Key takeaways
- Know three things about your house: where the main water shutoff is, whether you are on city sewer or septic, and whether you are on city water or a well.
- Freezes happen here. At the Tri-Cities Airport the typical last freeze of spring is around April 16, so winter prep matters into spring.
- Older homes are common. About 1 in 4 homes in Johnson City were built before 1960, and nearly half before 1980, so old pipes are a real possibility.
- The pipe from the street to your house is usually yours to maintain. The public main is the city's.
- Ask for a written estimate and check the license before any plumbing job.
Know your water and sewer setup
Three setups are common around Johnson City, and the right call when something goes wrong depends on which one you have.
City water. Inside Johnson City, water and sewer service comes from Johnson City Water & Sewer Services, whose customer service hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nearby, Jonesborough has its own system. The Jonesborough page explains who to call there. If a main breaks in the street, or water bubbles up on the utility's side of the meter, that is the utility's job. Everything from the meter to your house, and everything inside, is yours.
City sewer versus septic. Many homes in the city are on the public sewer. Many homes farther out in Washington, Carter and Sullivan counties use an on-site septic tank instead. Your sewer or water bill is the quickest clue: a sewer charge usually means city sewer. A lid or a pumping record in the yard points to septic. Our guide on how to tell if you have septic or sewer walks through more ways to check. If you are on septic, start with septic services and read about the drain field.
Who owns which pipe. Johnson City's code makes the property owner responsible for maintaining the building sewer on private property. The public main in the street is the city's. If every house on the street is backing up, call the city. If it is only yours, the cause is probably in your own line. The sewer backup guide walks through what to do first.
Your shutoffs. The main shutoff is usually where the water line enters the house: a basement or crawlspace wall, a utility closet, a garage, or near the water heater. A second valve, the curb stop, is at the meter near the street and often needs a special key. Find your main today. If a pipe ever bursts, it is the first thing you will need, and finding it in the dark with water on the floor is hard.
Winter in East Tennessee
Winters in the Tri-Cities are mild most days, so pipes that would be protected in a colder place are often left bare. For the Tri-Cities Airport, NOAA and National Weather Service data for 1991 to 2020 put the typical last freeze around April 16. A cold snap is not only a January event.
The pipes that freeze are the ones in unheated places: vented crawlspaces, exterior walls, garages and outdoor spigots. A short list of habits covers most of the risk:
- Take hoses off spigots in the fall.
- Close crawlspace vents for the winter.
- On the night of a hard freeze, open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls and leave a cold trickle running.
- Keep the thermostat at one setting day and night, and keep the heat on if you travel.
The Red Cross recommends the hose, cabinet-door, trickle and thermostat steps, and says to keep the heat no lower than 55°F when you are away. For the full checklist, read how to prevent frozen pipes. If a pipe has already frozen, how to thaw frozen pipes explains the safe way to warm it and what never to use. If every tap is dry, work through no water in the house in order.
Older homes and their pipes
Johnson City has a lot of older housing. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024 1-year estimate, table B25034) counts about 34,300 housing units in the city. About 1 in 4 homes in Johnson City were built before 1960, and nearly half before 1980. These are survey estimates, so treat them as approximate.
Why that matters: a house that old may still have original plumbing, or a mix of original and replaced parts, and you can't tell the condition of a pipe by looking at the outside of it. A plumber can tell you what you have.
Age alone doesn't mean a pipe has failed, and a newer house can have problems too. What helps is looking inside:
- A plumber can run a camera through the drain and sewer lines to see their real condition. See sewer camera inspection.
- If a sewer line is cracked, root-filled or collapsed, sewer line repair covers the options.
- If water pressure has dropped over time, low water pressure explains the causes.
Don't assume what a particular street or neighborhood has. Houses were repiped and renovated at different times, and many older homes have a mix of materials. If a repipe is on the table, PEX vs copper compares the two common choices.
Wells and septic outside the city
Outside the city's water and sewer service, many homes have their own well, their own septic system, or both. They need a little attention to keep working.
- Wells. The pump, pressure switch and pressure tank are the parts that fail. If you lose water and are on a well, check the pump breaker first, then read well pump repair.
