A resort history, and what it means for a plumber
A local preservation group's context statement describes Sachem's Head as a shoreline area with a summer-resort history. The Sachem's Head Hotel was built in 1832, the last of the main hotels came down in 1974, and some of the cottages remain.
That history explains why some shoreline houses began as seasonal cottages. Nothing we found says how any one house was plumbed. As general plumbing information, a building first made for summer use may have supply lines in exposed spots, and a house lived in all year tests them. A plumber follows the pipe to see.
Before and after a storm (general guidance)
These steps apply to any shoreline house. They are not a rating of a Sachem's Head address.
- Know where the main shutoff is. In a surge or a power loss, you want to reach it in the dark.
- Check the sump pump and its power. A pump needs power to run. See sump pump installation and repair.
- Look for water in low spots afterward. Crawlspaces and basements can hold water after the street is dry.
- Look at outdoor hardware. Salt air corrodes outdoor faucets and fittings faster, so check them when you reopen a house for the season.
Storms on this coast, from the weather record
The National Weather Service record for Tropical Storm Irene on August 28, 2011 describes a 3 to 5 foot surge into Long Island Sound, and about 900,000 power outages at the peak across Connecticut. Its record for Superstorm Sandy on October 29, 2012 describes a surge of about 7 to 9 feet that coincided with normal high tides, and notes smaller pockets of major damage in coastal areas of Guilford and Branford.
Neither record names Sachem's Head, so we do not say what either storm did here. The town's plan says Guilford sheltered 37 people over six nights after Irene and 85 residents for eight days after Sandy. For plumbing, the lesson is simple: an outage can stop sump pumps and well pumps at the moment a house needs them.
Septic systems and a rising water table
Guilford has no sewers, and its health department requires every septic system to be pumped every five years. The town's plan says that in areas expecting sea level rise, rising water tables can cause existing systems to fail, and it calls for monitoring private wells in those areas.
We cannot say which Sachem's Head properties that applies to. If a drain runs slow after heavy rain or a high tide, mention that to the plumber, because it points toward the tank and field and not toward a clogged pipe. Our drain cleaning page explains how the two are told apart.
What shapes the price of a shoreline visit
Prices follow the problem, and you hear the number before work starts.
- Access.Crawlspaces and finished walls take longer to reach.
- Parts.Corrosion can make old fittings hard to remove.
- Permits.The town requires a Flood Hazard Permit for some work in flood zones, such as fuel tanks and generators.
- Septic involvement.A house on a tank needs an extra question before a line is cleared.
Ask the town's engineering department whether a boiler, tank or generator project in your location needs a Flood Hazard Permit. A mechanical-only permit does not.
Opening and closing a seasonal house
Closing a house for winter means draining supply lines and protecting traps, and opening it again means checking for leaks before the pressure is back. Our plumbing installation page covers fixture and line work. Do not treat this as a Guilford rule, because we found no Guilford ordinance on winterization, unlike the neighboring town of Madison.
Plumbing trouble in Sachem's Head?
Call and tell the dispatcher your street. Say whether the water is still running, whether the power is out and whether the house is on a septic tank.
Questions we hear on calls
FEMA maps Guilford with A, AE and VE zones, but we do not state a zone for any Sachem's Head address. Look yours up on FEMA's map and ask the town's engineering department.
Yes, the plumbing side. Say when you call whether the house has a well, a septic tank or both, and whether it was built for summer use.
Call and say so. A battery backup or generator is a separate project, and in a flood zone the town may require a permit.
It corrodes outdoor faucets, hose connections and exposed fittings faster than inland air does. That is general plumbing knowledge, not a measurement from Sachem's Head.
Yes. West of Guilford, see our Branford page. Our service area page lists the rest.