Mayo is a census-designated place in northeastern Spartanburg County, between Cowpens and Chesnee, with about 1,567 residents in 2020. Its schools are in Spartanburg County School District 2, and Mayo Elementary sits in the community. The area once had a textile mill, known in its later years as Mayo Mill, on Springdale Road near Cowpens; it closed in the 1970s, burned in 2000, and its ruins remain.
Water in Mayo comes from the Liberty-Chesnee-Fingerville Water District, which buys treated water from Spartanburg Water. A main break here once left about 350 customers between Cow Bridge Road and Davis Trading Post Road on a boil advisory, which gives a sense of how the district's lines follow the country roads. Most homes are on septic, and gas depends on whether a Piedmont main reaches your road.
Because Mayo is unincorporated, Spartanburg County Building Codes issues plumbing and gas permits. Mayo is part of the Gas Guys service area, and we answer the phone 24 hours a day.
Mayo at a glance
- Natural gas
- Varies: Piedmont where mains run, propane elsewhere. We could not confirm natural gas mains in Mayo itself; Piedmont serves the Chesnee and Cowpens area, and homes off its mains use propane.
- Water
- Liberty-Chesnee-Fingerville Water District
- Sewer
- Mostly septic
- Permits
- Spartanburg County Building Codes
- Housing
- Rural homes and farmhouses, older houses from the days of the Mayo Mill, and newer houses along the main roads.
Plumbing and gas in Mayo: what to know
After a main break
After the district repairs a main, air and sediment can reach your house. Sputtering faucets and brown water usually clear after running cold water for a few minutes. If one fixture stays weak, its aerator or a valve screen may be clogged with debris, which is a quick fix.
Shutoffs in older houses
Older houses around Mayo often have plumbing added long after they were built, with galvanized supply pipe, cast iron or clay drains and old valves that no longer close fully. A main shutoff that does not work is worth replacing before the day you need it.
Gas logs and appliances on propane
Where there is no Piedmont main, gas logs, ranges and water heaters run on propane. Every gas appliance needs its own shutoff, a proper connector and, for fireplaces and water heaters, correct venting. Vent-free logs have room size limits, so check those before buying a set.
What goes into a septic system
A septic system is part of the plumbing. Grease, wipes and coffee grounds that a city sewer would carry away build up in the tank and the line to it. If the toilet gurgles when the washer drains, the line or the tank needs attention.