[NavyBoy]

Originally Posted by jrref

i'm an engineer and have lived in the villages for a year and a half now. I'm creating this post to alert homeowners of maintenance tasks here in the villages that are often overlooked.

1) if you have a gas or electric tank hot water heater and it doesn't have an expansion tank you should have one installed. If you have an expansion tank it must be checked at least once a year. This can easily be done by tapping on the outside of the bottom and top of the expansion tank with a metal object like a screwdriver. The bottom half of the expansion tank will have water in it and the top should not. When the tank is good the tapping sound on the bottom and the top sides of the tank will sound different. The bottom will sound like a thud and the top should sound empty. Expansion tanks generally last 5 years if they were pressurized to the water inlet pressure when installed. Because the tanks are pre-pressurized to 40 lbs from the factory some installers never pre-pressurized the tanks properly and they will fail sooner than 5 years in this state. There is also a pressure valve on the top of the tank where you can take a reading each year as well and if the pressure is lower than it should be you can add air. But you must drain the hot water heater after the electric and or gas is turned off, below the expansion tank level before taking a reading and or adding air. This will also drain off any sediment from the bottom of the hot water tank.

The purpose of the expansion tank is to maintain safe water pressure when your hot water heater heats water. Hot water from the heater expands which increases the water pressure in your water system. The expansion tank compensates for this hot water expansion and keeps the water pressure in your home at a safe level.

If you just ignore this maintenance over time a failed expansion tank can cause the water pressure in your home to increase to unsafe levels. Generally, your water pressure should be less than 80lbs here in the villages. When an expansion tank fails, faucets, water valves, water hoses to the toilets, refrigerator, water filters, etc, can fail causing a flood in your home. It can also cause an increase in the pressure in the hot water heater tank causing the expansion safety valve to leak.

These expansion tanks are relatively inexpensive and if you are handy you can test and change them yourself. If not you can call your plumber or hvac company of choice to check it when they service your hot water heater. If you have a nova whole house filter for example, when they come yearly to change the filters they will also check the hot water heater expansion tank as well. If you do it yourself you can check it yourself.

There have been many reports of whole house water filters, softeners and burst hoses failing and flooding the home. It's not the hose or filter's problem, it's because of unsafe water pressure in your home.

2) all home irrigation systems here in the villages had a rain sensor installed when the home was built. What we have found is after 5 years or so the sponges in the rain sensor dry up and the sensor fails to tell the controller not to water when it rained. Becasue of this, probably thousands of residents here in the villages water unnecessarily after a heavy rain or storm wasting and paying for a significant amount of wasted irrigation water. The solution is to replace these sponges or just go to your local big box store and for around $20 purchase and install a new irrigation rain sensor. If you can't do it yourself you can hire one of the many handymen and or irrigation service people here in the villages to do it for you. I believe it's simpler to replace the whole sensor because the plastic parts in the old sensor can break when replacing the sponges. There has been so much talk of rising water costs and this is a relatively easy way to lower yours.

3) the irrigation water we get from the villages south of 466 is "grey" water meaning it's minimally treated and is not pottable meaning you can't drink or cook with it. We have found a lot of sediment in this water which clogs the filters in the irrigation system spray heads eventually leading to them being totally clogged and stop working. One way around this is to have your local irrigation service persion check and change the filters yearly or the option many of us have used is to install an irrigation water filter. These are sediment filters installed before your irrigation valve box outside so that you have nearly sediment-free water feeding your system. It's a relatively inexpensive way to keep your irrigation system running without a lot of maintenance. There is a valve that you open once a month or so to clear the filter and that's it. There are some local handymen who can install this for you.

4) whole house water filters filter the treated water from the villages removing sediment, chlorine and other things that you generally don't want to drink. Although many don't mind the taste of the villages water there is a lot of sediment that will settle in your hot water tank or system, in your pipes, faucets, dishwasher, etc.. Installing a whole house water filter will keep sediment from causing damage over time to everything that uses water in your home. If you have a hot water tank system a whole house water filter will lessen the need to drain the tank to remove water sediment for example. These systems are relatively inexpensive and can be installed by nova filters or you can do it yourself by purchasing the many systems available either through amazon or your local big box store. Just do your research and look into all these options since not all whole house filters are the same or have local service like nova for example.

5) all water supply hoses for the toilets, refrigerators, dishwasher and washing machines have a fixed life and will eventually fail potentially causing a catastrophic flood in your home. The problem we have here in the villages is almost all homes have push/pull valves installed where in some cases you can't replace the water supply hose without changing the valve. This is especially true for the water supply hose for the refrigerator. To manage this problem you can have your local plumber change out all of the push/pull valves for quarter turn ball valves so you can change the water supply hoses every 5 years or so.

