If water is coming through a ceiling in Jenkintown right now, shut off the main valve, keep clear of outlets and call (215) 714-6692. Our dispatch is available around the clock, including nights, weekends and holidays, and we serve the borough from Abington with same-day appointments when available.
We are an Abington company, not a Jenkintown one, and we would rather say so plainly. The two places share a boundary, a main road and a lot of the same old housing, much like the neighboring streets we cover in Glenside and Elkins Park. They run on different rules, which matters the moment a permit or an inspection comes up.
A borough inside a township: who does what
The borough's own history page says Jenkintown was incorporated on December 8, 1874, when about 248 acres were taken from Abington Township. It covers roughly 0.58 square mile and sits along the Route 611 corridor, which is Old York Road. Our office is on that same road, directly north of the borough line, so the trip into town follows one familiar street.
The practical effect is paperwork. Jenkintown has its own Building Code Official at Borough Hall, 700 Summit Avenue, and the borough says only master licensed plumbers may apply for a plumbing permit. Abington Township handles permits just across the line, so a repair on one side of Greenwood Avenue can answer to a different office than the house across the street.
What breaks first in a house that old
Sewer laterals that fail the camera
A drain line that is many decades old can crack, sag or fill with roots. Slow drains in several fixtures at once, or a backup in the lowest drain, point toward the lateral and away from a single clogged sink.
Galvanized supply pipe
Rust builds up inside older steel pipe until flow drops and a threaded joint finally splits. Low pressure on the upper floor is the early warning.
Leaks inside row house party walls
In attached homes a slow leak can run into a neighbor's wall. Call early, because shared walls turn one repair into two conversations.
Basement water after heavy rain
Water at the floor drain or a wet wall after a storm is a drainage problem first. A plumber can check the drain, the sump and the pipes before anyone talks about waterproofing.
Aging water heaters in tight basements
A tank in a cramped utility corner is hard to see until the floor is wet. A rusty seam or a puddle means the tank is done and a replacement should be planned.
Jenkintown problems and the service that fits
Here is the order we would look at things in the borough, based on the age of the housing and how the borough is built.
| What you notice | Likely cause | Where to look first |
|---|---|---|
| Drains gurgle or back up in the basement | A blockage or broken section in the lateral | Sewer line repair and a camera look |
| Water meter moves with everything off | A hidden leak in the supply or service line | Leak detection |
| Pressure drops, water runs brown | Corroding galvanized or old copper pipe | Repiping assessment |
| Wall or ceiling suddenly wet | A split pipe or failed joint | Burst pipe repair |
| Home sale coming up | Required lateral video inspection | Sewer inspection |
Every house is different, so treat this as a starting point and let the plumber confirm on site.
Backup, leak or burst in Jenkintown?
Shut off the main and call. A dispatcher answers at any hour and can send help to the borough.
Before we arrive in your Jenkintown home
These five moves limit the damage in a small borough house or a rowhome, where water travels fast.
Shut off the main
Look where the water line enters the basement, often close to the meter. Turn the valve clockwise until it stops, and tell the dispatcher if it will not move.
Kill power near water
If water reaches an outlet, a panel or an appliance, leave that circuit alone unless you can switch the breaker off from dry ground.
Clear the area
Lift rugs, move boxes and pull electronics away from the wet zone. In a rowhome, check whether water is crossing the shared wall.
Smell gas? Leave first
If you smell gas, get everyone outside and call the gas utility or 911 before you call us. A plumber comes second.
Call the line
Give the address, where the water is coming from and a number that will be answered. Clear details help the right plumber arrive with the right parts.
Streets and spots where plumbing questions come up
These places come straight from borough records, and each one points to a plumbing decision.
Washington Lane and Greenwood Avenue
A state-funded planning effort between Abington and Jenkintown describes this intersection as flooding during rainfall. If your basement sits near it, a sump pump and a working floor drain are worth checking before storm season.
Cedar to Walnut Street
The borough received 2018 state flood-mitigation money here for culvert and inlet work. Ask your neighbors and your plumber whether water at your drain follows the same rain pattern.
Highland Avenue and Walnut Street
Aqua began replacing water mains here in June 2019, and Homestead, Vernon and Newbold Roads followed that September. Newer mains do not replace your own pipe, so the line inside the house still deserves a look.
