Plumber InWeddington

Clay soil, septic systems and what goes down the drain

The town's land use plan identifies Cecil gravelly sandy clay loam as the most common soil, about 40 percent of the town, along with Tarrus gravelly silt loam. It notes that high clay content, shallow depth to bedrock and slope limit where a septic tank and drain field can go, because clay drains slowly. Cecil is the red Piedmont clay familiar from any construction site.

On a septic house, drain habits matter more. Grease, wipes and heavy use of a disposal load the tank and can clog the line to it. A slow main drain is not always the septic system, though. Often it is a clog or a root in the pipe between the house and the tank, which is ordinary drain cleaning and camera work. Ruling that out first can save you an unnecessary pump-out.

1980s and 1990s homes and the polybutylene window

Weddington stayed agricultural until the 1970s and incorporated in 1983. Census estimates show 24 percent of its homes were built in the 1980s and another 20 percent in the 1990s. Wellington Woods and Providence Woods are among the neighborhoods with houses from that period.

Those years overlap almost exactly with polybutylene, the gray plastic supply pipe installed across the country from 1978 to mid-1995. Its failures are associated with the fittings, and they tend to come without warning. Some houses have been partly repiped, which leaves a mix of materials behind the walls. A plumbing inspection identifies what you have. If a ceiling stain or a jump in the water bill has already appeared, start with leak detection.

Private wells, county water and filtration

Well water is not treated or tested by a utility, so its quality is the owner's job. Sediment, hardness and iron, where they are present, are plumbing problems as much as taste problems, because they wear out water heaters, valves and fixtures. Alpha Drain installs water filtration, including reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink.

If a property has both a well and a county water connection, the two systems cannot be tied together. Union County's ordinance classes a private well as a high-health hazard, and such a property must have a reduced pressure zone assembly protecting the public main. For new subdivisions, town rules require a connection to public water when lines are close enough.

Irrigation, backflow assemblies and long service lines

Acre lots in Weddington often come with irrigation systems. On county water, each one needs a backflow assembly tested by a certified tester every three years, and the county limits spray irrigation to three days a week all year. Alpha Drain's backflow testing is $199 per assembly. Because the county only takes reports from its approved testers, check our status with us first.

Lot size affects leaks too. The water service from the meter to the house can run a long way on an acre lot, and a leak in it shows up as a high bill or a wet strip of lawn well before you see water indoors. Pinpointing it first beats trenching the whole run. The same crew covers Waxhaw and Matthews.

• A water bill that climbs with no change in use
• The meter dial moving with every tap closed
• A soft or unusually green strip between the meter and the house
• The sound of running water when nothing is on

Weddington neighborhoods we serve

Providence Woods, Providence Woods South, Wellington Woods, Highgate, Williamsburg, Hadley Park, Stratford Hall, Lake Forest Preserve, Bromley, Steeple Chase, The Falls at Weddington, Vintage Creek, Harlow's Crossing, and the streets in between.

Weddington ZIP codes we serve: 28104, 28173.