Ask a plumber in Granby, CT what the house calls are about and the answer starts underground. The town's own hazard plan says most homes have private wells and septic systems. When the pump, the tank or the sump fails, there is no city main to fall back on.
We handle the plumbing side of all three, starting with drain cleaning and sump pump installation and repair. Our 24/7 emergency line is open for Granby around the clock, and same-day appointments are offered when available.
No water at the tap: well pumps and pressure tanks
On a private well, the pump in the ground pushes water to a pressure tank in your basement, and a pressure switch turns the pump on and off. A pump that clicks every few seconds usually points to a waterlogged tank, while sputtering faucets can mean the pump is pulling air. A pump that never starts may just be a tripped breaker, so check the panel before you phone anyone.
Wells need electricity, and the town hazard plan says plainly that they cannot operate without it. Long outages therefore mean no water and, with a septic pump, trouble getting rid of it. If you lose power, run nothing you do not need and keep a few jugs filled.
Pulling a submersible pump from a drilled well is specialist work, and Connecticut licenses well pump work as its own class. We fix the house side, the pressure tank, switch, valves and piping, and we tell you honestly when the fault is in the well. Test the water after any pump or pipe repair. The state health department says to test the basic indicators yearly, ideally after a heavy spring or summer rain.
Septic tanks that back up or sit too wet
EPA says a septic tank should be inspected every 1 to 3 years and pumped every 3 to 5. Sewage in the lowest drain, gurgling, damp ground over the tank and bright green spongy grass above the drainfield are the usual warnings. A garbage disposal shortens the pumping interval, because food solids build up as scum and sludge.
Septic pumping belongs to private haulers, and design and approval sit with the Farmington Valley Health District, which has regulated wells and septic in Granby from 1976 onward. Our part is the plumbing, clearing the line between house and tank and finding out whether the clog is in the pipe or the tank. A private sewage system also needs a written permit signed by the building official under Chapter 138, so do not start digging first.
Sump pumps and the sewer ban on drain water
Basements in Granby sit among Salmon, Beech, Bissell and Higley Brooks, all of which drain to the Farmington River, and ground that stays saturated after storms. A sump pump lifts that water out of the pit before it reaches the floor. A float switch that sticks or a pump past its years is the usual cause when a basement floods during a storm.
The pump's discharge has to go outside. Chapter 138 of the Granby code bans connecting roof downspouts or foundation drains to the sewer and bars stormwater and groundwater from the sanitary sewer. If your discharge hose runs near a septic drainfield, EPA also says to keep roof drains and sump pumps away from it. For wet walls that a pump alone cannot solve, basement waterproofing deals with the water path.
Why Granby is mostly wells and septic
The town provides sewer lines only, and they discharge into the Simsbury sewer treatment plant. Limits on public water and sewer hold back dense building outside the center. Here is how the pieces fit.
| Where | Water | Sewer | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granby Center | Salmon Brook Water District | Town sewer where lines run | The sewer map |
| South Salmon Brook St and Canton Road | Aquarion | Town sewer where lines run | Water district bill |
| Homes off the sewer map | Private well | Septic system | Health district |
| Property abutting a sewer line | Varies | Hookup within 90 days of notice | Town WPCA |
Wet basement or dead well?
Call the 24/7 line and say which one. Same-day appointments are offered when available.
Where we work in Granby
Emergency dispatch available around the clock reaches all of Granby. Town Hall on North Granby Road is north-northeast of our Simsbury office, about 5.7 miles and about 12 minutes by road without traffic.
Granby, 06035
The main ZIP, with street delivery. It covers Granby Center around the green and the Salmon Brook Street corridor. Ask the town for its sewer map to see if you are on public sewer.
North Granby, 06060
A separate ZIP that may also overlap neighbouring towns. Most homes in Granby rely on wells, so water loss and pressure-tank calls come from here too.
West Granby, 06090
The smallest of the three, with newer homes by the census figures. Sump and drainage calls follow wet seasons.
Next door
East Granby, next door to Simsbury and Granby, shares Aquarion's Simsbury water system with Granby. Canton and Avon are also served from Simsbury.
How old Granby homes are
The Census figures below come from the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey for ZIP 06035, and the last one from the town's 2019 housing report.
The October 2011 snowstorm and what it taught Granby
The town plan says the October 2011 snowstorm brought heavy snow, downed trees and power lines, and extensive prolonged outages. It says the storm completely crippled the town. Because most Granby homes run on well pumps, the plumbing effects arrived with the outage, not with the snow.
Hurricane Irene flooded many roads in August 2011, and in 2021 scour took parts of the Salmon Brook Park ballfields and washed out a bridge at Holcomb Farm. Only a small part of town is in the 1 percent flood zone and few homeowners carry flood insurance. Basement water is usually groundwater, so ask your insurer whether seepage and sewer backup are covered. Standard policies often exclude both.
Before We Arrive
For a burst pipe or flooding in Granby, these four steps hold the damage while the 24/7 line gets help moving.
Switch off the well pump
On a private well, turn off the pump breaker before closing the main valve, so the pump does not keep pushing water into a broken line.
Cut the sump circuit safely
If water is near the sump cord, do not reach in. Switch off that breaker from a dry spot and keep everyone out of the basement.
Stop using drains
On septic, every flush and load of laundry adds to the tank. Hold off until we have looked at what is backing up.
Keep your phone free
Keep the line open for our callback, and tell us your street and which ZIP you are in, so we find the right end of town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Granby, 06035, is the main ZIP and has street delivery, covering the center and Salmon Brook Street. North Granby uses 06060 and West Granby uses 06090, and we serve both. East Granby is a separate town with its own ZIP.
Yes. The 24/7 emergency line takes Granby calls at any hour, and we dispatch from Simsbury. Same-day appointments are offered when available. We do not promise an arrival time, since road and weather conditions change it.
The pump stops, so the taps run dry once the pressure tank is empty. Fill a few jugs before a storm. Septic systems with a lift pump stop working too.
No. Granby's sewer code bans connecting roof downspouts or foundation drains to sewer lines and keeps stormwater and groundwater out of the sanitary system. Send the discharge to a safe spot on your lot, clear of any septic field.
Where a public sewer abuts your property, the code requires connection within 90 days of notice from the water pollution authority. Once connected, an old septic tank has to be cleaned and filled. Ask the town engineer before starting work.
A septic hauler. We clear the plumbing between the house and the tank and tell you if the tank looks to be the problem.
One slow fixture is usually its own trap. If every drain slows together or the lowest one backs up, suspect the main line or the tank. A camera run tells us which, and it saves paying for pumping you did not need.
- Granby hazard mitigation annex, CRCOG 2024
- Granby Chapter 138 Sewers
- Town of Granby water and sewer FAQ
- Aquarion 2025 Simsbury Regional water quality report
- Census ACS 2020 to 2024, ZIP 06035
- EPA septic system guidance
- 2022 Connecticut State Building Code (2021 IPC plumbing edition), CT DAS Office of State Building Inspector
Granby on the Map
The map shows Granby and the route north from our office at 883 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury. Granby sits north-northeast of us, about 5.7 miles and about 12 minutes to Town Hall by road.