Plumbers in New Hill, NC

A crossroads near Harris Lake

New Hill has no town government and no Census population of its own. Its ZIP code, 27562, had about 5,659 residents in recent Census estimates and reaches into Chatham County. The community is about 18 miles from downtown Raleigh in a straight line, along Old US 1, New Hill Olive Chapel Road and New Hill Holleman Road, near Harris Lake, the Shearon Harris nuclear plant and the southern end of the American Tobacco Trail. The old core is the New Hill Historic District, but the housing is mostly new: the median home was built in 2013, and about two-thirds went up after 2010.

Well or town water depends on the address

For most homes, water comes from a private well permitted by Wake County Onsite Water Protection. The county offers well water testing, including a radiological package that screens for naturally occurring contaminants, and it is worth using after any well repair or if the taste changes. Town water is possible only near Apex lines: Apex requires parcels in its extraterritorial jurisdiction to annex before connecting to water or sewer. If a well goes dry, Apex says emergency annexation can be expedited.

The big sewer plant is not your sewer

The 18 million gallon a day Western Wake Regional Water Reclamation Facility, which treats wastewater for Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville and RTP South, is located in New Hill. That does not mean New Hill houses are connected to it. Most homes here are not on municipal sewer and use a private onsite wastewater system, so a slow drain or backup usually comes down to the pipe running from the house out to the system's tank.

New Hill compared with Raleigh

Wake County permits plumbing work in unincorporated areas. A like-for-like water heater replacement done by a plumber with a state license needs no county permit as long as the fuel, energy input, location and venting stay the same.

Gas and what to say on the call

Natural gas in Wake County comes from Enbridge Gas North Carolina, the former PSNC, but whether a main reaches a given rural road varies. If you smell gas, leave and call 911 or your gas supplier from outside. When you call the number on this page, say that you're on a well, describe the symptom, and mention if every faucet is affected; that often points to the pump or pressure tank. You'll be connected with an independent local plumber who works in New Hill.