West York packs about 5,100 people into roughly half a square mile. That works out to around 9,700 people per square mile, which makes it one of the most tightly built places I work. It sits on the city's west side along West Market Street. It's its own borough, separate from both York and West Manchester Township, even though the mail says York, PA 17404. For me it's a short hop from any job I do for radon mitigation in York PA.
What's Under West York
West York sits on the limestone and dolomite of the York valley. Geologists even call this stretch of rock the West York block. Limestone is porous, and the neighborhoods around the city are where I see the highest numbers. Add attached rowhomes and old rubble cellars, and a test is the only way to know. More on York County geology and radon.
West York, West Manchester, and the Mail
People mix these up constantly, and it's easy to see why. The West York Area School District serves both West York Borough and West Manchester Township, so "West York" often means the whole school district. The borough itself is the small, dense part closest to the city.
It matters for radon only because the houses are so different. A borough home off West Market Street and a township home on a bigger lot farther west need different plans. I cover both.
A Mill Town Before It Was a Borough
West York grew out of the village of Eberton and became a borough in the early 1900s. Its National Register sites include the Ashley and Bailey Company silk mill and the William Shelly School. This was a working neighborhood built close together, and the blocks still look like it.
For a radon system, that usually means some mix of:
- Attached or semi-attached houses where a party wall divides the basement, or doesn't
- Older slabs with patches, cracks and old plumbing cuts
- Rear additions on their own slab or crawl space
- Small side yards where the pipe has limited places to go
When a basement is shared or only partly divided, I look at the whole foundation before I promise what a system on one side can do. Soil gas doesn't stop at a property line.
If your house shares a basement wall, my foundation guide covers how I handle that.
Basement or First Floor? The Number Changes.
Plenty of people live on the first floor and only go downstairs for laundry and storage. The state data shows why it matters which floor you test.
In Pennsylvania DEP's public records for 17404, about 55 percent of basement tests came back at or above 4 pCi/L. First-floor tests in the same ZIP: 300 of 1,172, or about 26 percent. Radon comes up from the ground, so the lowest level usually reads highest.
That doesn't make the first floor safe. One in four first-floor tests here still hit the action level. And 17404 covers much more than the borough, so treat these as area numbers, not West York averages.
DEP's rule is simple. Test the lowest level you actually use. If you're buying or selling, the test goes on the lowest level that could be lived in. If you'd rather I handle it, radon testing is typically around $165.
Where the Pipe Goes on a Tight Block
On a West York lot, the outside of the house is often the hard part. Pennsylvania's mitigation standards keep the discharge away from windows, doors and other openings, and with a neighbor close by, there may be only one or two spots that work.
I'll show you those spots at the walkthrough, explain why the others don't work, and put the one we agree on in the written quote. Then my crew and I install it, seal the slab and any open sump pit, and I retest after the system has run. The retest is included.
West York Questions
I share a basement wall with my neighbor. Can I get a system on just my side?
Often yes. It depends on how the basement is divided and whether air moves under the wall. I check that before I quote. If one system can't do the job alone, I'll tell you instead of selling you something that won't hold the number down.
My first floor tested under 4. Do I still need to worry about the basement?
Only if you spend time down there or plan to. If the basement becomes a bedroom or an office, test it before you move in.
I own a rental in the borough. Can you work with my tenant?
Yes. I'll schedule access directly with the tenant if you want, and send you the written retest result.
My system's fan is making a racket. Is that a new system?
Usually not. A noisy fan is often near the end of its life. See fan repair and replacement.
Also in West York
I do mold testing and indoor air quality testing here too. Nearby, I cover Spring Garden Township and North York. See the full service area and every service I offer.