Fingerville is one of the smallest communities in Spartanburg County, a census-designated place of 174 people in 2020. A post office opened here in 1845, and the community is named for Joseph Finger, who owned a cotton mill. A 1903 newspaper account placed the Fingerville mill on the Pacolet River above Clifton and listed it among the mills damaged in that year's flood.
Today it is quiet, rural country north of Spartanburg. Spartanburg Water's Municipal Reservoir No. 1 sits nearby, and water service comes from the Liberty-Chesnee-Fingerville Water District, created in 1960 for the northeast part of the county, which buys treated water from Spartanburg Water. Most houses are on septic systems, and many cook and heat with propane.
There is no town government here, so plumbing and gas permits come from Spartanburg County Building Codes. Fingerville is within the Gas Guys service area, and a call to our main line reaches a person at any hour.
Fingerville at a glance
- Natural gas
- Propane in most homes; check for Piedmont service. We could not confirm a natural gas main in Fingerville; many rural homes in northern Spartanburg County run gas appliances on propane, and Piedmont can tell you whether service reaches an address.
- Water
- Liberty-Chesnee-Fingerville Water District
- Sewer
- Mostly septic (Spartanburg Water runs a small Fingerville treatment plant)
- Permits
- Spartanburg County Building Codes
- Housing
- Rural houses on larger lots, a few older homes from the mill era, and newer houses along the main roads.
Plumbing and gas in Fingerville: what to know
Long runs from the meter
On a rural lot, the water meter is usually out at the road and the house sits well back from it. That service line belongs to the homeowner, and a leak in it can run for weeks underground before it shows as a soft spot in the yard or a jump on the bill. Shutting every fixture off and watching the meter is the simplest test.
Propane piping is still house piping
With propane, the supplier owns the tank and the first-stage regulator. From there to the appliances, the piping belongs to you and falls under the same fuel gas code as natural gas: correct sizing, a shutoff at each appliance and a pressure test on new work. Propane is heavier than air, so a leak settles low, which matters in a crawlspace.
Septic and the house drains
On septic, a clog in one fixture is a plumbing problem, while every drain slowing at once points to the tank or drain field. Keep grease, wipes and heavy disposal use out of the system. If the line from the house to the tank is the trouble, a camera can find the break or root intrusion before anyone digs.
Electric water heaters and rebates
Without natural gas, many Fingerville homes heat water with electricity or propane. A heat pump water heater uses far less electricity than a standard electric tank. If Duke Energy is your electric utility, Gas Guys is a Duke Energy Trade Ally and can help you with its heat pump water heater rebate.