Calling from Old Town, Suwanee
Old Town lies along Main Street beside the Norfolk Southern rail line, and the 24/7 emergency line covers it like the rest of Suwanee. Suwanee Express Plumbing is based at 425 Buford Highway, and the city's 2040 plan says Buford Highway divides Old Town into an east side and a west side.
Give the dispatcher your street and the side of Buford Highway you are on. That helps place the address, since Old Town has older roads, small lanes and several newer neighborhoods tucked between them.
Water or sewage out of place in Old Town right now
Stop the spread first, then call. These steps work for any Old Town house, old or new.
- Close the main water valve if a pipe is spraying or a fixture will not stop running.
- Stop using sinks, tubs and toilets if sewage is backing up, because every flush adds to it.
- Keep people and pets away from wet outlets, the electrical panel and standing water.
- If there is any smell of gas, get everyone outside and call the gas utility or 911 before you call a plumber.
- Call the 24/7 line and say whether the house is on county sewer or a septic tank. If you do not know, say that too.
What Old Town is
The City of Suwanee describes Old Town as a historic district of about 56 acres whose buildings date from 1871 to the early 1960s. The city's plan adds that the district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 with 40 contributing buildings, along Main Street, Stonecypher Road, Scales Road, Russell Street and White Street.
Together with Town Center, Old Town forms Suwanee's downtown. The plan notes that a National Register listing does not require owners to preserve a building or limit renovation, so inside work follows the city's ordinary permit rules.
Housing here comes in layers
According to the plan, the west side is mostly historic homes plus houses from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s on large treed lots, and many lots have barns, garden sheds or accessory dwelling units. The east side has a few historic homes near Buford Highway and 1960s to 1980s houses on medium lots.
The plan also names four newer neighborhoods inside Old Town: Stonecypher, Old Suwanee and Brushy Creek on the west side, and Suwanee Green off Martin Farm Road on the east. A large garden-style apartment complex is reached from Scales and McGinnis Ferry roads.
Empty nesters and young families are choosing Old Town for its walkability, and the plan says some are drawn by the price of older, smaller houses. We do not know the plumbing inside any one house, and age alone does not tell us what is behind a wall.
Sewer or septic: what changes on the call
| If your home is on | What it means | Who handles what |
|---|---|---|
| County sewer | The private lateral from the house to the county connection is the owner's. | Gwinnett County Water Resources handles the main. We handle your side. |
| A septic tank | The tank and drain field are the owner's, and a full tank acts like a blocked main. | A septic contractor handles the tank. We handle the pipes inside the house. |
| Not sure | Look at your water and sewer bill, or for a tank lid in the yard. | Tell the dispatcher you are not sure and we will start from there. |
The city's 2040 plan says most of Old Town is still not served by sewer, so the question is a real one here.
If the house is on septic
Gwinnett County Water Resources says to have a septic tank pumped and inspected every three to five years by a licensed septic tank contractor. A garbage disposal sends extra solids into the tank, and the garbage disposal repair page covers that trade-off.
A slow drain in every fixture at once can point to the tank rather than a single line. Drain cleaning clears a blocked branch line, but it will not empty a full tank, so say what you have on the first call.
Signs worth a call, whatever the age of the house
Water at the base of the tank
A heater that has run for many years and shows rust or a damp pan is a candidate for water heater replacement. Shut off its supply valve first.
A meter that moves with everything off
Read the meter, wait two hours with no water use, and read it again. Movement points to a hidden leak, and leak detection finds where.
Gurgling in more than one fixture
Grease, wipes or roots can narrow a line, and sewer or septic backups look similar from the sink. Say which system you have.
Wet ground between the meter and the house
That stretch is the owner's to repair, and water line repair starts with locating the leak.
A toilet that keeps running
A worn fill valve or flapper wastes water all day. Toilet repair is usually a small job compared with the bill.
Outbuildings, renovations and permits
Because many Old Town lots carry sheds, barns or accessory dwelling units, a water line to a back building is one more place a leak can hide. Any new line or fixture counts as plumbing work, and the City of Suwanee lists changes to plumbing among the work that needs a building permit.
The city also lists water heater replacement among permitted work, and its inspections line is 770-945-8996. One call before the job tells you what your project needs. The Georgia state minimum plumbing code is the International Plumbing Code with Georgia amendments, so a plumber doing permitted work follows that code.
Any trench for a new line starts with a ticket to Georgia 811, filed at least three business days ahead. Lines cross residential lots, and on older lots the owner may not know where they run.
Before We Get to Your Old Town Home
These steps cost nothing and make the first visit faster.
Find the main shutoff
Locate it now and turn it closed and open once. Tell the dispatcher if it will not move.
Know sewer or septic
Check your bill or look for a tank lid in the yard. Do not open a tank lid yourself.
Clear a path to the heater
Move boxes back about three feet from the tank and its shutoff.
Point out outbuildings
Mention any shed, barn or accessory unit with its own water line, because it may be part of the problem.
Arrange access
Have an adult at the house, and say which side of Buford Highway you are on.
Elsewhere in Suwanee
Other parts of the city have different housing. Suwanee Station is a master-planned area of townhomes and small-lot houses, and Suwanee North is mostly large-lot single-family homes. The service area page lists the nearby towns we also serve.
Sources for this page are the City of Suwanee Old Town page, the City of Suwanee 2040 city plan, the City of Suwanee building permits page, Gwinnett County Water Resources and Georgia 811.
Old Town questions
Yes. Old Town is inside Suwanee and the line serves the whole city. Give your street and which side of Buford Highway you are on.
Yes. The 24/7 emergency line takes Old Town calls on nights, weekends and holidays. While you wait, shut off the main valve, keep people away from wet electrical areas, and stop using drains if sewage is backing up.
If you smell gas, leave the building and call the gas utility or 911 first.
Check your water and sewer bill, or look for a tank lid in the yard. Gwinnett County Water Resources serves most Suwanee homes, and some older areas use septic, so ask if you are unsure.
The City of Suwanee lists water heater replacement among work that needs a building permit. Call the inspections line at 770-945-8996 to confirm what your job needs.
The city's plan says a National Register listing does not require preservation or limit renovation. For anything that changes the outside of a building, ask the city before you start.
Gwinnett County Water Resources maintains the main and the meter, and it does not repair leaks on the customer side. Your plumber handles your side of the meter.