Southern Shops is a census-designated place on the north side of Spartanburg, with about 3,663 residents in 2020 across roughly three and a half square miles. Its name points back to the railroad: the Southern Railway ran its large Hayne car shops just outside the city from 1925 until 1995, at one time employing about 1,100 people. Today the community is home to the main Giles campus of Spartanburg Community College.
Southern Shops is unincorporated even though it borders the city, so Spartanburg County Building Codes, not the City of Spartanburg, issues plumbing and gas permits. Water comes from Spartanburg Water, most homes are on public sewer through the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District, and Piedmont Natural Gas serves the area.
The housing was built over many decades, which means plumbing from many decades too. Southern Shops is inside the Gas Guys service area, and calls are answered 24 hours a day.
Southern Shops at a glance
- Natural gas
- Piedmont Natural Gas. Piedmont Natural Gas serves the Spartanburg area, including the north side around Southern Shops; your bill confirms service at your address.
- Water
- Spartanburg Water
- Sewer
- Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District (most homes)
- Permits
- Spartanburg County Building Codes
- Housing
- Houses from several decades, from older homes of the railroad and mill era to mid-century neighborhoods and newer infill.
Plumbing and gas in Southern Shops: what to know
Spartanburg address, county permits
Many Southern Shops homes have a Spartanburg mailing address but sit outside city limits. That matters for permits: those homes are permitted and inspected by Spartanburg County Building Codes, not the city. We check which applies before filing.
Each era fails its own way
Older houses here may have galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains, mid-century houses often have copper supply with cast iron or early plastic drains, and newer homes are mostly PEX and PVC. Knowing when a house was built tells us where to look first: rust and scale in the oldest, pinholes and joint failures in copper, fittings and fixture valves in the newest.
Your lateral or the main
With most homes on public sewer, a backup raises one question: is the blockage in your lateral or in the main? If your outside cleanout is full of water, the clog is downstream of it, which could be either. If the cleanout is dry while the house backs up, the problem is between the fixtures and the cleanout, in your plumbing.
Water heaters near the end
A tank water heater usually gives roughly a decade of service. Rust at the fittings, a rumbling tank and water in the pan say it is close to done. Planning the swap, gas or electric, tank or tankless, avoids a flooded utility room.