Plumber Longview TX: Plumbing Help for Longview Homes

Housing from the 1960s and 1970s

Census Bureau figures for the City of Longview (American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024) show:

• 54.9% of homes were built before 1980.
• 15.4% were built before 1960.
• 2.6% were built in 1939 or earlier.
• The median home was built in 1978.

So most Longview houses are not ancient, but more than half are now over 45 years old. That is the age when original water heaters are long gone, older drain lines may start to crack or sag, supply lines from that era may need attention, and shutoff valves under sinks have not been turned in decades. A house from the late 1970s can still be in good shape, but it pays to have a plumber look at the main line and the valves before a small leak turns into a big one.

The same Census data puts the median value of an owner occupied home in Longview at $202,600, and 54.7% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners. With nearly half of homes rented, it is worth making sure tenants know where the main shutoff is and who to call when something leaks.

48 inches of rain a year

Longview averages 48.18 inches of rain a year (1991 to 2020 normals), with only about 0.7 inches of snow. All that water soaks the ground, and that has plumbing effects:

• Old sewer lines with cracked joints can take in groundwater during wet spells, which can slow drains and cause backups after storms.
• Tree roots grow well in moist soil and push into any gap in a sewer pipe.
• Outdoor cleanouts and low drains are the first place a blocked line shows itself after heavy rain.

If your drains slow down every time it storms, mention that when the plumber calls. It is a useful clue.

Heat, and the rare hard freeze

Summers are hot here; the record high is 113 F. Hard freezes are rare, but the record low is minus 5 F, and a sharp cold snap catches houses that were never built for one. Pipes in attics, outside walls and unheated garages, and hose bibs left connected, are the ones at risk. When a hard freeze is on the way, disconnect hoses, cover outdoor faucets, open sink cabinets on outside walls, and keep the heat on.

Soft water

The City of Longview draws water from Lake Cherokee, the Sabine River and Lake O' the Pines. Its 2021 water quality report listed total hardness of 65.0 to 77.1 parts per million, or 3.80 to 4.50 grains per gallon. The city describes the Lake Cherokee and Sabine service areas as moderately hard and the Lake O' the Pines area as soft to moderately hard. Either way, that is fairly low mineral content, so heavy scale is not the main reason Longview water heaters and fixtures fail. Most homes here do not need a water softener to protect the plumbing. Age, wear and leaks matter more. You can read the reports on the city's water quality page.