York PA – Wilbur Henry

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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6 Ways to Find a Water Leak in Your House

Blog Posts, Water Leak, York PA / Tom Henry

Plenty of warning signs indicate that water is leaking somewhere in your house. You may get a call from the water company telling you your bill is higher than normal. Sometimes you can hear it, when you hear water run for a minute and then shut off. But there is no water manual that comes with the purchase of a home. However, there are several ways to find a water leak in your house.

Check the water meter

You hear water running, but you are not sure where it is coming from. Go out to your water meter and do some inspecting of your own. Look at the little dial on your water meter. If it is spinning, that means water is running water-meter-check-for-leak through your meter and there is a leak somewhere in your house.

Check the hot water heater

Go to your hot water heater and turn off the valve. Wait a minute and then turn it back on. If you do not hear a surge, then you know there is no leak on the hot side. That means there must be a cold water leak.

Check your toilet

A cold water leak could come from either your toilet or an outside faucet. If you hear water come on for a minute and then go off, then there is a problem with your toilet. When it comes on and then shuts off, it is a sign that tank ball is leaking through and needs to be repaired or replaced. One way to check is to put a little food coloring in the top of the toilet before you go to sleep. If dye is in bowl the next morning, then you know it has leaked through.

toilet-tank-ball or flapper

Check your outside faucet

When winter rolls around, many people forget to take their hoses inside. This does not allow the antifreeze hydrant to drain and it can freeze during a very cold winter. When it freezes, the copper tubing splits and water winds up leaking in the wall or outside. It will only happen when you turn on the outside faucet and it could also flood the cellar.

Answer your phone

If with your water is leaking consistently without your knowledge, it will show up with your water company. When a large volume of water is being used, your water company will notice the difference. If that continues, the company will often phone the homeowner to divulge the issue.

Listen

If there is a water leak underground, no kind of x-ray vision will help you to see it. However, you can listen for hissing, splashing, thumping or clicking sounds. If you hear those noises, there is usually a leak. But no wave of a wand will repair it. Fixing the leak might require digging up the ground and replacing the pipes.

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Why Are My Water Lines Sweating and Why Is There Water On the Outside Of My Toilet Tank?

Plumbing, Toilet Repair, York PA / Tom Henry

Have you ever looked at the water lines running under your subfloor, through your basement, and noticed condensation on the water lines? When water enters the house, it is cold from being underground, and when it enters your basement, the basement is warmer. So if you are using are large amount of water the water in those lines never has a chance to warm up.

As For Condensation On The Outside of the Toilet

There is most likely water leaking from the toilet tank into the bowl of the toilet. Again just like the water lines in the basement, the water never has a chance to get warm, since there is always a flow of water running through it.

You may also be flushing the toilet more often and that would keep the water in the bowl cold.

How To Checking a Toilet for Leaks:

A bigger plumbing issue is water leaking through the tank into the toilet bowl. There should be a shutoff valve for the toilet at the floor. To check a toilet for leaks, turn off the toilet water valve and wait an hour. The flapper in the tank acts like a plug and should be watertight. If the water level in the tank runs out or goes down then the flapper is leaking.

One other thing to check is if the water level in the tank is OVER the overflow tube. That means the fill valve is leaking and the extra water is going down the overflow tube. Ideally, the water level in a toilet tank should be about an inch below the overflow tube. You might not hear or see either leak regularly, but a toilet leak needs a toilet repair!

Want More Leaking Toilet Information?

For more on checking for leaks in your toilet check out our post and video by Dave Henry called Why Is My Toilet Running When Not In Use, Dave discusses doing a simple dye test that any homeowner can do, yes anyone.

Need Plumbing Help or Toilet Repair?

If you need help with your plumbing repairs or to change the flapper in your toilet, we are the York PA plumber to call at 717-755-5461.

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How Do You Know You Need A New Hot Water Heater?

Hot Water Heater, Plumbing, Question and Answer, York PA / Tom Henry

There are a few ways to determine if you need to have your hot water heater replaced.

The most apparent is when you notice leaks. Chances are, if your feet are getting wet it is time to take a serious look at the cause of the problem.

hot-water-heater-leaking

Relief Valve Leaking?