I hope this post can be a reference for everyone in the villages since these items are talked about in bits and pieces in many of the talk of the villages threads but not in one spot and they are so important!

I don't provide any of the above services and i have no affiliation with nova filters but i mention this company because many here in the villages have used their products and services. They are locally owned, stand behind their product and workmanship and highly recommended. Even if you are just doing research, give brad a call and he will help you with information for your specific need.

If you have any questions and or need some references to service people and or handymen who can provice some of these services please reach out to me at jrref@hotmail.com or pm me.

everything this gent says is so very true!! Heed it.

[LG999]

Thank you for taking the time to write this. I appreciate it & will implement.

[sowtime444]

Shut off valves with a built-in hose were clearly invented by the devil.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Chamo

Great information. Thank you. Does anybody have a phone number or a person that will install this filter system for your water irrigation?

For the irregation filter you can reach out to Chuck Grospitch
chuck.grospitch@gmail.com

For Nova whole house filter reach out to Brad on 352.566.2649

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Romad

The expansion tanks started failing in my neighborhood at the same time at about 11 years. They are relatively easy to replace. I wanted one the same as the original, and found them at a plumbing supply store in Ocala. I replaced mine before I had water filteration with pressure gauges, so I bought one at Lowe’s. Mine is right at 63 PSI. Filling the expansion tank with an air compressor is easy. If they fail, bad things can happen as the author stated. Another reason to have whole house filtration…I can glance at the pressure every day.

You mentioned that expansion tanks in your area failed around 11 years. I've never seen them last that long even under the best circumstances. For the cost to replace it, it's best to get ahead of it and just replace it every 5 years and avoid any catastropic problems when it fails.

[lawgolfer]

Gosh, someone using this board does give good advice (other than myself).

One addition! Replace the "sacrificial anode" on your water heater every 4-5 years. This anode is what protects the metal of the tank against corrosion caused by the small amount of electricity which constantly circulates within water systems. Not one in 500 people even know of this anode, let alone replaces the anode on a regular basis, if ever. The reason why water tanks rust through is because the anode has never been replaced.

The anode is a rod of aluminum or magnesium. Over time it, literally, dissolves (corrodes) away (another reason why you need to drain the tank every year as the sediment settles at the bottom of the tank. Replacement anodes are available at Home Depot or Amazon for around $40.

You can replace the anode yourself. However, you will need a large wrench or, preferably, a socket, and, probably, a "breaker bar" for the socket and a torch to heat the head of the anode as they tend to get stuck in place. The anode will either be a large hex head on the top of the tank around the inlet and outlet pipes or will be integral with the outlet pipe. The latter are particularly hard to remove.

Any time the expansion tank is replaced, so should the anode (believe me, you'll be shocked when you see what remains of the anode--usually only a steel rod around which the aluminum or magnesium was formed).

I've done it myself and learned that I much prefer to have it done by a plumber. It involves a lot of frustration with standing on a ladder, heating the socket head with a torch, and applying a lot of force to break the old anode free from the tank. Anodes which are integral with the outlet pipe are particularly hard to remove as they will be aluminum, not steel, and easily crush and distort. If you do this yourself, the trick is to use an "inside" pipe wrench which drops inside the outlet pipe (a specialized plumbing tool) or insert a 1/2" bolt in the outlet pipe and apply an ordinary pipe wrench to the outside. The 1/2 " bolt prevents the aluminum outlet pipe from being crushed by the application of the pipe wrench.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by JGibson

The push/pull valves pop into the closed position when pressure is too high which is probably because of the expansion tank failing.

Why would you remove this layer of protection?

You can’t always count on the safety relief valve to work if the pressure gets too high.

In fact the push/pull valves engaged before the safety relief valve released when my expansion tank failed.

Also, it may be the local building code to have these types of push/pull valves installed on these systems. I’m not 100% on this.

I would just replace the hose and push/pull valves every 5 years. It's not that expensive but a hot water heater exploding will be expensive.

If you do decide to swap out the push/pull valves test the safety relief valve once a month as they have a tendency to stick.

It would be nice if they put actually pressure gauges on these hot water heaters. Cheers.

You are very lucky to have had the push/pull valve close on you. I don't know if they are code or not but i doubt it. I used a licensed plumber to replace mine and that was never mentioned.

That said over pressure can cause damage to other appliances not connected with a push/pull valve such as your hot water heater, whole house filter, water softener if you have one, etc...

For the cost of replacing the expansion tank it's not worth the risk in the long run to rely on it. It's so simple to check once a year and if necessary replace. Once an expansion tank is installed properly it will last a long time.

[Zebra]

I would add consideration for a whole house automatic / wifi remote shut off valve, particularly for part time residents such as snow birds or constant vacationers.

One such device, and there are others is Phynn. It a number of functions, 2 of which I find important and useful.

