Appliance Repair in Levittown, Langhorne & Yardley

Levittown, Pennsylvania was built by Levitt and Sons in the 1950s, and its thousands of original houses were set on concrete slabs with no basement. Across 19054, 19055, 19056 and 19057, which also takes in Tullytown, that one decision still shapes where appliances live. Washers, dryers and water heaters sit on the main floor, usually in a utility area beside the kitchen, and many owners have since added rooms, garages or second stories that moved things around again.

Main-floor laundry has an upside, since nobody carries baskets down stairs, but a leak goes straight onto finished floors. If you see water around a Levittown washer, look first at the inlet hoses and the drain connection, and turn off the supply valves if you can reach them. A technician will check the pump, the tub seal and the door boot on a front-loader before anything gets replaced.

Original Levitt utility areas were compact, and a full-size washer and dryer pushed in tight leave almost no room for a dryer vent to bend. A duct that kinks behind the dryer cuts airflow, so cycles take longer and the dryer's high-limit thermostat or thermal fuse eventually trips. Rigid or semi-rigid metal duct with gentle turns works far better than foil.

Many of these houses have also had kitchen renovations, and a replacement refrigerator wedged into an opening built for a smaller unit runs constantly because the condenser can't breathe. Restoring a little side and top clearance is often the first fix the technician suggests.

Fairless Hills, in 19030, was developed in the early 1950s as housing for workers at the nearby steel works, and its streets of modest single-family homes have a lot in common with Levittown. Langhorne, in 19047, ranges from the small historic borough to larger subdivisions and townhouse communities in the surrounding townships, many of them with attached garages and full basements.

Garages are where a second refrigerator or chest freezer often ends up, and both struggle at the extremes. In July a garage fridge runs nonstop and may not hold temperature; in January a cold garage can make the fresh-food section warm up, because the thermostat senses cold and stops calling for cooling. A chest freezer generally tolerates a cold garage better than a fridge-freezer combination does.

Yardley and Morrisville, both in 19067, sit right on the Delaware River and have a well-known history of river flooding. Older homes in Yardley Borough include Victorians and twins, and both towns also have newer subdivisions farther from the water. Basements near the river are often protected by sump pumps, and laundry down there should sit on a platform if water has ever come in.

Any appliance that has been in flood water needs inspection before it is plugged back in. For gas dryers and ranges, that includes the burner and valve assembly, which is not something to test yourself. If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call PECO or your gas utility, or 911, from outside.

Most homes here have a driveway, which makes parking easy. Tell us where the appliance is, whether it's in a garage, an addition or the original utility room, and whether pets will be loose. The technician diagnoses the problem, gives you a written estimate before any work, and replaces nothing without your approval. Repairs carry a 90-day parts and 30-day labor warranty.