What Sun City Homeowners Need to

Know about their Plumbing System

a confidential report for builders only

Thanks to to the helpful efforts of others, we have secured a copy of a proprietary, confidential copy of a document that is available to builders and developers like Pulte and Del Webb. The document is what the company, Quality Built(QB), refers to as a "Builder Alert." Such Alerts are sent to builders to alert them to potential problems or issues that may adversely impact their construction plans or activities.

Quality Built says that they are the nation’s largest risk management services firm operating in 27 states. Endorsed or mandated by the nation's largest insurance companies, as well as builders and commercial developers across the country, the company uses certain risk assessment systems to accurately identify and track construction quality issues on all types of construction.

According to QB's undated Las Vegas plumbing Alert report to builders, they have been investigating corrosion related fitting failures affecting certain KITEC plumbing systems on a number of Las Vegas homes. Those failures have been found to occur on the hot recirculating side of the home's water system after as little as 3 years.

Of some significance to Sun City Anthem homeowners throughout the community is QB's finding that the use of "salt-based water softening equipment increases the potential for corrosion when coupled with the heat and recirculation."

Also of significance to our homeowners, in rating plastic plumbing systems for the Las Vegas area, QB rates as first the Wirsbo AquaPex with plastic fittings for use in corrosive water environments.

American Leak Detection is planning to use Wirsbo AquaPex pipe in their replumbing job to repair the KITEC system, but instead of using Wirsbo's plastic fittings, ALD had initially decided to use a different type of fitting called SharkBite.* However, due to concern over the content of the SharkBite fittings, ALD has decided to use plastic fittings in the attic, a practice which conforms to Pulte's current plumbing installation practices on homes under construction.

What other cautions and recommendations does QB address? Here is a list of QB concerns and some additional recommendations for you to consider. You can find these and additional information about our Las Vegas plumbing problems by reading their 3-page "Builder Alert" by click on this Link: The Las Vegas "Builder Alert" On the last page of that Alert report are recommedation to builders for Homeowners.

1. QB notes that corrosion can not be avoided, but it can be mitigated or minimized.
2. QB recommends an all plastic plumbing system for the Las Vegas area.
3. Water softeners. QB finds that salt-based water softeners increase the potential for corrosion when coupled with the heat and recirculation.
4. Potassium water softeners are preferred. According to QB, salt-based (sodium chloride) softeners increase the potential for corrosion, while potassium (potassium chloride) softeners are less corrosive. No new system is required, only the type of salt used can be changed in most instances. However, the cost of potassium salt is understood to be greater than sodium-chloride salt.
5. Recirculating pumps. Recirculating hot water pumps are typically found on Sun City water heaters. According to QB, "the constant 24-hour "on" cycle of recirculation pumps will greatly increase the scale buildup and potential corrosion of metal components in plumbing fixtures, fittings and equipment."
6. QB recommends that such recirculating pumps be turned off (using timers on the pump) during periods of non-use.
7. In addition to recirculating pumps, QB notes that other sources of potential corrosion problems include water heaters, valves, household appliances and plumbing fixtures that come into contact with water.
8. Water heater anode replacement. Although not addressed by QB, water heater anodes should be periodically replaced, saving the expense of a new water heater more frequently than actually needed, as well as minimizing the corrosion occurring in the water heater tank itself. Over time that anode will dissolve first and if not replaced, the tank walls will eventually dissolve and the tank will crack and flood the garage. One source recommends having a plumber replace the sacrificial anode** about every two years to achieve maximum effectiveness. If that is your decision, I understand that the magnesium-zinc alloy anode is preferred to the aluminum anode.
9. Water heaters. Here is a citizens information handout that addresses questions associated with a Water Heater replacement project in a home, including information about anodes and how they function.  Water Heaters

Ron Johnson, 15 January 2007, rev 1/19

* SharkBite Fittings. Those fittings employ a combination of elements, including corrisive-resistent DZR brass, steel and plastic that is manufactured by Cash Acme, a division of Reliance Worldwide Corporation, an Australian company. Both the pipe and the fitting have a 25-year warranty. The fittings are called SharkBite Push-Fittings, and their Spec. Sheet, for those who might be interested, can be viewed here. SharkBite

** A sacrificial anode, or sacrificial rod, is a metallic anode used in an cathodic protection where it is intended to be dissolved to protect other metallic components (the water heater). In laymen's terms, it's a piece of readily corrodible metal attached (by either an electrically conductive solid or liquid) to the metal you wish to protect. This piece of metal corrodes first, and generally must dissolve nearly completely before the protected metal will corrode (hence the term "sacrificial"). More scientifically, a sacrificial anode can be defined as a metal that is more easily oxidized than the protected metal. Electrons are stripped from the anode and conducted to the protected metal, which, for this reason, is forced to become the cathode. As a result, the protected metal is prevented from corroding.