Tom Henry – Wilbur Henry

We Love What We Do

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Heating, Plumbing / Tom Henry

It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it. At Wilbur Henry, we do enjoy our job. The business has been in the family for three generations for over 60 years and it brings a smile to our faces to solve our customer’s problems or set them up with heating and cooling solutions. It is a rewarding career.

I have a soft spot for older couples and I just want to make sure they’re taken care of -Dave Henry

It’s our goal to turn every customer into a lifelong relationship, and we do that by providing people with solutions that aren’t going to cost an arm and a leg. It’s a rewarding feeling when you help somebody out who might not be able to afford a new air conditioner and you can find the problem and get it fixed.

We’d love to have a chance to prove it to you, so give us a call the next time you need plumbing, heating, or air conditioning solutions at 717-755-5461.

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How Do I Know If My Drains Are Clogged?

Plumbing, Question and Answer / Tom Henry

So you’ve been trying to figure out if your drains have been doing their job as well as they used to, but not really sure if you’re experiencing a clog or not. We’re taking time today to inform you of what the signs are of a clogged drain and what you could be in for as far as repairs go.

Start At The Main Drain Line First

The first thing you’ll want to do to check if your main line is clogged is to go to the lowest fixture in your house. This might be a toilet, a shower, or a floor drain. If you don’t notice anything immediately wrong, go upstairs and flush a toilet, then go back down. If water is coming out of your lowest fixture, you’ve got a problem. This is a telltale sign your main sewer is clogged.

It could be a couple different things. We’ve had a pretty big problem with flushable wipes in the sewer lines. We know they claim to be flushable, but we’ve had some first hand experience that says otherwise.

It could be roots in the sewer. Sometimes tree roots will grow right through the line. In these cases, we can pour root raider down the line to try to kill the roots, but unfortunately, once you get roots in the line, you will always have the problem.

It could also be the house trap right before your sewer goes out to the street. You should have clean out lines accessible before the line reaches your street. If you can open them and see standing water inside, you’ll know for certain that your main line is clogged.

If you’ve found that you do have a clogged drain line, don’t hesitate to call Wilbur Henry Plumbing Heating and A/C today at 717-755-5461.

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My Air Conditioner Stopped Working, What’s Wrong?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts / Tom Henry

So your air conditioner stopped working, it’s the middle of the summer, and they’re calling for a scorcher next week. What do you do? We’ve been there, and we know how miserable it can be. We’ve got some advice for you though, so hang in there!

If your air conditioner is no longer cooling your house, there’s a variety of problems it could be.

We should try to narrow it down before calling the hvac professionals though, it might be an easy fix! First, check to see if the indoor fan is blowing air. If the indoor fan isn’t blowing air, odds are nothing’s happening.

If air is blowing in the house, but it’s not cool, go outside and check if the condenser is running. If it’s not, but the indoor fan is running, you’re not going to get any cool air. If the outdoor unit isn’t running, you’re going to want to check your breakers to see if one tripped.

If your breakers are all on and you’re still not getting any cool air, you should call the professionals. It could be anything from low freon, to a broken motor. We’d be happy to help you out at Wilbur Henry Plumbing Heating and AC so give us a call today at 717-755-5461.

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What Preventative Maintenance Can I Provide For My Air Conditioner?

Air Conditioning Unit, Question and Answer / Tom Henry

The summer can be a great time of year for many reasons, but a broken air conditioner can take the fun out of it real quick. So as a homeowner, what can you do to keep your air conditioning running in tip-top shape? We’ve got some simple preventative maintenance tips for you below.

The first thing you’ll want to do before anything else is to check the filters in your furnace. When you switch over from heat to air conditioning, make sure to check your filter. A dirty filter can actually cause build up on your furnace and you’ll get a nice big chunk of ice on top of it.

