Fountain County, Indiana · Covington
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Fountain County averages 36 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 45% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Fountain County gets about 6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Fountain County, 2.89 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
26% of occupied homes in Fountain County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
About 37 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Fountain County covers 396 square miles of western Indiana, with about 16,617 residents and 7,875 homes. Covington is the county seat; Attica, Veedersburg and Kingman are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1966, half after.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fountain County ranks 18 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fountain County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Fountain County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Indiana. From 2015–2024 it averaged 36 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 114 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 23rd of 92 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 16 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -17°F on January 2, 2018.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 21 and end around Apr 21.
Fountain gets fewer downpours than most Indiana counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 40.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 74th of 92. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.89 inches, July 10, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.61 inches, ending December 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 88 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 68% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Fountain among the oldest housing stocks of Indiana's 92 counties.
In Fountain County 45% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
22% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 11% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
12% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 37 nights a year in Fountain County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (48th of 92 counties). June is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Fountain County's occupied homes: 46% utility gas, 27% electric, 21% propane and 5% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Indiana norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Fountain County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Montgomery and Warren get more pipe-freeze nights than Fountain. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fountain | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 35% | 18 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 68% | 58% | 20 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.4% | 18% | 86 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 6.4% | 18 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 9.2% | 20 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 17% | 23 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 36/yr | 33/yr | 23 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6/yr | 7.8/yr | 74 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 88/yr | 84/yr | 12 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 38/yr | 48 of 92 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Indiana county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Fountain County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June and July.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology