McKinley is a community inside Abington Township. The township plan says it began to be developed around 1895, and the Census Bureau counts it as a place of its own, with a civic association and an elementary school that carry the name.
If you live here and need a plumber, call (215) 714-6692 and give your street. We arrange a plumber for your address, with same-day service when it is available. Our Abington Township plumbing line covers McKinley like the rest of the township.
McKinley housing by decade
Census estimates show that McKinley is not one era. Older streets and newer houses sit in the same small place.
| Built | Share of homes | What it may mean |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 or earlier | About 24% | Houses of this age may have been updated in stages, so pipe age can vary inside one house. |
| 1940s and 1950s | About 32% | The largest group. Postwar houses often share similar layouts, but each has its own repair history. |
| 1960s and 1970s | About 12% | A smaller group built between the two main waves. |
| 1980s | About 25% | A second large group, so the newest homes may use different materials from the oldest. |
| 1990 or later | About 7% | Few homes, so most plumbing questions here involve houses that are at least 35 years old. |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates, tables B25034 and B25035, McKinley place. The place is small, so the margins of error are wide. Treat these as rough shares.
Why the mix matters on a plumbing call
On one street you may find a house from before 1940 beside a house from the 1980s. The older house may still have original drain lines and a boiler. The newer one may have different materials and a different water heater.
The practical rule is to tell the plumber what you know about your house and not to assume from the street. Ask for a camera inspection before any quote assumes the drains need replacing.
A leak in a McKinley house?
Close the main or the nearest shutoff and call (215) 714-6692.
How to learn what plumbing your house has
Find the year built
County and township property records usually list a year built. It is a starting point, not proof of what is inside the walls.
Look at the pipes where they enter the basement
Copper, plastic and steel pipe look different. If you cannot tell which you have, a plumber can identify it in a few minutes.
Check the water heater label
The label usually shows the manufacture date. A heater that has run for many years is a candidate for planned replacement before it fails.
Ask for a camera on the main drain
A sewer camera inspection shows the pipe material and condition without digging.
Jobs that fit an older and newer mix
Older houses: boilers and radiators
Some pre-1960 houses heat with a boiler. See boiler repair for the first checks.
Older drains
A drain that keeps slowing down may need more than a quick snake. Drain cleaning works best with the camera result in hand.
Newer houses: water heaters and fixtures
A 1980s house may be reaching the age when a first water heater replacement is likely. See water heater replacement.
Any age: hidden leaks
A rising water bill with no visible leak points to leak detection.
Which rules apply to your street
McKinley is inside Abington Township, so the township's plumbing permit rules apply. The township says permit applications must come from a master plumber registered with the township.
Your tax bill names your municipality. That matters on streets near the edge of the township, where a neighboring town's rules could apply instead.
Source type: Abington Township residential permit page.
Where McKinley sits in Abington Township
The township plan names McKinley on Township Line Road. Tell the dispatcher your street and the nearest cross street, and mention Township Line Road if you are near it.
The same line also covers Elkins Park and Jenkintown. We could not confirm a single ZIP code for McKinley, so check your mail if you want to give one.
McKinley plumbing questions
No. McKinley is a community inside Abington Township. The Census Bureau counts it as a place, and the township plan describes it, but there is no separate McKinley government. Abington's plumbing permit rules apply.
Yes. Call (215) 714-6692, give your street and the nearest cross street. We arrange a plumber for your address, with same-day service when it is available. We do not promise an arrival time.
The Census estimate puts the median year built at 1955, but the margin is wide. About a quarter of homes were built before 1940 and about a quarter in the 1980s, so the age of your own house matters more than the neighborhood average.
It depends on the house. Age alone does not tell you what is inside, since many houses have been repiped in parts. A plumber can identify the pipe where it enters the basement and run a camera in the main drain.
Aqua Pennsylvania's guide says the customer owns the water service line from the curb stop to the building. For sewage, the township page says to call a plumber when a blockage sits between the house and the sewer main.