First it will detect a water leak and automatically shut off all the house domestic water, if this switch for this is turned on. Second, you can from your phone anywhere, (or locally if desired) easily turn off you domestic water. It will also show you your current water pressure remotely as well.

Aside from reports on usage, I find this device very convenient to shut off my water whenever I am going to be gone for a more than a few days. I have complete peace of mind that a broken hose or pipe won't ruin my return.

Also some insurance companies also provide a discount if you have an automatic leak detector, let alone a device that will shut off the water automatically if so detected.

- L

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Zebra

I would add consideration for a whole house automatic / wifi remote shut off valve, particularly for part time residents such as snow birds or constant vacationers.

One such device, and there are others is Phynn. It a number of functions, 2 of which I find important and useful.

First it will detect a water leak and automatically shut off all the house domestic water, if this switch for this is turned on. Second, you can from your phone anywhere, (or locally if desired) easily turn off you domestic water. It will also show you your current water pressure remotely as well.

Aside from reports on usage, I find this device very convenient to shut off my water whenever I am going to be gone for a more than a few days. I have complete peace of mind that a broken hose or pipe won't ruin my return.

Also some insurance companies also provide a discount if you have an automatic leak detector, let alone a device that will shut off the water automatically if so detected.

- L

Water detection and automatic shutoff is very, very important but many people do not install a system becasue of the upfront cost. Phyn looks good and is pretty easy to install. In my home in the Villages i use a Homeseer automation hub with water sensors by my toilets, under the sinks, refrigerator, dishwasher, hot water tank, cloths washer and by the whole house water filter. If any of the sensors detect water, even a little they will signal the Homeseer hub and turn off the Homeseer automatic water shutoff valve i installed at the water main. Water is your worst enemy. Eventhough you are covered by insurance you still need to have everything cleaned up and repaired and have to worry about mold. It's hard to believe the amount of water discharged when a cloths washer or toilet water supply line bursts. In minutes you have a significant flood. These automated water sensor and shutoff valves although expensive, in the long run can save you thousands of dollars and give your piece of mind. Some will say, when i leave to go back home or on vacation i turn off my water at the water main. This is recommended but what about when you are at Brownwood eating at the Bluefin for example and one of your toilet hoses burst? By the time you come home it's too late. These automated systems not only detect and automatically shut off the water but they send you a text and or e-mail that something happened And you can also manually turn off the valve remotely via an app on your phone if needed. With Homeseer the cost is about $500 for all the equipement plus 3 water sensors. Each additional sensor costs about $33. I don't know of anyone who installs these systems but if you are interested you can reach out to me. None of these systems that actually work are inexpensive and or easy to install but with a little help from a professional or if you are a DIY'er it can be done.

[bob47]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Having low water pressure has very little to do with needing an expansion tank. Here is why you need one. Suppose you use all of the hot water in the water heater, taking showers, washing clothes, etc. Then, you close off all faucets, toilets, etc. in the house and leave the house for a few hours. Now, you have a closed system and the water heater is full of cold water. The water heater will come on to heat up the water in the tank. As it heats up, the water will expand, but it has nowhere to go, so the pressure can greatly increase due to the thermal expansion. The function of the expansion tank is to prevent this rapid rise in water pressure by allowing the water to expand the diaphragm in the expansion tank and reduce the water pressure.

It's only a closed system if there's a backflow preventer between the municipal supply and your house. Ours does not have one. Ours only becomes a closed system when we shut the main supply valve in the garage.

[jojo]

We just started having water come out of the electrical outlet on the counter in the master bath when it rains. Have no idea where to start to deal with it. Roofer? General contractor? It is happening now.

[metoo21]

Originally Posted by NoMo50

5. Clean the dryer vent annually. You can buy a kit on Amazon for about $30 that attaches to an electric drill, has a stiff brush, and will reach all the way to the roof vent. You may be surprised how much lint is removed.

Do you have to pull the dryer out to do this? Have a link to the kit on amazon?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jojo

We just started having water come out of the electrical outlet on the counter in the master bath when it rains. Have no idea where to start to deal with it. Roofer? General contractor? It is happening now.

If the house is still under warranty, call the warranty department. If not, you need a roofer to locate the leak.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by metoo21

Do you have to pull the dryer out to do this? Have a link to the kit on amazon?

Yes, you need to pull out the dryer. And, if the vent terminates on the roof, you also need to go onto the roof. You can buy a brush kit, but it is easier to call Desmond Harris, 352-308-7457, and get it done for about $100.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by bob47

It's only a closed system if there's a backflow preventer between the municipal supply and your house. Ours does not have one. Ours only becomes a closed system when we shut the main supply valve in the garage.

I agree, and I assumed that I had one, but I'm not actually sure. I plan to ask The Villages.