Clean with your hose

Another quick and easy thing you can do is to first cut the power to the outdoor unit. Most outdoor units should have a gray box where you can disconnect the 220-volt cord running to it. Once you’ve ensured the unit is disconnected, you can take a garden hose with a spray nozzle and gently clean the outside fins. On the inside unit you have a filter to protect from dirt, but the outdoor unit does not, and will suck up any dirt or particles into the coil. A simple hose down of the unit can keep it clean.

Following these tips will keep your air conditioner running as efficiently as possible.

Questions? Looking for a professional cleaning of your air conditioning unit?

If you are considering a professional cleaning of your central air conditioning unit check out our blog post and video at this link to see Dave Henry in action and the professional cleaning solution in action that pushes the dirt out from the inside. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 717-755-5461.

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I Lost Power And My Sump Pump Won’t Work, What Can I Do?

Question and Answer, Sump Pump, Water Leak / Tom Henry

These past few years have brought some nasty storms through Pennsylvania, and the unfortunate risk of flood comes with these storms. Household flooding, however, is why the humble submersible pump exists. But what happens if you’re caught in a storm, and the power goes out?

In such a case, your typical household sump pump isn’t going to work. You do have a couple of options open to you, depending on where you live. These options are:

Have a generator
Buy a battery backup
Buy a water backup

All of these options have their own pros and cons. The generator will require the most effort on your part. You’ll need to run it outdoors to avoid filling your house with fumes, and you’ll have to be home to plug it in and start it up.

A battery backup will kick in on its own should the power go out, but you have to keep up with the battery and replace it occasionally, or it might not have any life in your time of need.

The water backup relies on a city water line coming into the house to push the unwanted water out, but these types of pumps won’t work if you have a well.

Don’t know what option would work best for you? Call us today at 717-755-5461 or use our contact form, and we’d be happy to help.

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Why Would I Put Air Conditioning In My Attic?

Air Conditioning Unit / Tom Henry

So you’ve got an older house and it’s been long finished, just like many of the homes in York County, PA. You start pricing around to see how much it would cost to get an air conditioning unit installed. You might get quickly discouraged once you find out how much work could be needed to run vents behind the drywall and get you all set up. Luckily though, there are more economical options for you.

The Reason To Put The AC In Your Attic

This exact situation is when we would suggest installing air conditioning in your attic. The great thing about putting air conditioning in the attic is that a minimal amount of labor is involved. Attics are more accessible and easier to run lines through. The air handler would go up in the attic, and you’d still have a unit outside of the house. Once everything is installed, you would simply turn the air conditioning on like any other setup and it would start blowing cool air from the attic down.

If you’d like to know more, check out Dave Henry in the video above or call and schedule an HVAC appointment with Tom Henry today at 717-755-5461.

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Is a Fujitsu Ductless System Right for Me?

Air Conditioning Unit / Tom Henry

Central air conditioning is pretty common for today’s household, so it’s no surprise when people start looking to have one installed. The problem with central air, though, is that you set the temperature for the entire household. Why is this a problem? Well, it’s terribly inefficient, but beyond that, different people have different needs. This exact reason is why we offer the Fujitsu Ductless System.

What is a Ductless AC System

Wondering what a ductless ac system is, and what it takes to install one? A ductless air conditioning system is more or less what it sounds like an air conditioning system that doesn’t require duct work to be run through the entire house. Instead, we use an outdoor unit that has a head with a blower motor and return. One unit can connect to up to eight heads throughout your house.

Why Is This Significant?

Having a separate head for each room allows you to control the temperature of each of those rooms individually. When you go into your house, you don’t turn every single light in the house to sit in one room. This same principle can apply to a house with a ductless system installed. Most people spend time between one or two rooms at any given moment. Why waste energy cooling rooms you aren’t currently using? At Wilbur Henry, we truly believe ductless systems are the future of heating and air conditioning. Call us today to find out more about HVAC specialists at Wilbur Henry at 717-755-5461.

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What is Radiant Heat?

