Plumber InIndian Trail

Most homes here were built after 1990

Census estimates show about 20 percent of the town's housing dates from the 1990s, 39 percent from the 2000s and 22 percent from the 2010s. Brandon Oaks began in the mid-1990s and Holly Park in the late 1990s. Taylor Glenn, Bonterra, Crismark and Sheridan filled in through the 2000s and 2010s. Houses of that era were typically plumbed with CPVC or PEX supply lines and PVC drains.

The exceptions are the older pockets. Beacon Hills and Hemby Acres date from the 1970s and 1980s. Polybutylene, the gray plastic supply pipe behind a national class action, was installed from 1978 to mid-1995, so any house finished in that window is worth checking. If you find flexible gray pipe at the water heater or under a sink, a plumbing inspection will show how much of it is left.

Water heaters in the 2000s subdivisions are due

A tank water heater usually lasts 10 to 15 years. A house finished in 2005 is on its second heater by now, or running its first on borrowed time. Rusty hot water, popping from sediment in the tank and moisture in the drain pan are the signs to act on before the tank lets go.

There is a local detail that matters. Union County Water fits a dual check valve at the meter on single-family services, which keeps household water from flowing back into the main. The state's plumbing code office says a storage water heater behind a device like that needs thermal expansion control, and that applies to replacements too. If your current tank has no expansion tank on the cold line, expect one to be part of a proper water heater replacement.

Union County Water, Carolina Water Service and backflow rules

Union County Water supplies water and sewer to most of Indian Trail. The town's utilities page notes that Carolina Water Service of North Carolina serves a small part of Beacon Hills and Crismark, so check the name on your bill before you call anyone about a meter or a main.

If you have an irrigation system on county water, it needs a backflow assembly, tested by an approved, certified tester after installation, after any repair and then every three years. (The interval was two years until state law changed it.) Alpha Drain's certified backflow testing is $199 per assembly. Union County Water accepts reports only from testers on its approved list, so ask us to confirm our registration with the county when you book. County ordinance gives 15 days from the test date for that report to arrive.

• Home irrigation systems: test every three years
• Commercial services, irrigation and fire lines: test every year
• Any assembly that is repaired or moved: retest
• Test report: due to the county within 15 days

Shops and restaurants along Independence Boulevard

US-74 runs through Indian Trail as Independence Boulevard, and the businesses along it fall under stricter rules than houses. County ordinance requires a backflow assembly on a commercial property's main water service, its irrigation and its fire line, and commercial assemblies are tested every year. Restaurants, car washes and dental offices are among the uses classed as high-health hazards, which calls for a reduced pressure zone assembly.

Kitchens bring a second problem, which is grease. It cools in the line, narrows it and eventually backs up a floor drain in the middle of service. Hydro jetting scours the pipe wall clean instead of punching a hole through the clog. Property managers can ask for testing and jetting on the same call, and an assembly that fails can go straight to backflow repair and a retest.

Indian Trail neighborhoods we serve

Brandon Oaks, Bonterra, Sheridan, Taylor Glenn, Crismark, Holly Park, Beacon Hills, Hemby Acres, Annandale, Fieldstone Farm, Colton Ridge, Arbor Glen, and the streets in between.

Indian Trail ZIP codes we serve: 28079.