Roane County, Tennessee · Kingston
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With 23% of homes built before 1960 and about 7 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
December brings the most downpours to Roane County, part of 13.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Roane County spike on heavy-rain days, about 13.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roane County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.24 inches, and about 59 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
6% of occupied homes in Roane County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
With 74 muggy nights a year, mold in Roane County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 55,208 people live in Roane County, 361 square miles in central Tennessee, in roughly 25,680 homes. Kingston is the county seat; Harriman, Rockwood and Oliver Springs are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1979.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Roane County ranks 68 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Roane County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Roane County is milder than most of Tennessee, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 7 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 63 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 87th of 95 counties.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about -1°F, and in the stretch ending February 2015 the county went 5 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 7 and the last spring freeze around Apr 1.
Rainfall is about average for Tennessee. About 13.5 days a year bring an inch or more (60th of 95), most often in December, out of 58.3 inches of total precipitation. On February 6, 2020, 4.24 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.01 inches (through February 7, 2020).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 59 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
Tennessee's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Roane ranks 16th, with 51% of its homes built before 1980.
23% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
About 26% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
12% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below the Tennessee county median of 15.9%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 74 times a year here, close to the Tennessee county median of 74. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Roane County's occupied homes: 32% utility gas, 62% electric, 4% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Roane County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Anderson, Cumberland, Knox, Morgan and Rhea get more pipe-freeze nights than Roane. Anderson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Roane | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 16% | 14 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 41% | 16 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 27% | 72 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 16% | 58 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 12% | 52 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6% | 7.8% | 60 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 7/yr | 11/yr | 87 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 14/yr | 60 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 60/yr | 58 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 74/yr | 74/yr | 44 of 95 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Tennessee county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Roane County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in January, February and December.
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