1 services · Richmond
Gas lines in Richmond, VA
If you smell gas, leave the house first and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside. Once the utility has made it safe, a licensed plumber repairs the leak, pressure tests the line, and handles new gas lines for ranges, dryers, water heaters, fireplaces and outdoor kitchens.
- Licensed local plumbers
- The problem explained before work starts
- Price agreed before the job begins
Gas lines services in Richmond
Local conditions
Gas lines in Richmond: what's different
Richmond is one of the few U.S. cities that runs its own natural gas utility, so gas emergencies go to the Department of Public Utilities first. Repairs and new lines on the house side are work for a licensed plumber or gas fitter.
Older rowhouses may have galvanized gas piping in basements and crawl spaces that corrodes over time, and new appliances or tankless water heaters often need larger lines.
Gas work needs a permit from the city's Permits and Inspections division and a pressure test before the gas is turned back on.
- Water and sewer in Richmond
- The Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides water, wastewater and natural gas service.
- Permits in Richmond
- Plumbing permits are issued by the City of Richmond's Permits and Inspections division under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.
Richmond housing and plumbing
The Fan, Museum District and Church Hill have rowhouses and homes from 1880 to 1930, with cast-iron drains, older supply and basements or crawl spaces.
Other Richmond conditions that affect plumbing
- Combined sewers: Older parts of the city have combined sewers that can back up during heavy storms.
- Historic rowhouse plumbing: Old drain stacks, galvanized supply and shared walls make repairs in the Fan and Church Hill more involved.
- City gas service: Because the city provides gas, gas line work and leak calls go through the Department of Public Utilities for emergencies.
- Hard winters on older homes: Cold snaps freeze pipes in Fan and Church Hill rowhouses with plumbing on exterior walls and in unheated rear additions, and vacant homes are especially at risk.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes
Plumbers on Thawline cover Richmond and City of Richmond, including The Fan, Museum District, Church Hill, Northside, Carytown, Southside. ZIP codes: 23173 · 23219 · 23220 · 23221 · 23222 · 23223.
When to call a plumber in Richmond
- A rotten-egg smell near appliances or outside: leave first, then call the gas utility
- Hissing near a gas line or meter
- A new range, dryer, fireplace or grill that needs a gas line
- Upgrading to a tankless water heater or larger appliance
- A failed pressure test or a utility shut-off notice
How these problems start and how to choose between repair options is covered in the gas lines guide.
Gas lines questions in Richmond
Who do I call for a gas leak in Richmond?
What should I do if I smell gas?
More plumbing in Richmond
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