Greer, SC Plumbing Questions, Answered Before You Call

Close the main shutoff valve, usually near the meter or where the line enters the house, and stop using fixtures. Keep clear of wet outlets and the electrical panel. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Then call us and describe what you see.

Stop running water, including the washer and dishwasher, and check whether neighbors have the same trouble. If they do, the problem may be the public main, and Greer CPW answers at (864) 848-5500. If only your house is affected, a camera look at your line shows where the blockage sits.

Ask a neighbor and check the utility's outage information first. If the whole street is low, call the utility. If only your property is affected, a plumber can check a partly closed valve, a failed pressure regulator or a leak. Read how leaks are found if the meter is moving.

Water is going somewhere. Turn off every fixture, the ice maker and any irrigation, then watch the meter's leak indicator. If it still moves, close your main valve and watch again. If it stops, the leak is inside the house. If not, it is on the supply line. Photograph the reading before you call.

We could not find a published rule on where Greer CPW's responsibility ends, so confirm with them at (864) 848-5500 before you pay for a repair. Ask in plain terms which side of the meter the leak is on and who owns the pipe there.

One slow fixture is usually a local clog. Several fixtures backing up together, or a lowest drain gurgling when the washer empties, points to the main line. A plunger helps with the first. The second needs a camera. See clogs that return.

Snaking pokes a hole through a clog. Jetting scours the pipe wall with water and clears grease and scale a cable leaves behind. Neither fixes a broken or sagging pipe. What jetting can do explains how a plumber decides.

Ask for the footage, the distance to the problem, the type of defect and the depth of the pipe, in writing. That lets you compare a spot repair with relining and shows whether the problem is yours or the utility's. More on what a sewer inspection shows.

When the pipe is intact enough to line and a trench would cross a driveway, patio or mature tree. A collapsed or badly offset pipe still needs digging. A camera look decides. See repair without a trench.

Yes, if the work digs. South Carolina's Act 65 of 2025 took effect May 22, 2026. It requires notice within three to twelve full working days before excavation, and that notice expires fifteen working days after the start date. A homeowner digging by hand on their own land less than twelve inches deep is exempt. A contractor is not.

Water at the base of the tank, rust-tinted hot water, repeated lukewarm water and a label date well past the tank's expected life all point to replacement. A single failed part is a repair. sizing a replacement heater covers sizing and venting.

Inside Greer city limits, yes. The City lists replacement water heaters among the work that needs a permit and says the contractor obtains it. Planning and Development answers at (864) 848-2175. Outside the city, Greenville County and Spartanburg County handle permits, so confirm with the right office.

Probably not for hardness. Greer CPW's 2025 report lists average hardness at 34.86 ppm, about two grains per gallon, which is soft. Ask for a reading at your own tap before you buy equipment. See questions before buying.

A worn flapper or a fill valve that does not shut off is the usual cause. Lift the lid, listen for a hiss and see whether water trickles into the bowl. Replacing a flapper walks through both parts.

The blades are jammed. Cut power at the switch and the breaker before you touch anything, then work the shaft loose from underneath with the hex socket most units have. If it hums again, call. See what a jammed disposal needs.

State licensing covers residential plumbing work worth more than five hundred dollars, issued through the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission. Ask for license details before work begins. License details are available on request.

It depends on the tank size, venting, access and whether a permit is needed, so it is set once a plumber has seen the job. The cost guide explains the factors and gives wide ranges, not quotes.

Access to the line, how far the clog sits, how much buildup there is and whether a camera look is needed. Jetting uses heavier equipment, so it is a different job from a simple clog. Ask for the scope and the total in writing before work starts.

Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, attics and basements, as Greenville Water advises, disconnect garden hoses and know where your main shutoff is. Read a pipe that splits before the cold arrives.

Removal of standing water and drying of the affected area, not rebuilding walls or floors. EPA guidance says to respond within 24 to 48 hours to avoid mold. See getting a wet house dry.

When leaks keep appearing in different places, water is discolored at every tap or pressure drops through the house. One failed fitting does not justify it. Deciding on whole-house repiping explains how a plumber confirms it.

Call and say what stage the build is at. New-home plumbing is normally done under a building permit with inspections, and in Spartanburg County plumbing inspections require the permit number. The dispatcher will tell you whether a plumber can take the job. Our pages focus on repair and replacement in existing homes.

Yes for common replacements such as faucets and sinks, toilets and water heaters. Ask for a written scope, the permit plan and license details before work starts. For a larger project, call and describe it.

Call and describe the symptom, the fuel and the age of the unit, and the dispatcher will say whether a plumber can be sent. Until then, do not open the unit, shut off its power switch and turn off the fuel only if you know how. Ask who will do the work and what license they hold.

If you smell gas, leave, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Greer CPW supplies natural gas in its area, at (864) 848-5500. For a new or repaired gas line, ask the contractor which license and permit cover gas piping at your address, and have 811 called before any digging.

We dispatch to ZIP codes 29650, 29651 and 29652, and we have a page for each of ten nearby places on the areas we serve page. Call with your address and the dispatcher will confirm it.