How To Drain Your Water Heater in Your Home in Tampa

Posted on: December 12th, 2011 by admin No Comments

Water heater manufacturers recommend flushing sediment from your water heater periodically. How often you should flush your water heater depends on the quality of the water in your area but most experts agree once a year is a good guideline. When flushing your water heater there is a danger of being scalded so be very careful and keep children and pets away during the procedure.

Sediment is sand or grit that has gotten into the municipal water mains. It also can be comprised of scale and mineral deposits. Over time your water heater will accumulate this sediment reducing the amount of water your heater tank can hold, reduce the efficiency of the unit and corrode the unit. It can also clog the drain valve.

Cleaning the sediment from your unit is fairly easy but there are some important first steps to remember. If your water heater is gas set the gas valve to “pilot” to prevent the burners from coming on while you are flushing it. If it is electric be sure to turn off the circuit breaker. With an electric water heater if the water level drops below the heating element and the elements come on they will burn out quickly.

Next connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Make sure the discharge for the hose is in a safe area away from pets and children to prevent injuries from scalding. Close the shut off valve to the cold inlet to the water heater. Carefully open the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank by lifting the lever up and leave it in the open position. (Be careful if your pressure relief valve does not discharge into a pan or to the exterior or you will flood your floor).

Open the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater and allow the water to flow through the garden hose. It is recommended you have the water drain into the yard as iron sediment can stain your concrete on your driveway and walkways. If the sediment is clogging the drain valve close the pressure relief valve and turn the cold inlet back on to help power flush it. If this does not clear the drain remove the hose and use a screw driver to break up the chunks of sediment  in the drain valve.

You’ll know you are done when the water being discharged runs clear. At this point turn the valve off and remove the hose. Turn the cold inlet valve back on. Open a faucet in the house and let it run until the air gets out of the line. Then you can turn the heater back on and if it is a gas unit relight the pilot light.

Soft Water in Your New Home In Tampa

Posted on: November 10th, 2011 by admin No Comments

Water is considered the universal solvent.  As it passes from liquid to vapor and back again, it tends to dissolve everything it touches – whether in the air as water vapor where it can mix with sulfur from smoke stacks forming acid or from the ground, absorbing calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, lead and limestone – water can have a negative impact on your, your household and your pocketbook.

Hard water produces scale. If there are stains or build up on your sinks and bathtubs, if you have to use large amounts of soap to clean dishes or wash your hair, or if your water tastes or smells odd, you probably have hard water. If left untreated, the minerals in hard water will cause yellow stains on plumbing fixtures and be deposited as scale, eventually clogging plumbing and shortening the life of appliances like washing machines, water heaters, and dishwashers. Scale deposits not only cut down on the efficiency of these appliances, they cost you money, increasing both energy and maintenance bills.

Water softeners eliminate the effects of hard water. They “soften” the water by removing the calcium and magnesium found there, extending the useful life of water heaters, coffee makers, humidifiers and household plumbing by as much as 30%.  Soap and shampoo will lather better. It eliminates soap scum and mineral deposits. Clothes are softer, cleaner and brighter and will last longer. In fact they say soft water can lengthen the life span of clothes by as much as 33%.  Washing machines and dishwashers last longer. Dishes and glasses clean more easily and are spot free.

Southern Crafted Homes preplumbs every home for water softeners as a standard feature allowing the homeowner to choose which end product they would like to choose and they also offer Charger Pro H2O water softeners.

Ever Had a Rotted Wood Jamb on Your Exterior Door?

Posted on: November 10th, 2011 by admin No Comments

No matter how well a home is built if it is not properly maintained, over time water and insects will come in contact with exterior door jambs.  Protecting the base of the exterior frame is critical.  Most builders and carpenters overlook this important component of a home. Simply caulking and painting doesn’t always do the job, especially if not done correctly. But there is a better way. For over a decade products have been on the market that are fool proof in preventing wood rot as well as fungal and insect damage.  Composite and fiberglass legs at the bottom of the jambs are fingerjointed into the main jamb and placed at the bottom of the legs where they come into contact with the sill. These composite materials will not wick water, swell, peel or rot. They will also not be a food source for insects, mold and fungus. Be careful when choosing these products however as some of them are plastic and those products are susceptable to heat and do not hold paint as well.  It is the little details in a  home that can make a big difference.  Choose your new home builder in Tampa based on their willingness to look after the little details just like the big ones.  Southern Crafted Homes uses jamb savers in all of their exterior doors.

