Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical Services in Franklin, TN

Franklin's houses span almost two centuries. The Hincheyville Historic District, along West Main Street and the numbered streets west of downtown, has homes built between about 1828 and 1930. Cottonwood, on the north side, was built mostly from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Fieldstone Farms and McKay's Mill date largely from the late 1990s and early 2000s, and Westhaven welcomed its first homeowners in 2003 and is still building out.

That spread follows the city's growth. Census counts put Franklin at about 12,400 people in 1980 and about 83,500 in 2020. For you, it means the age of the pipes, wiring and equipment can change a lot from one street to the next.

Your water may not come from the city. The City of Franklin Water Management Department serves part of Franklin, and utility districts serve other parts, including Milcrofton, H.B. & T.S. and Mallory Valley. Williamson County drew those district lines in the early 1970s. Your water bill names your provider, and that's who to call about the meter itself.

The city's own supply is a blend. It treats water from the Harpeth River at its own plant and buys the larger share from Harpeth Valley Utility District, which draws from the Cumberland River. The city's water FAQ notes that hardness varies with the source.

Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) provides electric service in Franklin. MTE says it is responsible for delivering power to your home's weatherhead and meter, and you are responsible for the equipment from the weatherhead to the meter and from the meter base into the house. After storm damage to that equipment, MTE asks for the repair to be made by a licensed electrician, under a permit, before it reconnects service.

Atmos Energy provides natural gas service in the Franklin area.

Much of Williamson County sits on limestone. The county's geologic hazards page explains that sinkholes form when rain, runoff and groundwater dissolve the limestone under the soil, and that a collapse can happen suddenly. Ground that settles or opens near a house can put stress on buried water and sewer lines. If a new low spot shows up in the yard along the path of a pipe, it's worth having the line checked.

Inside city limits, the City of Franklin's Building and Neighborhood Services department issues building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits. Each trade has its own permit, and a building permit does not cover the trade work. A Franklin mailing address is not always inside city limits: the 37064 ZIP code reaches into the rural area toward Leiper's Fork. In unincorporated Williamson County, the county's Building Codes department handles building permits, and electrical permits come through the State of Tennessee.

In the Historic Preservation Overlay, exterior changes are reviewed for a Certificate of Appropriateness. The city's design guidelines ask that outdoor equipment such as air conditioning units sit away from the street front where possible and be screened from public view. Mechanical equipment is eligible for approval by staff rather than a full commission hearing when it meets the guidelines.

The City of Franklin's cold weather tips point to the places pipes freeze first: crawl spaces, basements, unheated rooms and outside walls. Before a hard freeze, the city suggests insulating exposed pipes, opening sink cabinet doors, letting a vulnerable faucet trickle overnight, closing foundation vents, and draining and storing garden hoses. As the city puts it, the extra water costs little next to a broken pipe.