Greer is a city of about 35,000 people on both sides of the Greenville and Spartanburg county line. Most residents live on the Greenville County side, but roughly 9,700 live in Spartanburg County. The town began as Greer's Station on the railroad in 1873, was incorporated in 1876, and grew on textile mills before BMW and the airport brought a new wave of growth.
Utilities here are different from most of Spartanburg County. The Greer Commission of Public Works, formed in 1913, has provided electricity, water and wastewater service in the city since 1914, and natural gas since 1957. Its gas system reaches far past the city, covering about 450 square miles and some 24,400 meters. CPW water comes from Lake Cunningham and Lake Robinson.
Greer issues its own permits. Inside city limits, plumbing and gas permits go through the City of Greer's Building and Development Standards department, whichever county you are in. Outside the limits, the county permit office applies. Gas Guys serves the Spartanburg County side of Greer, and we pick up the phone any hour.
Greer at a glance
- Natural gas
- Greer CPW. The Greer Commission of Public Works runs the natural gas system for the city and a wide area around it, and also supplies electricity and water to most of the city.
- Water
- Greer CPW (most of the city)
- Sewer
- Greer CPW (inside the city)
- Permits
- City of Greer Building and Development Standards (inside city limits)
- Housing
- Early 1900s homes near the old mill villages and downtown, mid-century neighborhoods, and many newer subdivisions.
Plumbing and gas in Greer: what to know
Greer CPW gas, not Piedmont
In Greer, the gas meter and the line up to it belong to Greer CPW, not Piedmont Natural Gas. Report a gas smell or meter problem to CPW from outside the house. The piping from the meter to your appliances is yours, and that is what we install, repair and pressure test.
City limits versus county
Greer's boundary is irregular, and a house a mile from downtown can still be outside the city. Inside the limits, the City of Greer permits plumbing and gas work through its online eTRAKiT portal and enforces the International Plumbing Code and the International Fuel Gas Code. Outside, the county permit office for your side of the line handles it.
Attic and garage water heaters
Much of the newer housing on the Spartanburg County side has tank water heaters in garages or attics. An attic water heater needs a drain pan piped to a safe spot, and when one leaks it does damage fast. Replacing it on your schedule, or moving to a tankless unit, beats finding the leak through the ceiling.
Older homes near the mills
Around the old mill villages and downtown are early 1900s houses with the usual mix of galvanized supply pipe and cast iron drains. Those houses often need one careful look at the whole system instead of another patch.