Irrigating Your New Home in Tampa

Posted on: October 27th, 2011 by admin 1 Comment

Our zoned irrigation systems cover the front and sides of our homesites and feature a Rain Bird ESP Modular Irrigation Controller.  Southern Crafted Homes  specially designed system ensures the most ecologically friendly and responsible water consumption with drip lines used in plant beds.  

  • Easy programming: Rain Bird’s easy to use Extra Simple Programming style with larger LCD dispay.
  • Time, date, and program schedule are stored in case of a power outage.
  • Enhanced Diagnostic Feedback alerts the user to conditions when watering is suspended due to an activated sensor, shorted stations or programming errors with a warning light and text message on the LCD.
  • Permanent Day off allows the user to set any day of the week as a non-watering day in any program schedule, making it easy to comply with watering restrictions or other requirements such as weekly lawn care maintenance.
  • Global Season Adjust (0-200%) allows the user to alter the run time of all the valves in every program with the push of a button.
  • Dedicated Sensor Terminals allow the user to easily connect a sensor to the controller for maximum water efficiency.
  • Sensor bypass switch allows the user to override an active sensor.

Why A Home Inspector is Recommended Before Buying a Used Home

Posted on: October 21st, 2011 by admin 1 Comment

There is a huge difference between buying a new home and a used home. With a new home you have peace of mind to know that it has been through the homebuilder’s internal quality control inspections as well as the local governing authorities code inspections. These include structural inspections on the foundation, walls, trusses, roof sheathing, roof shingles, windows, exterior doors, grading, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas and low voltage. Each of these inspections are done at each stage and the home is not allowed to progress without full approval at each stage.

But used homes don’t get this scrutiny and in most cases they are not built to current codes. The most recent version of the Florida Uniform Building Code is 2009 so if the home you are considering is built before 2009 it does not comply with current building codes or energy efficiency requirements.

Utilizing a home inspector is highly recommended for used homes but these inspections can only tell you so much. And most home inspection reports are loaded with disclaimers. The reason for this is despite the availability of testing tools and practices that can reveal potential problems home inspections are typically not invasive inspections that allow one to see what is behind the walls.

There are some very qualified home inspectors in the business but keep in mind the industry is largely unregulated and the backgrounds of home inspectors is very diverse from former construction superintendents to certified and licensed structural engineers. In some cases all they may possess is an occupational license, something any citizen can purchase for a nominal fee. Check their credentials closely and understand what the scope of their inspection will include and what it specifically excludes. Get it in writing.

Be sure to attend the inspection and make sure the inspector is well equipped with electrical testing equipment, gas and carbon monoxide detectors, moisture meter, ladder, inspection mirror, flashlight, level, camera, etc. Ask plenty of questions and have the inspector do a thorough explanation of any defects while on site so he can show you and demonstrate these issues.

All plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, appliances, pool equipment and other mechanical systems such as garage door openers, irrigation system, windows and doors, etc should be inspected and evaluated for their performance, age and future life span. This will help you determine how much out of pocket expenses you may have immediately or in the near future. The same should be done for the roof and exterior paint system.

Visual inspections should be done to determine evidence of past water intrusion problems due to plumbing leaks, roof leaks, window leaks, poor grading conditions, etc. Lead paint, asbestos and wood destroying organisms should also be addressed. Determine if there is a current termite bond on the home and if the bond was ever expired on the home.  Older homes might have aluminum electrical distribution wires which are inadequate and unsafe for modern usage. Other things to look for and test are lead or galvanized steel water supplies, aged ac systems, lead in drinking water, wells, septic systems and formaldehyde foam insulation.  Not only should you consider the structural integrity on a used home but you also should check for potential health issues.

At the conclusion of the inspection you should know the condition of the home you are purchasing, including all positive and negative aspects. You should know what repairs are needed, as well as the urgency of the needed repairs, and the magnitude of the repair costs. You should know a proper course of corrective repairs and whether alternatives are available. You should know if there are any unsafe conditions, and whether there are any risks of hidden deterioration.

Of course one way to avoid all of this is to buy a new home. A reputable home builder will have addressed all of these questions during construction and you will have access to be able to see your home under construction and ask questions during the process. You will also have peace of mind that everything is new, built to current codes and guaranteed under your new home warranty.