Plumbing in Kelly, WY

Kelly sits at about 6,650 feet along the Gros Ventre River on the eastern side of Jackson Hole. It began in the late 1890s as Grovont, took the name Kelly in 1909, and was wiped out on May 18, 1927, when part of the natural dam left by the 1925 Gros Ventre landslide gave way and flooded the valley below. The slide scar is still visible upstream, above Lower Slide Lake. Today Kelly is a small community, with 138 residents at the 2010 census.

Winters here are long and very cold. The climate borders on subarctic, and January nights average around zero. That has two big effects on a house. First, pipes freeze wherever they’re exposed: crawl spaces, outside walls, well pits, and the line between the pressure tank and the house. Second, there is no slack when something fails. A split line or a dead well pump this far from town can turn into real damage before anyone notices, so insulating exposed runs and knowing where the main shutoff is matters more here than almost anywhere.

Homes this far from town often rely on private wells and septic systems. Well water in the area can carry iron and sediment, which stain fixtures, clog aerators and settle in the bottom of a water heater. A test tells you what you’re dealing with, and the fix might be a sediment filter, an iron filter, a softener or a combination. Septic systems need periodic attention too, and a gurgling drain or a soggy patch over the field is worth a call.

Hot water takes more effort here as well. Incoming water is very cold for much of the year, so a water heater works harder and wears faster than one in a warmer climate. Sizing it right, and flushing it regularly, keeps it going.