Rockville MD Rockville dispatch · Montrose, MD
Emergency Plumber in Montrose, Rockville, MD: Basement Water and 1960s Plumbing
Water came into the basement after a storm, and you want to know whether the house, the drain or the street is to blame. In Montrose the answer is sometimes all three.
The city's 2040 plan says most of the neighbourhood was built in the early 1960s. Detached houses make up most of it, with townhouses added in 1983 and 1984 and rental apartments close to Rockville Pike.
Montrose and North Farm in the city plan
Planning Area 10, called Montrose and North Farm, runs along Montrose Road, East Jefferson Street, Rollins Avenue, Halpine Road and Congressional Lane, with Rockville Pike on its edge. Montrose Parkway crosses the north.
Montrose Park is described as one of the most heavily used parks in the city, and long-standing residents have raised concerns about cut-through traffic between Montrose Road and Rockville Pike. We use the park as a landmark, and we also take the street.
September 1, 2021: when the storm reached the basements
On the morning of September 1, 2021 the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded basement-level apartments in Rockville, including at Congressional Towers, which the plan places in Montrose. Firefighters were called around 4 a.m., and at least 150 residents were displaced.
It shows how quickly a low floor can fill. Houses are not the same as apartment blocks, but the rule is the same. Water that enters from outside is a different problem from water from a pipe.
- Stay out of a basement with standing water if outlets or appliances may be live, and switch the power off at the panel only if you can reach it dry
- Note where the water came in: a wall, a floor joint, a window well, or a drain
- Check floor drains and the basement toilet for water coming up
- Photograph everything before moving belongings
- Call us for a drain or pipe cause, and your insurer for the damage
A backwater valve: what it will and will not do
A backwater valve sits on the house's sewer line and closes if sewage tries to flow back toward the house. For a home with a basement bathroom or floor drain, it is a common protective measure.
It does not stop rain coming through a window well, a wall or a leaking pipe. It only protects against flow coming up the drain. Ask before you buy one what it will protect, and whether the work needs a WSSC permit and inspection, as most plumbing does. Repeated backups are discussed on the sewer line page.
Montrose houses, townhouses and apartments: where problems begin
| Housing | When it was built | Where problems usually begin |
|---|---|---|
| Detached houses | Mostly the early 1960s | Basement drains, original shut-offs, water heaters and laundry corners |
| Chadsberry townhouses | 1983 and 1984 | Shared walls, second-generation water heaters and fixtures |
| Rental apartments such as Congressional Towers and Rollins Park | Various | Shared stacks, ground and basement level drains, shut-offs inside units |
Details for the call: where the water is, when it began, rising
A short, specific description gets the first visit right. Tell us where the water is, when it began, and whether it is rising.
- The street and the nearest cross street, such as Montrose Road and Rollins Avenue
- Which floor, and whether the water is coming up or down
- Whether the weather has been heavy
- Whether a neighbour has the same problem
Montrose addresses: planning your plumbing visit
Montrose is about 4 miles out from central Rockville and Rockville Town Square, in ZIP 20852, which we dispatch to, so we can plan a visit with confidence once we know the street.
Telling a pipe from a storm
Basement water has two broad sources. One is the plumbing, whether supply, drain or water heater. The other is the weather, entering through a wall, a window well or a floor joint.
A plumbing cause usually keeps going when the rain stops. A weather cause usually eases once the ground drains. Water that arrives through the floor drain during a storm sits in between, which is where a camera on the sewer line earns its cost.
We look at both, and we will say when the cause is outside plumbing. A grading or gutter problem is better sent to the right trade than fixed badly with a pipe.
Do not run laundry or flush heavily while the basement drain is slow. Every load adds to what has nowhere to go.
After the water is gone
Once the basement is dry, the useful question is what let the water in. If it came through a drain, the line needs to be looked at. If it came through a wall, a plumber is the wrong trade.
Keep the receipts and photographs together for your insurer, and ask us for a written note on what we found. It makes a claim simpler to explain.
Montrose plumbing questions
Is my 1960s Montrose house likely to flood?
Not necessarily. Basement water has several causes, and only some of them involve the sewer. We find the cause before suggesting anything expensive.
Should I install a backwater valve?
It depends on whether sewage has come up your floor drain before and on how the basement is used. It does not protect against surface water.
What caused the 2021 apartment flooding?
Flash flooding from the remnants of Ida. Beyond that we would be guessing, and we would not apply it to a single house.
Who handles a flooded apartment in Montrose?
The building's management comes first. We can attend, find the cause and give a clear note to whoever is responsible.
Basement water, clogged drains, sewers and burst pipes
Standing water in the basement is covered on water damage restoration, and a drain that will not clear on drain cleaning.
Repeated backups and a line that needs a camera are on sewer repair work, and the first things to do when a supply pipe splits are on the burst pipe page.
Water in the basement and you are not sure why?
Tell us where it entered and what the weather was doing. That separates a heavy storm from a pipe, and the two need different answers.