If you notice that the relief valve is dripping, there is over 150 pounds of pressure built up which indicates that either the expansion tank is bad, or the pressure-reducing valve at the meter is not operating properly. If you notice that the relief valve runs continuously, it’s probably not good. If it comes on and then goes off every so often, it’s because too much pressure is being built up.

Rust On The Exterior Of The Hot Water Heater?

Visible rust on the exterior of the unit will indicate a need for hot water heater replacement.

If you notice rust marks on the side it’s likely because the heater is leaking from the top. If there is rust at the burner, the unit may be leaking, but the water is evaporating before it makes it to the floor.

Water Heater Leaking By Burner

Expansion Tanks Help Relieve Pressure and Can Prolong The Life Of The Hot Water Heater

The expansion tank (if you have one) is located on top of the water heater. It can prolong the life of your water heater by taking the hammer shocks out of anything that uses a Expansion Tank For Hot Water Heater solenoid valve (like washing machines and dishwashers).

Water will expand as it heats which causes a rise in the pressure.

A Quick Water History Lesson

Years ago, the water would expand back into the street, but more recently the water companies have been using backflow preventers at the water meter. This gives the pressure no way to be relieved. The resulting build-up of excess pressure is then transferred to your pipes, appliances, fixtures, and hot water heater.

What An Expansion Tank Does

With the installation of an expansion tank and maintaining it, you give the pressure a way to be relieved. Maintain it by pressing in the Schrader valve every couple of years or annually to see whether air is in it or not. If water comes out of this valve, the rubber bladder inside has ruptured. Water is now against the steel in the expansion tank which inevitably will lead to leaking.

In Summary, A Leak Is Not What You Want To See.

Again, the most obvious sign that it’s time for hot water heater replacement is when you notice leaks.

If your feet get wet, it’s time for a hot water heater replacement. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact a professional plumber in York PA.

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Older Homes In York PA – Check Your Chimney Annually For Debris Build Up

Heating, How To Repair, York PA / Tom Henry

As a safety precaution home owners and property owners should make it a habit to check their chimneys annually to ensure there is no blockage for the furnace and hot water heater to vent out of the chimney.

York PA Residents – This Applies To You!!

This is more applicable to older homes that have brick chimneys. Which is the case with most homes in York City.

Who Does This Exclude?

If you have a chimney liner.
Electric hot water heater.
A high-efficiency furnace that vents through PVC out the side of your house.

Why Does This Happen?

With the older brick and mortar chimneys, the debris from the older brick and mortar deteriorates over time and falls to the bottom which is of course where your furnace and hot water heater are venting. Along with any dead birds, animals or other debris that has accumulated over time. If a build-up occurs and the air is not flowing correctly, asphyxiation and death could result for the people inside as well which is obviously a very serious problem.

This debris is loose and is like piling sand and dirt in the chimney, the vapors from the hot water heater and furnace can not escape. Thus backing up into the home or property. Note the picture below of how the loose brick broke away and fell to the bottom of the chimney. The pictures below came from one of our customers who did a chimney cleaning himself.

Checking Your Chimney Is Not That Hard To Do – With A Little Effort

As long as you are willing to get your hands a little dirty and invest a little time you can save a life and a service call.

To Get Started

Start in the basement, assuming your furnace and hot water heater are located there.

Check the air-flow at the air vent where the draft hood is by holding a match at the vent. You should see a strong draw up through the chimney, you should also be able to feel the draw of air on your hand.

If it’s a hazy smoke that is being drawn and not that strong you should pull the pipe stack off and check further.

Allow the smoke pipe to cool and then pull it out of the chimney. Often the smoke pipe will be set into the thimble (as in picture below) or chimney with mortar. If your smoke pipe easily comes apart, you can pull the joint out and leave the last six to ten inches there. Note in the picture below the pipes were disconnected to allow access to the chimney.

How To Disconnect Your Furnace Pipes

Okay The Pipes Are Apart Now What

Looking into the chimney you should be able to see daylight coming from above.

Inspect it with a flashlight and mirror while wearing a breathing apparatus to ensure there is not blockage.

Insert the mirror and angle up and you should see the opening at the end of the chimney and see daylight.

Using the flashlight look at the base of the chimney to see if any debris has accumulated. In the picture below, yes the customer could see daylight above, but as you can see there was quite a big pile of debris that had accumulated. The customer then used a shop vac to remove the debris.

