Plumbers in Bahama, NC

Durham's country crossroads

Bahama is a rural village in northern Durham County, about 13 miles north of downtown Durham in a straight line. It was called Hunkadora until 1891, when it took a name blended from the Ball, Harris and Mangum families. It grew up around farming and the railroad, and old farmhouses and stores still line Bahama Road. Stagville Road, Old Oxford Highway and Red Mountain Road are other main routes, and the Bahama Village Historic District, Mount Bethel United Methodist Church and Stagville State Historic Site are all nearby. There is no Census place for Bahama; the 27503 ZIP has about 5,400 residents and roughly 1,565 housing units.

Lake Michie is close, but city water usually is not

Lake Michie, Durham's main reservoir, sits next to Bahama, but its water goes to City of Durham customers. Bahama is outside city limits, and the City generally requires annexation and a Utility Extension Agreement before it will serve a property. Some owners with failing wells or onsite systems do petition to annex. Everyone else is on a private well, permitted, inspected and tested by Durham County Environmental Health.

Durham County well testing summarized by UNC found that 38% of tested wells exceeded the manganese advisory and about 23% exceeded the iron advisory, while about 2% topped the lead action level. Those figures are county-wide, not Bahama-specific. Orange or black staining, metallic taste and clogged aerators are typical signs, and a water test should come before any filter or softener purchase.

Wastewater

Bahama homes are mostly not on municipal sewer. A private onsite wastewater system handles each house, and Durham County Environmental Health permits and inspects those systems. A plumber covers the indoor drains and the pipe running out to the tank.

Heating fuel and water heaters

Here Bahama differs sharply from most of Durham. In the 27503 ZIP, about 62% of homes heat with electricity, 35% with propane, and less than 1% with utility gas. Enbridge Gas North Carolina covers Durham County on paper, but piped gas is largely absent here, so water heater work usually means electric or propane units. If you smell gas or propane, leave the house and call 911 or your gas supplier from outside; Enbridge's emergency line is 1-877-776-2427.

Permits and the call

Durham City-County Building & Safety issues plumbing permits for unincorporated Durham County, including replacements and private water and sewer service lines; well and onsite system permits come from the county health department. When you call the number on this page, say whether you are on a well and what fuel your water heater uses, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who works near Bahama.