All About Pressure Reducing Valves

If you have City Water, chances are you have a pressure reducing valve on your water main where it enters your house.  What is a pressure reducing valve and why is it there? A pressure reducing valve does exactly what its name indicates:  It reduces the pressure in your plumbing system.  Plumbing fixtures, faucets and appliances are designed to operate at a pressure between 25 psi and 80 psi.  In fact, some manufacturer’s void any warranty if the pressure exceeds anywhere form 80-120 psi.  In addition, local and national plumbing codes do not allow pressures greater than 80 psi.  The ideal pressure in a home is 50-60 psi.

Excess pressure can have a variety of effects on your plumbing:

• Excessive wear and tear on faucets, fixtures and appliances.
• Banging or noisy water pipes when turning on or off water at a faucet
• Spitting from the water faucet aerator when water is turned on
• Shortened water heater life
• Leaking faucets
• Running toilets
• Reduced washing machine or dishwasher life due to leaks
• Septic drain field flooding and failure if your building is connected to a private septic system
• Increased sewer bill costs in communities who base their sewer charges on water usage metering.
• Increased hot water heating costs: if water pressure is unnecessarily high, the increased volume and rate of cold water flowing through a home water heater increases the operating cost of that appliance.
• Wasted water - running water at higher-than-needed pressure and flow wastes water in daily fixture use.
• Water heater tank explosions.  THIS IS IMPORTANT: When water is heated, it expands.  Because water is an incompressible fluid, when it expands the pressure in the system increases greatly.  If there is no mechanism to absorb or relieve the increased pressure, the water heater can explode.  Check it out: Mythbusters Water Heater Explosion.  I’ll get into the mechanisms to prevent this in another blog.

So, how does a pressure reducing valve work?  MAGIC. Seriously, here is a short video that explains how a gas regulator works and it is the same principal for water.  If I find one for water, I’ll post it.  Beware: this video is very dry-you might want to grab a cup of coffee first: How A Regulator Works

If you think you have excessive pressure, give us a call and we’ll stop by to check your pressure and make any necessary recommendations.  No charge to check your pressure.  We love this stuff!!

When Should I Replace My Water Heater?

I’m often asked “When should I replace my water heater?” or “When will my water heater fail?” The answer to both questions is “I don’t know! But I can give you and educated guess”. By a failing water heater I mean a water heater that starts leaking. A leaking heater cannot be repaired…not ever. If a heater stops producing hot water, then it most likely can be fixed. But if it leaks, it is dead.

So, should a homeowner just wait until a heater starts leaking to replace it? No. There are some educated assessments that can be made. First, how old is the heater? Every heater has a sticker on it that gives some important information like the size (gallons), the energy source (electric, natural gas, propane gas, etc…), energy input (watts, btu’s, etc…), model number and serial number. With the model number and serial number a person can get online with the manufacturer’s website and find the date the heater was produced. Most water heaters take 3 months from the time they are manufactured until they are installed in a home.

We see most water heater failures in the 10-12 year old range. The oldest water heater I have replaced was 35 years old. It hadn’t failed, it just needed a new gas valve that was no longer available.

What I usually tell customers is:

• If your water heater is 10 years old, it owes you nothing and you shouldn’t be surprised if it starts leaking
• If your heater is 15 years old you can expect it to fail any time
• If your heater is 20 years old, failure is imminent and you should replace immediately

My theory is that if a water heater hits 10 years, it should be replaced soon. Why wait for a possible flood? You don’t ride on your car tires until they blow out do you? Once tires hit the recommended mileage, we generally replace them. Same with a water heater. Once it hits the expected life time, change it.

Another reason to consider preemptively replacing a water heater is energy usage. I read an article the other day that quoted a trade magazine saying that every inch of sediment in a water heater requires 70% more energy to heat the water.