Cleaning Chimney Debris

A good practice is to do regular maintenance on the furnace, and when you do, also check the chimney.

A Clean Chimney

Some furnaces will vent to the outside of the home through PVC so you will need to follow the PVC piping in order to identify where the exhaust exits. In that case you will not have this brick waste but still have to keep an eye out for any animals that entered the vent pipes.

Nonetheless, checking your furnace and regularly chimney cleaning can not only save you the cost of having someone else do it, but can also be life saving (quite literally). Most people should be able to do this themselves and dont realize that or how important it is.

Contact Wilbur Henry For Your HVAC needs In York PA

Wilbur Henry is the expert to call when you HVAC In York PA. When you need service we will treat you right.

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What To Look For When Buying A Furnace

Heating, Uncategorized, York PA / Tom Henry

You may be asking yourself what to look for when buying a furnace. What do I need to consider about furnace installation? Those can be very hard questions to answer because ultimately it will depend on the needs of your home.

Everyone’s home is different and one thing you have to remember is that oversizing the furnace can be quite a waste. Many furnaces are 95% efficiency and higher so if the unit exceeds what is necessary it can cause short cycling leading to cracked or damaged heat exchangers.

Sizing Is The Key To Choosing An Efficient Furnace

The key to choosing an efficient furnace is to size it correctly to the house. Get several estimates (the cheapest one doesn’t always mean it’s the best), of popular brands so that if anything ever happens to your furnace, parts will be available for it. Also, make sure you use a reputable furnace dealer that has been in the industry for years because you need someone knowledgeable to assist you in the decision-making process, but even more importantly, if you need parts they will be able to get them for you.

Factors To Consider When Sizing Furnace

There are a handful of factors when sizing a furnace to the house. Consider the heat loss. Measure the house, windows (and make note if they’re replacement windows), thickness of insulation, etc.

Depending on the size of the home, the appropriate furnace may work in multiple stages. Larger homes should use a two-stage furnace system. The first stage operates at about thirty percent capacity depending on how the thermostat is set. The second stage utilizes all of the power the furnace is capable of to heat your home when more resources are needed to match the thermostat settings.

The Install Is Obviously Important

Find a quality furnace installation technician. Also, make sure that they are insured and have the appropriate licensing. A good idea would be to ask for references too. If you have any concerns about the distributor or furnace installation technician, make sure that you are only paying a deposit if financial compensation is requested upfront.

Wilbur Henry can help you determine what the best furnace is for your needs. Contact us today!

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Is Your Toilet Clogged? 5 Steps You Can Try Before Calling A Plumber

Plumbing, Question and Answer, Toilet Repair, York PA / Tom Henry

Having a toilet that is clogged is frustrating, but what is almost equally frustrating is to call for plumbing service to repair, the plumber shows up, and 5 minutes later they say “Well we are all good”.

You exclaim “That is it !?”

He says “Yep, I flushed it and everything is working fine.” Or something similarly simple.

Some Of The Most Common Causes Of Toilet Clogs – How To Avoid The Clog Problem In The 1st Place

Toilet clogs occur for a variety of reasons some of which are:

Way too much toilet paper – remember it may be better to make that extra flush than risk a clog.
Flushable Wipes – I know they say flushable on them. But these older homes which are quite common in York PA can not take them. The wipes do not break up. Also, the old sewer lines are made of cast iron pipe. Over time they get buildup inside which can cause the wipes to get snagged on the rough edges, and thus a backup begins.

