Trousdale County, Tennessee · Hartsville
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Pipes freeze in Trousdale County on about 12 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 12% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 14.7 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Trousdale County gets about 14.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 63 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
15% of occupied homes in Trousdale County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 75 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
With 3,974 homes and around 11,957 residents, Trousdale County is 114 square miles of northern Tennessee. The county seat is Hartsville, and Hartsville/Trousdale County is the other large town. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Trousdale County ranks 52 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Trousdale County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Trousdale is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 12 nights a year at or below 20°F (31st of 95) and 69 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 8 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -5°F on January 17, 2024. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 4 and the last spring freeze around Apr 6.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. Of roughly 56 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 32nd of 95. February, June and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.7 inches, May 9, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.54 inches (through May 9, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 63 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
39% of homes in Trousdale County predate 1980, close to the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 59th of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 38% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 23% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Here 19% 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.
Beyond water
Trousdale County averages 75 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Trousdale County's occupied homes: 11% utility gas, 73% electric, 14% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Tennessee counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Trousdale County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Macon gets more pipe-freeze nights than Trousdale. Smith County has the oldest housing nearby, with 43% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Trousdale | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 16% | 74 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 39% | 41% | 59 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 38% | 27% | 11 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 16% | 35 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 6.9% | 12% | 85 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 7.8% | 21 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 11/yr | 31 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 14/yr | 32 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 63/yr | 60/yr | 36 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 75/yr | 74/yr | 42 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 Trousdale County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, June 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