Every heater has some sediment in it. It’s a natural result of heating water. Some sediment is calcium from hard water, some is sediment from a well, and some is just particulates suspended in water. Any sediment in water just sitting in a heater tank will settle to the bottom. No avoiding it. Flushing out your heater annually will keep the sediment at bay. However, if you haven’t been doing that, then your heater probably has a fair amount of sediment in it. The more sediment there is, the more difficult it can be to flush it out. Sediment can also cause undue stress on the steel tank of a gas water heater.

The gas burner on a heater heats the bottom of the tank. A build-up of sediment insulates the bottom of the tank causing the burner to run longer and heat the steel to a higher temperature than normal. This higher heat stresses the steal causing premature failure.

With electric water heaters, sediment can build up to the point where it completely encompasses the lower element insulating it from the water to be heated.  More energy wasted.

There are maintenance items that can be done to extend the life a water heater. More on that next time!

New Water Heaters for The Hill Family Central Y

In late June, Apple Plumbing & Heating, Inc. installed a new, high efficient hot water system for The Hill Family Center Y.The following photos and description details the work that was done, the planning that went into it and how this installation helped the Y reduce their carbon footprint.

The old system that the Y of Central Maryland was using consisted of two 80 gallon propane water heaters with a 200 gallon storage tank. This old system had an efficiency of less than 60%.

The Y chose to have us install a new, high efficiency tankless water heating system. This system consists of five 95% efficient propane-fired water heaters with a recirculating pump and integral system controller. We chose Noritz water heaters for their dependability, ease of programming and factory support. Off the bat, we estimate the Hill Family Center Y will burn over 2,500 LESS gallons of propane gas annually. By my research and calculations that is over 31,000 lbs LESS carbon dioxide being emitted into the air each year! The new system has no storage tanks that need to be constantly heated even if no hot water is being used. The heaters only heat water as needed. If no hot water is flowing, the heaters are not burning gas. The system comes with a controller that monitors hot water flow and turns on heaters as needed. If a little hot water is required, only one heater will fire. In addition, each heater modulates its gas usage from 15,000 BTU to 199,000 BTU.

As you can see, the system is compact which reflects its efficiency. Our team of Jordan, Bruce and Luke worked long days for a full week in order to get the Hill Family Center Y back on line with hot water. Jordan spent a full day the week before the job planning out the installation. There was quite a bit of piping installed in a very small space. They had to install gas piping, cold water piping, hot water piping, recirculating piping, condensate piping and flue piping. All in three days. In total, the project took five days. The last two days were spent on electrical wiring and control wiring. Tim Kyle Electric was our subcontractor for the electrical work. His crew was challenged to integrate the new system with old controls and wiring. It took some creative thinking but Tim Kyle Electric, along with Jordan, figured out the sequencing and was able to fire up the system on Friday afternoon to bring the Hill Family Center Y back on line with hot water as promised.

All of us at Apple Plumbing congratulate the Hill Family Canter Y for their commitment to our environment. They chose a system that provides their members with an abundance of hot water while saving energy and decreasing their carbon footprint. Their decision results in a great benefit not only for their organization and members, but to the community they serve. Jordan, Bruce, Luke, and all of us at Apple Plumbing are honored to have been given the responsibility to design and install a high efficient hot water generating system for the Hill Family Center Y. We value the confidence placed in our team and are proud of the product we delivered.

Water Heater Manufacturing Changes for 2015 - What You Need to Know

Everyone who has hot, running water in their home today has some type of water heater they depend on. As the name indicates, the water heater’s primary function is to provide a household with hot water in which to bathe, wash dishes, do laundry, and a host of other every day activities. Because water heaters are such important features, the rules, codes and safety regulations surrounding them are constantly being evaluated, updated and improved. The next series of changes will begin early this spring. As a homeowner, it’s important to be aware of any regulation changes that could affect your heater, when the time comes to install a new one. Therefore, Apple Plumbing has done our research and below, we’ve outlined all future changes in manufacturing coming in April 2015. Briefly, the department of Energy (DOE), as part of the National Appliance Energy Association Act (NAECA), issued new energy efficiency mandates in 2010. In 2015, those mandates will be applied and all water heater manufacturers will be required to comply. The update, effective starting April 16, 2015, will require higher Energy Factor (EF) ratings on almost all residential gas, electric, oil and tankless gas water heaters. The Energy Factor is the ratio of useful energy output from the water heater to the total amount of energy delivered to the water heater. The higher the EF is, the more efficient the water heater.

