair dryer, never a torch. In a 1960s Mantua or City house, the pipe feeding the outside faucet tends to freeze first.
What’s in the walls across Fairfax.
Census figures for the owner-occupied homes in each place, and the pipe that usually goes with houses that age.
| Place | Median home built | Most homes are | Heated with | The pipe you usually find |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Oaks | 1995 | condo and apartment buildings, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 6 in 10 | Condo buildings: shared risers, your own supply lines and fixtures. |
| City of Fairfax | 1966 | single-family houses, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Copper supply, cast iron drains. |
| Kings Park West | 1976 | single-family houses, about 7 in 10 | gas, about 5 in 10 | Copper supply, cast iron drains. |
| Merrifield | 1990 | condo and apartment buildings, about 6 in 10 | gas, about 6 in 10 | Condo buildings: shared risers, your own supply lines and fixtures. |
| Fair Lakes | 1998 | townhouses, about 3 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Copper or PEX supply, PVC drains, original water heaters aging out. |
| Mantua | 1968 | single-family houses, about 7 in 10 | gas, about 7 in 10 | Copper supply, cast iron drains. |
Fairfax houses, by the numbers
From the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 survey, owner-occupied homes unless it says otherwise.
The City of Fairfax
- Median home built1966 Census
- Built before 1980about 7 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 2 in 10 Census
- Most homes aresingle-family houses, about 5 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 7 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 3 in 10 Census
- Houses from before 1960 were plumbed in galvanized steel, which narrows with rust from the inside until the pressure goes.
- Houses built before 1980 mostly drain through cast iron, which rusts through along the bottom of the pipe.
The Fairfax County side
- Built before 1980about 3 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 4 in 10 Census
- Most homes arecondo and apartment buildings, about 4 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 6 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 5 in 10 Census
- In a condo, the risers usually belong to the association and the pipes in your walls to you; your condo documents decide it.
What a plumber costs in Fairfax.
The same list as our plumbing page, every line a range because the house decides where it lands. You get the number before the work starts.
- Drain cleaning, one fixture$200 to $800
- Main sewer line cleaning$850 to $1,650
- Sewer camera inspection, added to a visit$89
- Leak detection$200 to $500
- Toilet repair$250 to $900
- Pressure reducing valve replacement$500 to $1,000
- Water heater replacement$2,757 to $10,486
A sewer camera inspection is $89 added to a visit we’re already making. It’s the cheapest way to know what a drain is doing before anybody talks about digging.
With Comfort+ membership, any service is 15% off, and a water heater flush with a sewer camera inspection and a plumbing safety inspection comes every year.
What a plumbing problem in Fairfax usually looks like.
Faucets and toilet valves wearing out early
A dripping faucet a year after it went in, a toilet that keeps refilling, a relief valve on the water heater that weeps. In Fairfax that’s often pressure, not parts: over 80 psi, everything downstream wears faster.
Pressure that drops a little every year
Galvanized steel supply pipe rusts from the inside, so the pressure falls slowly until a shower upstairs is a trickle. The fix is new pipe, not a new faucet.
A sewer smell you can’t place
Old cast iron drain pipe rusts through along the bottom where the water sits. A smell with no source, or a basement floor drain that backs up, is the usual sign, and the camera tells you for sure.
Water where it shouldn’t be
A damp patch on a ceiling, a warm spot on the floor, a meter that keeps ticking with every tap off. A slow leak inside a wall does most of its damage before it ever shows itself.
How to pick the best plumber in Fairfax.
Questions worth asking anybody who comes out, us included.
Will they test the water pressure?
A gauge on an outside spigot takes a minute. Over 80 psi, the code calls for a pressure reducing valve and an expansion tank, and high pressure is what wears out faucets, toilet valves and water heaters early.
Is the plumber licensed in Virginia?
Anyone can check on the state’s license lookup in about a minute. It’s the one question that takes the guesswork out of the rest.
Will they put a camera in before they talk about digging?
A sewer camera inspection is cheap next to any dig, and it shows whether the problem is a root, a sag or a break. A quote to dig without one is a guess.
Do you get the price before the work?
Every plumbing job on our list has a range. A plumber who won’t say where yours lands until the wall’s open is asking for a blank check.
What our customers say.
I would gladly recommend them to anyone in the greater Fairfax/Alexandria area without reservation.
Swiftpro came out the same day I called when my AC was out and had it fixed in less than an hour after arriving.
Needed a new toilet installed and had a great experience with Swift Pros! Plumber was sent out next day! Quick response, professional and competitive pricing! Will definitely use them again for any future plumbing needs.
5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. Read them on our reviews page.
Plumbing questions from Fairfax.
Why is my water pressure so high in Fairfax?
Fairfax Water doesn’t promise an even pressure, and some houses see more than 80 psi. That’s what a pressure reducing valve is for, $500 to $1,000 installed, and the code wants an expansion tank with it.
Could my Fairfax house have polybutylene?
Possibly, if it was built between about 1978 and 1995, which covers a lot of Fair Lakes and Fair Oaks. Look for grey plastic supply pipe, sometimes stamped PB, at the water heater or under a sink; the fittings are where it fails. A plumber can tell in a few minutes. Repiping runs $1,000 to $12,000, depending on how much of the house is on it.
My Fairfax water meter froze. Who do I call?
Fairfax Water. The meter is theirs, and they ask customers not to thaw one themselves. Everything on the house side of the meter is yours, and if a pipe split while it was frozen, that’s when you call us; shut the main off first so the leak stops while you wait.
How much does a plumber cost in Fairfax?
It depends on the job, and every one has a published range: drain cleaning for one fixture $200 to $800, main sewer line cleaning $850 to $1,650, leak detection $200 to $500, a pressure reducing valve replacement $500 to $1,000, toilet repair $250 to $900. A sewer camera inspection added to a visit is $89.
Plumbers in the towns next door.
More from SwiftPro in Fairfax
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SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is a licensed, BBB Accredited (A rating), independently owned heating, cooling and plumbing company in Chantilly, serving Fairfax and the rest of Northern Virginia. Virginia contractor license #2705192276. 5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. SwiftPro maintains a dedicated HVAC team and a dedicated plumbing team.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, 4230 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151, (703) 997-9757. Book online, read our reviews, or see every town we serve.