[AZ SLIM]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Desmond Harris, 352-308-7457

I am curious about what the ignition source was for a fire in the dryer vent. How could this fire start?
thanks

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by AZ SLIM

I am curious about what the ignition source was for a fire in the dryer vent. How could this fire start?
thanks

Lint, consisting of cotton and wool, builds up in the duct. Cotton and wool can ignite when the temperature exceeds 250 degrees F. When the duct is obstructed, the temperature can exceed 250 degrees.

[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.

[Heytubes]

Great info. Thanks

[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.

[retiredguy123]

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.

If a push-pull valve closes due to high pressure, it will alert you to a possible problem, but it won't relieve any pressure. These valves are not designed to close at any particular pressure, or to perform any safety function. They are just shut off valves. And, they are not required by the building code.

The safety relief valve on your water heater is designed to open when the pressure exceeds 150 psi, which is a pretty high pressure. I would suggest buying a pressure gauge for 10 dollars from Amazon, so you can measure your house water pressure by just screwing it onto an outside hose bibb.

[Jbbest]

Also, don't forget to flush the AC drip line monthly. I use a gallon of warm water & 1/4 cup regular white vinegar. It goes down the PVC pipe next to the AC unit (in garage or in house) and flows outside to the drip pipe.
I also have a washable, permanent air filter for my AC unit and I clean that with a garden hose every 2 or 3 months. More often if you have pets that shed a lot of hair.

[TheWarriors]

Look at Floe by Moen. Automatic water shut off valve you install after a water filtration system but before everything else in your home. Monitors your daily use cycles and will automatically shut off your main water line if it senses a valve has been open too long. Yes, you would have some water leakage but 10 minutes of water leakage is easier to deal with than 10 hours or whatever period your away from your home. Also links to internet and your devices to alert you to issues and possible water shutoff. Provides a weekly report of water usage and you can do instantaneous pressure checks.

[NewtoFL]

Thank you, OP, for this valuable information. My husband is going to hate that I read this and now I have some projects for him. We have a tankless hot water heater here but now I’m wondering if we need an expansion tank for our home in MI.

[jrandall]

Thank you for this helpful advice.

[PurePeach]

Originally Posted by AZ SLIM

I am curious about what the ignition source was for a fire in the dryer vent. How could this fire start?
thanks

Lint buildup. It’s called combustible energy

[NoMo50]

Great information from the OP. I would add that maintaining your own sprinkler heads is very easy, and should be performed regularly. The filters attached to the sprinkler heads are easily cleaned, and if you don't know how to disassemble them, there are YouTube videos that demonstrate the process. I clean mine at least every quarter, and they are always in need when I pull them out. The pond water used for irrigation is filthy, and those filters clog up pretty quick. I even found, the first time I pulled all of my sprinkler heads, that several heads did not even have a filter on them.

A few other items that require regular maintenance, that most can do easily themselves include:

1. Lubricate rollers and hinges on garage doors twice per year.
2. Clean the exterior weep holes in windows quarterly. Especially if any of your sprinklers hit your window areas.
3. Change smoke detector batteries annually.
4. Pour a gallon of hot water down the A/C condensate line regularly. I do mine every month.
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.
6. Check the screws on the underside of window sashes. They use cheap galvanized screws that will rust out. It is a simple project to replace all of the screws with stainless steel.

I find it easy to include the routine maintenance duties on the calendar on my phone. That way, I don't forget to do them.

[toeser]

Fortunately, I think, I will not need an expansion tank. The water pressure in our house sucks. If anything, I would add some type of pressurization device.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by NewtoFL

Thank you, OP, for this valuable information. My husband is going to hate that I read this and now I have some projects for him. We have a tankless hot water heater here but now I’m wondering if we need an expansion tank for our home in MI.

Tankless Water Heaters do not need an expansion tank.

Having an annual descaling done in theory extends service life.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by toeser

Fortunately, I think, I will not need an expansion tank. The water pressure in our house sucks. If anything, I would add some type of pressurization device.

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.