It is important to note that these changes are manufacturer requirements and not homeowner, wholesaler, or plumber requirements. This means, that starting 4/16/15, all water heater manufacturers will have to cease production of heaters designed to comply to current codes, and begin making them to meet the new rules. This does not mean that homeowners must replace their water heaters, or wholesalers have to stop selling all already-manufactured water heaters that don’t comply, nor does it mean that plumbers have to stop installing them. We can continue to install existing inventory until they’re gone, at which time only water heaters meeting the new EF ratings will be available for purchase. Parts for the currently existing models should continue to work for the updated units, as the primary change will be seen in tank sizing and in new, additional equipment.

If you know the type of heater you have, you can review the information for it below and how the changes might affect you.

[expand title="Residential Gas Water Heaters Less than 55 Gallons"]

• The Energy Factor has been increased from .55 to .675
• Gas water heaters can no longer have a standing pilot, all water heaters will need to plug into an electrical outlet for electronic ignition
• Due to the increase in heat output, more insulation will be needed. Because of this, the size of the heater will likely have to expand. It is estimated that the new heaters will be 1”-2” taller, and 2” wider in diameter.
• How does all this affect you? If your heater is installed in a tight corner, small closet or other narrow space, when it’s time to replace your heater, the technicians performing the work could run into problems trying to fit a larger heater in the small space, and may end up needing to move it to a new location, which would likely require additional work to the piping and water supply. A licensed electrician may be needed to install a new electrical outlet next to your water heater.
• Other Options
  • Reduce the size of the heater, increase the temperature in the tank, and put a mixing valve to mix cold water in with the hotter water as it comes out of the tank. This increase the effective gallon capacity of the smaller heater to your original size
  • Tankless water heater

[/expand]

[expand title="Residential Gas Water Heaters Greater Than 55 Gallons"]

• The Energy Factor has been increased from .55 to .8012
• Gas water heaters can no longer have a standing pilot, all water heaters will need to plug into an electrical outlet for electronic ignition
• Due to the increase in heat output, more insulation will be needed. Because of this, the size of the heater will likely have to expand. It is estimated that the new heaters will be 1”-2” taller, and 2” wider in diameter.
• Additional heating tubes, bigger flues, and other venting equipment will be required to heat the water more efficiently
• A condensate drain would most likely need to be installed to dispose of extra condensate being emitted.
• How does all this affect you? If your heater is installed in a tight corner, small closet or other narrow space, when it’s time to replace your heater, the technicians performing the work could run into problems trying to fit a larger heater in the small space, and may end up needing to move it to a new location, which would likely require additional work to the piping and water supply. Additional work would also be required to install the necessary venting equipment. A licensed electrician may be needed to install a new electrical outlet next to your water heater.
• Other Options
  • Reduce the size of the heater to below 55 gallons, increase the temperature in the tank, and put a mixing valve to mix cold water in with the hotter water as it comes out of the tank. This increase the effective gallon capacity of the smaller heater to your original size
  • Tankless water heater

[/expand]

[expand title="Residential Electric Water Heaters Less Than 55 Gallons"]

• The Energy Factor has been increased from .93 to .96
• Due to the increase in heat output, more insulation will be needed. Because of this, the size of the heater will likely have to expand. It is estimated that the new heaters will be 1”-2” taller, and 2” wider in diameter.
• How does all this affect you? If your heater is installed in a tight corner, small closet or other narrow space, when it’s time to replace your heater, the technicians performing the work could run into problems trying to fit a larger heater in the small space, and may end up needing to move it to a new location, which would likely require additional work to the piping and water supply.
• Other options
  • Reduce the size of the heater, increase the temperature in the tank, and put a mixing valve to mix cold water in with the hotter water as it comes out of the tank. This increase the effective gallon capacity of the smaller heater to your original size

