Rydal is on Abington Township's list of residential neighborhoods, in Abington Township. If you need a plumber here, call (215) 714-6692 and give your street. Same-day visits are offered when the schedule allows, and the dispatcher tells you what to expect.
The neighborhood is older than most of the township, and local real estate guides describe older stone houses on generous lots. Bigger, older properties change the plumbing questions. The rest of this page covers those changes. Our township plumbing line covers Rydal like the rest of Abington.
From a railroad stop to a neighborhood
The township plan credits the 1870s railroad with driving development in Rydal and Meadowbrook, and the Rydal station was built in 1883. Houses that old may have been added to and updated several times since.
For a plumber, that history means one thing. Do not assume the pipes are all one age. A kitchen added in the 1960s and a bathroom added in the 1990s can sit on top of much older supply and drain lines.
Landmarks that help the dispatcher place your street
Naming the closest landmark helps a dispatcher place a call in an unfamiliar part of town.
Rydal station
The SEPTA West Trenton Line station is the centre of the old railroad neighborhood. Streets within a short walk are the oldest part of Rydal.
Penn State Abington
The campus at 1600 Woodland Road is generally placed in the Rydal section of the township. It is a clear landmark from several directions.
Rydal Elementary
The neighborhood school and the Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association both use the Rydal name, which shows how locals use it.
What a bigger, older property changes
Longer runs from the street
On a larger lot, the water service line and the sewer connection can be longer. More pipe means more to inspect. A plumber can locate the run with a sewer camera inspection before anyone digs, and see water service line repair for the supply side.
Outdoor faucets far from the shutoff
Hose bibs on a big property are often far from the interior shutoff. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals put the median first freeze at the nearby Willow Grove weather station around November 1. Drain outdoor lines before then. See faucet repair if one already drips.
Boilers and radiators
Some older houses heat with a boiler instead of a furnace. A boiler with no heat is a boiler repair call, and the first questions are steam or hot water and whether the thermostat is calling for heat.
Original pipe in some places
A plumber cannot tell the pipe material from the street. Ask for a camera or a pressure test before any quote assumes the whole house needs new pipe.
A pipe leaking in your Rydal house?
Close the nearest shutoff or the main and call (215) 714-6692.
Water and sewer service in Rydal
Abington Township says the majority of the township is on public water through Aqua Pennsylvania. Its 2007 township plan says virtually all built-up areas have public sewers, and that text is old. The words "majority" and "virtually all" leave room for exceptions.
Confirm your own property. Your Aqua bill names your water supplier, and the township can tell you whether your street has a sewer connection. If you have a well or a septic system, tell the dispatcher before the visit.
Source type: Abington Township water page and 2007 township plan (dated).
Winterizing an older property
A first freeze can arrive before the clocks change. A quick fall check on an older property catches most frozen-pipe problems.
Fine to do yourself
- Disconnect hoses and drain outdoor faucets.
- Close the interior shutoff to outdoor lines if you have one.
- Check that exposed pipes in a garage or crawl space are insulated.
Leave to a plumber
- A pipe that has frozen and may have split. See burst pipe repair.
- Adding shutoffs or draining lines that were never designed to be drained.
- Any pipe that is leaking after a thaw.
Next door in Meadowbrook
Rydal and Meadowbrook share a civic association and are often named together. They differ in what matters for plumbing. Rydal is mostly about older houses and railroad-era streets, while Meadowbrook has creek headwaters and wooded lots. Read both if your street is near the line.
Where Rydal sits in Abington Township
Rydal is around the Rydal station and Penn State Abington. A ZIP code directory lists Rydal as an alias under 19046, the Jenkintown ZIP, even though Jenkintown borough is a separate municipality.
The same line also covers Jenkintown and Glenside. If your mail says Jenkintown, call and give your street.
Rydal plumbing questions
Yes. Abington Township lists Rydal among its residential neighborhoods. Rydal is not its own municipality, so Abington's plumbing permit rules apply to work in your house.
Not necessarily. Jenkintown is a separate borough that Abington Township surrounds on three sides, and some Abington addresses use a Jenkintown mailing name. Your tax bill names your municipality, and that decides which township or borough rules apply.
Yes. Call (215) 714-6692, give your street and the nearest landmark, such as the Rydal station or Penn State Abington. The dispatcher arranges a plumber, and same-day visits are offered when the schedule allows.
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals put the median first fall freeze at the nearby Willow Grove weather station around November 1. Disconnect hoses and drain outdoor lines before then, since a frozen line can split before you notice.
Aqua Pennsylvania's customer guide says the customer owns and maintains the service line from the curb stop to the building. The company side runs from the main to the curb. If you see a wet spot in the yard, a plumber can help work out which side of the curb stop the leak is on.