Furnace and Heat Systems, Heating / Tom Henry

There’s nothing worse in the wintertime than turning on the heat and having parts of the room too hot and others still cold. Actually, let me retract that statement, cold tile floors on bare feet certainly rank up there. Baseboard heaters don’t do much to solve this problem, and let’s be honest, they’re pretty inefficient. That’s where radiant heat comes in.

Radiant heat = evenly distributed heat

Radiant heat will literally turn your floor into a heater through lines that run under the floor itself. What this means for you is that the days of cold floors in the winter could be a thing of the past. Since the entire floor is heated, it provides a nice even distribution of warmth to the entire room, so you won’t have cold spots on one side and blistering temperatures on the other. Radiant heat works great for surfaces like laminate or ceramic tiling.

The drawback of radiant heat is that it does take quite a bit of labor to install. The room where you want the radiant heat in needs to have lines run back and forth throughout the entire floor. Once you experience it for yourself though, you’ll never want to go back to traditional methods of heating again. If you want to learn more about radiant heat, don’t hesitate to call Wilbur Henry Plumbing Heating and A/C at 717-755-5461.

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Why Did My Well Pump Stop Working?

Question and Answer, Well Pump, York PA / Tom Henry

When it comes to supplying your house with water, wells certainly have their benefits. For one, you’re saving on paying more out of pocket for city lines pumping to your house. What do you do, though, when the water stops running? That’s the question we’re tackling today.

When we get a call about well pumps running dry, the first thing we want our customers to check is the breaker box in their house. Sometimes the pump is simply using too much power and the breaker will trip. If it continually trips, or the pump still isn’t working despite no breakers being tripped, there’s a variety of issues that may be at hand.

Well pumps get a lot of use

With as much use as well pumps get, it shouldn’t be surprising that wear and tear can get the best of them eventually. Broken wires or burned-out motors are among some of the calls we’ve serviced in the past. Sometimes the pressure switch that tells the pump when to come on goes up. Clogged pipes can cause problems as well.

If your well pump has stopped working and you’ve already ensured that power is running to it, you should rely on professionals to take a look at it. Wilbur Henry Plumbing Heating and A/C would be happy to help get your water running again. Call us today at 717-755-5461.

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Insulated vs Non-insulated Duct For Your Central Air

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Furnace and Heat Systems / Tom Henry

In most cases, there are much more advantages to insulating air conditioning ducts. This is recommended in a fair amount of places throughout the home such as attics, basements, and crawlspaces. A general rule to follow is to keep non-insulated-duct ducts insulated in unconditioned spaces where there is no heat.

Because ductwork just sits there, it cools down. So when the furnace first comes on, there will be an immediate blast of cool air. To compensate, newer furnaces, especially two-stage or variable-speed models, start off slow and then ramp it up. The result is that there won’t be that initial blast of cool air.

Older homes were generally built without insulation on their air conditioning ducts. However, the modern age has been able to shed light on ways to make the most out of saving money and maintaining higher efficiency levels inside the home. If you are installing a new central air conditioning unit you should certainly install insulated duct work.

Still, many people purchase homes with non-insulated ducts. That does not always mean the ducts have to be replaced.

Options If Your Duct Work Is Not Insulated

There are cheaper alternatives to insulating ducts in an unconditioned space. Using duct wrap can increase efficiency and also save money. It can be done without the help of a professional and while it might not produce as high efficiency as true insulation, it can reduce monthly utility bills.

Checking ductwork is the first step towards deciding whether or not insulation is needed. You can do this with a visual inspection followed by turning on your central air conditioner and feeling for leaks. The plastic can become brittle over time and affect the R-value, which measures the level of installation. Some leaks will need to be patched before the insulation process can begin. In this day and age, it is a wise move to choose the insulation alternative.

Allowing even small doses of cool air to escape your ducts could translate into a lot of cash being doled out on utility bills over the course of time. Give us a call at 717-755-5461 or use our contact form and we can schedule a no-obligation consultation to discuss your options for your central air system.

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