[/expand]

[expand title="Residential Electric Water Heaters Greater Than 55 Gallons"]

• The biggest Energy Factor change is seen in electric heaters larger than 55 gallons.
  • 65 gallons: Increase from .88 to 1.98
  • 80 gallons: Increase from .86 to 1.97
  • 120 gallons: from 1.00 to 1.92
• The only current technology to achieve an energy factor over 1.00 is heat pump technology, likely integrated on top of the heater unit. Water heaters with a heat pump use the refrigeration cycle and air in your home to greatly increase the efficiency of the water heater.
  • This will require 700-1,000 cubic feet of space.
  • The ambient room temperature will affect the performance of the pump, as it draws energy from the heat in the air.
    • A cooler room means the heater will take longer to heat the water in the unit, versus a warmer room which will have a greater energy supply from which the pump can draw.
• The increased heat will create condensate, so a drain will need to be installed for disposal.
  • How does this affect you? The heat pump technology may require regular servicing such as cleaning and changing of filters. The pump can be noisy, so the noise level in the room your water heater is in will increase and consideration as to what rooms are near the water heater may need to be given. Additional work will need to be performed by the technicians installing your new water heater, to also install the heat pump technology and new drain.
• Other Options
  • Reduce the size of the heater to below 55 gallons, increase the temperature in the tank, and put a mixing valve to mix cold water in with the hotter water as it comes out of the tank. This increase the effective gallon capacity of the smaller heater to your original size
  • Install 2 smaller heaters, such as 40 gallon electrics, that do not require heat pump technology

[/expand]

[expand title="Other Water Heaters"]

• The Energy Factor will increase from .53 to .62 in the 30 gallon size and increase from .50 to .59 in the 50 gallon size.
• Due to more heat transfer technology needed for oil-fired heaters because of the Energy Factor increase, there is the possibility the unit will be much heavier than the current standard model.
• Due to the increase in heat output, more insulation will be needed. Because of this, the size of the heater will likely have to expand. It is estimated that the new heaters will be 1”-2” taller, and 2” wider in diameter.
  • How does this affect you? If your heater is installed in a tight corner, small closet or other narrow space, when it’s time to replace your heater, the technicians performing the work could run into problems trying to fit a larger heater in the small space, and may end up needing to move it to a new location, which would likely require additional work to the piping and water supply.
• Residential Gas Tankless
  • No Energy Factor requirement exists, so an EF Rating of .82 will be implemented
  • To our knowledge all tankless water heaters currently meet this rating, those few that don’t will undergo technology changes to comply
• Residential Electric Tankless
  • No Energy Factor requirement exists, so an EF Rating of .93 will be implemented
  • To our knowledge all tankless water heaters currently meet this rating, those few that don’t will undergo technology changes to comply

[/expand]

After reading all the information pertaining to your model of water heater- the changes coming and what it could mean for you, you’ll need to consider what you might do to prepare. The greatest advantage you have in knowing this information ahead of time is that you have the opportunity to be proactive. Rather than waiting for your heater to suddenly spring a leak and have to hire a plumber out right away to take care of the leak and all the possible headaches that could come with moving the heater to a new location, adding in new piping and other necessary technology, you can plan ahead and get the work done before it becomes an emergency.

We know this is a lot of information to take in. We want to reassure you that Apple Plumbing is here for you when the time does come, and that we are keeping ahead of the curve by studying all changes and being ready to answer any questions you may have. Come April 16 and in the months to follow, we will be knowledgeable and equipped to do what is necessary in replacing your heater to ensure it fits well, is installed properly, and will continue giving you and your home the hot water you need.