Uptown West
The borough names this neighborhood in its revitalization plans. Mixed rowhomes, duplexes and rental buildings mean ownership of a shared line may be unclear, so confirm who is responsible before work begins.
Your sewer lateral gets inspected when the house sells
Jenkintown enacted a Use and Occupancy ordinance in May 2017 that requires a video inspection of the sanitary sewer lateral when a property is sold. The borough's January 2020 overview reported 119 inspections, with 32 of them, about 27 percent, needing repair. That is roughly one in four houses, and the borough itself describes its housing stock as historic with aging infrastructure.
If you plan to sell, book the camera look before you list, so a surprise does not land in the middle of a contract. Borough Hall confirms the current certificate rules, and our sewer inspection service explains what the video shows. If it finds a break, a sewer line repair visit sets out the options.
What decides the cost of a Jenkintown repair
We give you a clear price before work starts, and a few things on site move it the most.
Many homeowner policies cover sudden water damage but not slow leaks, so photograph everything. Ready for your real number? Call (215) 714-6692.
Call for your priceDo now, and leave for a licensed plumber
Reasonable to do yourself
- Close the main water valve
- Move belongings out of the wet area
- Photograph damage for your insurer
- Check that a sump pump outlet drains outdoors
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Cutting out or replacing pipe
- Sewer lateral work or digging near the street
- Water heater or gas-line work
- Rerouting fixtures that need a borough permit
Water and sewer paths behind a Jenkintown address
Aqua Pennsylvania has published water-main work in the borough, so it appears to be the water supplier. For sewage the picture is less simple. The borough says its flow goes through Cheltenham Township, and Aqua acquired the Cheltenham system in 2019. Aqua's tariff lists a portion of Jenkintown in that service area.
Because of that, ask Borough Hall at 215-885-0700 which system your lateral joins before you assume who handles a main-line problem. Under Aqua's sewer tariff, the customer lateral is the customer's to maintain, so a blockage between house and main is usually your repair. Test your tap and ask Aqua about water quality, since hardness is not published in its report.
Source type: Jenkintown Borough notices and code pages, Aqua Pennsylvania water quality report and sewer tariff, Census ACS housing data
Getting from Old York Road into the borough
Jenkintown lies directly south of our Abington base on Old York Road, which is Route 611 and the borough's business spine. Washington Lane, Greenwood Avenue and West Avenue cross it, and Township Line Road marks the edge with Abington on the Philadelphia side.
Borough Hall is on Summit Avenue and the SEPTA Jenkintown-Wyncote station is on Greenwood Avenue. Give the dispatcher your cross street and whether you are east or west of York Road, since that helps them plan the approach.
Jenkintown plumbing questions
Yes. Jenkintown's own ZIP is 19046, which is the code on Borough Hall and the library. The same code also reaches Abington Township streets around Rydal, Meadowbrook and Hollywood, so a 19046 address is not always inside the borough.
Our dispatch address in 19001 is Abington proper, just north on Old York Road. ZIP 19038 is Glenside, whose Tookany Creek side runs up against the Jenkintown boundary, so some nearby houses carry a Glenside mailing address. We serve all three.
Yes. Our dispatch line is open 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays. Call (215) 714-6692, give your address and describe the problem, and we will talk you through the shutoff while a licensed plumber is arranged. Same-day appointments are offered when available.
According to the borough, a Use and Occupancy ordinance enacted in May 2017 requires a video inspection of the sanitary sewer lateral at the point of sale. Rules and fees can change, so confirm the current steps with Borough Hall before you list the property.
The borough has its own Building Code Official, and its published rules say only master licensed plumbers may apply for a plumbing permit. Permits are required when fixtures, supply, drainage or venting are relocated or added. Ask Borough Hall whether a simple like-for-like swap needs one.
Probably. Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put the median home in the borough at 1938, and about 59 percent of homes were built in 1939 or earlier. Homes of that age often have galvanized supply pipe or old drain lines, so ask the plumber what material you have.
For water, Aqua says it owns the line from its main to the curb and the customer owns the line from the curb to the building. For sewage, Aqua's tariff says the customer lateral is the customer's to maintain. Check with Borough Hall or Aqua if your lateral joins a shared line.