Plumber in Sutherland Springs, Stockdale and Poth

Three Wilson County towns, several water sources

Sutherland Springs sits where US 87 meets FM 539 beside Cibolo Creek; its sulphur springs drew visitors by 1860. Stockdale sits where US 87 crosses State Highways 97 and 123, and its Watermelon Jubilee dates to 1937. Poth began in 1886 as a rail stop called Marcelina and was renamed in 1901 for A. H. Poth, who opened a cotton gin there.

Stockdale and Poth run city water systems, and the SS Water Supply Corporation serves other parts of the county; all three draw on the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Many homes outside town use private wells.

Long water lines across acreage

The line from the pressure tank to the house can be long, often branching to a barn, shop or stock tank. Signs of a leak:

• with every tap and toilet off, the gauge at the tank keeps dropping and the pump keeps kicking on;
• a green stripe or soft ground along its route in dry weather.

We close branch valves and test one stretch at a time, then repair the break or lay a new run (water line repair, leak detection, water line installation). Before any trench deeper than 16 inches, state law says to call 811, whose locators mark only utility-owned lines, so show us your septic lines, buried propane line and any well or barn lines.

Keeping the well house from freezing

A pump house is a small, drafty shed with the pressure tank and fittings above ground, so it freezes before the house. Local forecasters expect Floresville's first freezing night between mid-November and early December, and open country a little earlier, so get the pump house ready by early November:

1. Seal gaps and wrap bare pipe, including the fitting under the pressure switch, in foam.
2. Use a thermostat-controlled heater rated for the space, not a bare bulb near hay.
3. Label the well pump breaker and find the shut-off between the tank and the house.

If a pipe splits, the pump keeps feeding the break: switch off that breaker, close the valve and call. We fix the piping from the tank to the house; the pump, switch and tank go to a well company. More in our Wilson County freeze checklist.

Septic homes: our side and the septic company's side

Wilson County's Health & Public Safety office in Floresville issues septic (OSSF) permits; its care sheet advises tank cleaning every two to three years, by a TCEQ-registered hauler only.

We handle what feeds the system: clogged house drains, the pipe to the tank, and running toilets or dripping faucets that overload it (drain cleaning, sewer line repair). If every drain slows at once, the clog is in the pipe to the tank, which we clear, or in the tank or field, which needs a TCEQ-licensed septic company. During a backup, stop running water.

Propane homes: we handle the house piping

The tank, its regulators and refills are your propane supplier's work. We handle the piping from there to each appliance: new lines, leaks, hookups and pressure tests (gas line repair, appliance hookup). The Railroad Commission of Texas warns that propane vapor can pool in low spots.

Questions from Sutherland Springs, Stockdale and Poth

Call the La Vernia shop

We also handle water heaters, softeners and new gas lines. Savings (terms on the coupons page): new customers take $50 off; a senior, military member, first responder or healthcare worker gets 10% off; a $0 dispatch fee with a repair or replacement; and $150 off a new water heater we install. Nearby: La Vernia, Floresville and all service areas.