Actionable Steps You Can Do – To Save Yourself A Trip By The Plumber

Let it sit for a couple of hours – That could be three or four hours. Now if this is the only toilet in your house this may not be the best solution. But if you have another toilet and have the patience to wait it out and think it is most likely just toilet paper, this is a good strategy.
Metal Coat Hanger – You can try a metal coat hanger. If I am at home and don’t have my tools with me, I would cut a coat hanger and bend it as long as I can. On the one end, I would make a little hook to grab any debris. Then I would stick it up as far as I can to help break up the blockage.
Just Flush It – The other thing you can do is try flushing the toilet when it’s clogged.
- The more water that is in the bowl the more head pressure that is on the clog and that might help it push it out through.
- ***WARNING*** Before you try this have the toilet lid off. If the water comes up too high – Just push the flapper (in the bottom center of the tank, the hole where the water is going) down as fast as you can.
Plunger – Try a regular old plunger.
Toilet Auger – These are available at many home improvement stores.
Check Water Flow – Make sure the jets are open the whole way around the rim of the toilet. Also check the main jet at the bottom of the bowl (the main jet is not in all toilets). Over time buildup occurs in these jets and the flow of water decreases. This is especially true on well systems with calcium deposits.
- These jets are going the whole way around your toilet. They are up under the rim. I use a little Allen wrench or hex key tool. Go up inside your holes, just wiggle it around and open them up.
- Then I make sure to hit the main jet at the bottom.

Last Resort – What To Do

We offer some additional steps for removing a clog on another clearing a clogged toilet post here.

If you tried all of the above or you decided none of the above steps are in your job description we would love to take care of your toilet troubles with a quick no hassle service call.

Call 717-755-5461 and Crystal will get one of the friendly techs out right away.

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Toilet Cleaners Can Ruin Your Toilet Flapper – The Right Way and The Wrong Way

Plumbing, Question and Answer, Toilet Repair, York PA / Tom Henry

In the video below Dave Henry discusses the right way and the wrong way to use the tablet cleaners you put in your toilet.

If you are using those chlorine tablets to keep your toilet clean, fresh and pretty, please make sure you are putting them in the bowl and not the tank. ?When I am out on service calls I often have customers ask me if this causes any damage to my toilet. ?The topic will often come up for a toilet service and repair call.

The problem is when you put these chlorine tablets in the tank they often warp the flappers and the plastic and rubber that helps your toilet work properly. ?Now it does not happen immediately of course but it does over time.

The problem is that all of the working mechanisms of the toilet are inside the tank.

This even includes the blue sludges you put in the tank. Which- is- tank- and- which- is -the- bowl- on- a- toilet

Now if you put the cleaners in the bowl you are just fine.

Not sure which is the tank and which is the bowl? ?Note the attached picture.

If you have additional questions or need plumbing service please use our plumbing contact form or give us a call at 717-755-5461.

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Why Is My Toilet Running When Not In Use

Plumbing, Toilet Repair, York PA / Tom Henry

Have your ever experienced the problem such as:

You are laying in bed in the middle of the night or you sitting downstairs and you hear your toilet fill up for a second or two, or you get your water bill and you notice it a little higher than it usually is or you physically just hear your toilet leaking through when you come in your bathroom. Then you wander if you should call a plumbing contractor or if the issue is just a simple fix.

There is a simple test you can do. It’s called a dye test for your toilet.

As professionals, we have special dye tablets but you can go to any grocery store and get food coloring, and use any color you want. No the color does not matter.

You start by going to the toilet that you are having the issue with or better yet just check all of your toilets.

You flush the back of the tank and hold down the lever until most of the water is out of the tank.

Once it’s completely drained out as much as you can get, you drop the dye or in your case droplets of food coloring and close the handle and just let it set for 10 or 15 minutes. Better yet let it sit for an extended period of time to ensure there are no leaks, even slow leaks.

Now the water in the tank will turn whatever color dye you put in it, we use blue dye in tablets, so mine will turn blue. ?You do not want that color of dye from the tank getting into the bowl.

After you have waited 15 – 30 minutes or whole days, come back, and lift up the bowl, if there’s no blue or whatever color you used in the bowl, then your flapper is not leaking.

If you lift up the toilet seat and the color that you put in the tank is in the bowl then your flapper is leaking. ?Now you will want to replace the flapper. You can go to the local home improvement store and get a replacement flapper.

Or you can of course contact us by phone at 717-755-5461 or use our contact form to do the dirty work.

Thank you.

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How Often Should You Have Your Central Air Unit Serviced?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Question and Answer, York PA / Tom Henry

Dave Henry answers your questions.

How often should you service your air conditioning system?

The industry suggests about once a year.

We feel you can get by with every year or two as we discuss in the above video.

You do want to make sure the A/C is always running at top performance. Otherwise, it will affect your electricity bill. ?And your unit will have to work harder to cool your house down.

We check your freon levels to ensure maximum efficiency.

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