- Septic. The EPA advises pumping a household septic tank about every three to five years, depending on household size and tank size, and having the system inspected regularly. Septic services covers the signs a tank is due, and drain field repair covers a soggy yard over the field.
Keep your records: the date of the last pumping, where the lid is and who did the work. They help the next time something goes wrong.
Water heaters
A tank water heater is one of the few appliances in the house that can quietly fail and flood a room. The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Saver guide (2022) says most storage water heaters last 10 to 15 years, while tankless water heaters can last more than 20. The real number depends on the water, the maintenance and how much hot water the house uses, so treat it as a range and not a deadline. The water heater lifespan guide covers how to read the signs and when to plan a replacement.
Signs a tank is nearing the end include rust-colored hot water, rumbling noises, water around the base, and water that stays lukewarm. An annual flush and a periodic anode rod check help it last. Set the thermostat to about 120°F. The water heater repair page explains when a repair makes sense, and water heater replacement covers what a swap involves. If you are weighing a different type, see tankless water heaters.
What plumbing work costs
Plumbing prices vary a lot with the job, the access and the time of day. We keep price figures on a single page, what plumbing jobs cost, with the source and date for each, so they don't go stale in several places. This guide doesn't quote prices. Whatever the number, ask for it in writing before work begins.
A simple leak check
A hidden leak can run for months before it shows up on a bill. Once or twice a year, do this: close every tap and turn off anything that uses water, such as the dishwasher, washer and ice maker. Then look at your water meter. If the dial or the low-flow indicator is still moving, water is going somewhere. Check toilets first, because a leaking flapper is the most common cause, then look under sinks and around the water heater. If you can't find it, a plumber can trace it. If you are on a well, listen for the pump starting when nothing is running.
If you are buying an older house
Plumbing is easy to overlook in a showing. Ask the seller what has been replaced and when, and ask whether there have been backups, frozen pipes or leaks. Make sure the inspection includes the plumbing, run every tap and flush every toilet, and look in the crawlspace or basement for stains, rust and wet insulation. Where the house has older drain lines or large trees near the sewer line, ask whether a camera inspection of the sewer line makes sense. See sewer camera inspection. Also ask whether the house is on city sewer or septic, and whether it is on city water or a well, because that changes what you maintain.
A season-by-season routine
- Fall: disconnect hoses, close crawlspace vents, insulate exposed pipes, and test the main shutoff.
- Winter: use the freeze-night steps in a hard freeze, and watch for a slow trickle or no flow on a cold morning.
- Spring: open the crawlspace vents, check under sinks and around the water heater for drips, and look for damp spots where pipes ran through cold areas. If the lower level has a sump pump, test it. See sump pump repair. Johnson City's sewer ordinance bars ground water and roof runoff from the sanitary sewer, so a sump pump should discharge outside and away from the house.
- Summer: run the leak check, clean faucet aerators, and look for slow drains before they turn into a backup.
When to call, and how to choose a plumber
Call a plumber when:
- Water is leaking and you can't stop it with a valve.
- A drain keeps backing up after you clear it.
- Several fixtures are affected at once.
- You smell sewage, or the problem is under the house or in a wall.
- You aren't sure what you are looking at. Pictures help.
Our how to choose a plumber checklist covers this in more detail. Some things to do before you hire anyone:
- Get a written estimate that says what work is included.
- Check the license. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors has a public license lookup at verify.tn.gov. You can also ask the contractor for a license number and proof of insurance.
- Ask about permits. Some work, such as a new water heater, a sewer repair or a septic change, may need one. A good contractor will tell you who pulls it.
- Ask who will do the work and how long it should take.
- Keep the paperwork: the estimate, the invoice and any warranty.
For after-hours problems, see emergency plumber and burst pipe repair.
A before-winter checklist you can share
Feel free to share this checklist; please link back to this page.
- Disconnect and drain garden hoses.
- Close the crawlspace vents and check the covers.
- Insulate exposed pipes in the crawlspace, garage and basement.
- Find your main water shutoff and make sure it turns.
- Know the freeze-night steps: cabinet doors open, a cold trickle running, thermostat steady.
- If you will travel, leave the heat on at 55°F or higher and ask someone to check the house.
- Have a flush or service done on the water heater.
- Save the number of a licensed plumber where you can find it in the dark.