Crownwick Advances, a small-business funding service in Lancaster, PA, arranges funding for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors: equipment financing for vans and tools, lines of credit for units and parts, and working capital for install payrolls. Lancaster County, PA had 207 such contractors with employees in 2023.
| Mechanical contractors with payroll, county | 207 (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Employees | 3,165 |
| Annual payroll | About $218.8 million |
| Under five employees | 108, or 52.2% |
| In ZIP 17602 | 16 employers (ZBP 2023) |
| Without payroll, county | 380 (NES 2024) |
Two businesses under one roof
A plumbing or HVAC contractor can run a service side and an install side. Service and repair calls may be paid on completion, sometimes by card. Installs, replacements and new-construction rough-ins can tie up money in equipment and labor for weeks, paid by draw or on net terms. A furnace, heat pump or commercial water heater can cost thousands before it is even on the truck.
Vans are the other constant. Each one is a rolling parts room, and a contractor adding a technician may need to add a stocked vehicle too.
Lancaster County, PA plumbing and HVAC contractors in the data
Lancaster County had 207 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractor establishments with employees in 2023, employing 3,165 people with about $218.8 million in annual payroll (County Business Patterns 2023). That is about 15 employees per firm on average by our arithmetic, and 108, or 52.2%, had fewer than five employees. ZIP 17602 had 16 (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023).
Another 380 plumbing and HVAC businesses in the county reported no payroll in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024), a separate count.
HVAC business loans and plumbing business loans: matching the need
| Need | Usually discussed |
|---|---|
| Service vans and their shelving | Equipment financing |
| Units, water heaters, fittings in stock | Line of credit or inventory financing |
| Install crew payroll before the draw | Working capital |
| Camera, jetter, recovery machine, press tools | Equipment financing |
Plumbing equipment financing
Sewer cameras, hydro-jetters, press tools, pipe threaders and refrigerant recovery machines are specialized and financeable, as are the vans that carry them. Partners want the quote and, for used equipment, age and condition. See equipment financing for structures and the payment calculator for an estimate.
Carrying a plumbing crew through an install
A run of install jobs is where working capital can help. A hypothetical example, for illustration only: a contractor wins a 12-unit rough-in and finish at a townhome project. Fixtures and pipe cost $31,000, labor runs about $8,400 a week for five weeks, and the builder pays in two draws, 30 and 75 days after start. Costs total about $73,000, and roughly $67,000 of it is out before the first draw lands. A request sized to that schedule, with the contract attached, gives a partner a clear schedule to review.
For contractors who face that pattern repeatedly, a line of credit may suit better than a fixed loan each time.
What partners review for plumbing and HVAC firms
- Deposits from service work and from install contracts
- Receivables aging and builder concentration
- Vehicles and equipment owned and owed on
- Time in business and personal credit
The contractors and builders page covers draws and retainage for all trades, and the electrical contractors page covers a similar mix of service and install work.
By Crownwick Advances · Updated
