Plumber in Franklin, TN

What Franklin's housing means for your plumbing

Franklin has about 36,000 homes, and 58 percent are single-family detached houses. About a third were built from 1980 to 1999, and more than half from 2000 on. Only about one in eight dates from before 1980.

Fuel splits almost evenly here. The Census counts about half of Franklin homes heating with utility gas and nearly half with electricity. Water heaters come in both kinds, and we repair gas and electric tank units. Our water heater repair work covers problems like a leaking tank or lukewarm water.

The town keeps growing, from 83,454 people at the 2020 Census to about 90,000 in the latest estimate. Census permit data counts 407 new single-family homes authorized in 2024 alone.

Who supplies your water in Franklin?

The city's water district map shows four water providers across Franklin. The City of Franklin Water Management Department serves much of the city. The other three are utility districts: Mallory Valley, Milcrofton, and HB and TS. Your water bill names yours.

The city draws water from the Harpeth River and treats it at its own plant. Federal drinking water records show it also buys water from Harpeth Valley Utilities District.

Water pressure inside your home is on your side of the meter. Franklin's water code says the city is not liable for plumbing damage from pressure problems in its mains. Milcrofton says pressure trouble in a home with a regulator often means the regulator needs adjustment or has failed. We replace worn pressure regulating valves (PRV) as part of our water line work.

Franklin sewer lines and the ground they run through

In Franklin, part of the sewer line under your yard is yours. City code makes the city responsible from the main to your property line, and you from there to the house. That includes repairs that keep rainwater and groundwater out. A cracked or root-filled section on your side calls for sewer line repair.

City sewer rules bar grease and wipes from the system because both can block the flow. Home garbage disposals are allowed, but only for normal food scraps. When a kitchen or bathroom drain backs up anyway, start with drain cleaning.

NRCS soil surveys map mostly deep silt loams under Franklin, led by the Armour and Maury series. In both, bedrock usually sits 5 feet down or deeper. NRCS notes that the limestone under Maury soils is cavernous in places. It also rates much of the ground as highly corrosive to bare steel pipe.

Low ground along the Harpeth River floods at times. In May 2010 the Harpeth gauge at Franklin crested at 35.32 feet, a new record, per the National Weather Service. Franklin's code calls for at least one positive drain in every new crawl space, with the ground graded toward it. Where water still collects under a house, sump pump installation moves it out.

Plumbing permits and local rules in Franklin

Inside the city, Franklin's Building and Neighborhood Services department issues plumbing permits and inspects the work. The city code adopts the 2024 International Plumbing Code, plus the 2024 residential and fuel gas codes. That office can tell you whether your job needs a permit.

Gas work follows the city's fuel gas code. City code makes the piping from the gas meter through the house the owner's responsibility. The meter and the line to it belong to the gas utility. That house side is where our gas line work happens.

Lawn irrigation brings backflow rules. Milcrofton tests irrigation backflow devices once a year to keep contaminants out of the water system. For city water customers, the code lets the water department require a backflow preventer and test it yearly. We install and replace backflow preventers on irrigation and water service lines.

Any sewer or water line dig starts with Tennessee 811. State law calls for a locate ticket at least three working days before digging.