Villages of Westcreek (San Antonio, Anton: island, climate, to work)

[Lil]

Originally Posted by rd2007

So I had that valve replaced and boy did it need it. He showed me the inside and it was absolutely disgusting. Anybody that doesn't filter their water is insane! The good thing was I found a plumber I trust and I'll use him for any future work. He actually showed up exactly on time, was professional, did exactly what he said he would, charged exactly what he said he would, and I have a written warranty on the work. He also offered to do a thorough cleaning of the water heater (removing it, flushing it, cleaning the coils, and hooking it back up) and I think I'm going to take him up on that as well. He didn't even pause when I mentioned the little white pebbles. Definitely from the water heater.

Hey, I want in on this plumber - share the info......pls......

[wellguy]

Good Evening All -Before I retire for the night I wanted to ask if anyone has had an experience with the HOA regarding dying yards. I have read that several people have been given notices. What are they saying to those that have dead / dying yards?

It's sad to see that some people have given up on their yards and the thought of replacement is going to be $$$$$$$

For those of you that still have green lawns remember to mow the grass 2-3" to prevent drying out the soil faster and burning of the grass. I water ours by hand every other day in the morning between 4-5am

One other reminder that SAWS does have employees and off duty Law Enforcement Officers on patrol in the evening and into the morning hours. Hand watering is fine but alot of people are still running sprinklers either at the wrong time or wrong day. Remember that you can still wash your car, with a shut off nozzle and five gallon bucket but only on your scheduled watering day. Please don't get caught since that will cost $$$$$$.

[wellguy]

rd2007 -What did the plumber find in your PRV Valve?. There should not have been any particles due to the internal water meter screen.

[CH1960]

[quote=wellguy;9804627]Good Evening All -Before I retire for the night I wanted to ask if anyone has had an experience with the HOA regarding dying yards. I have read that several people have been given notices. What are they saying to those that have dead / dying yards?

I talked to the office yesterday - no one is getting written up for brown yards. But if it's overgrown with weeds and neglected - that is another story. My water bill was peanuts compared to my utility bill - ooooh we - and I keep my thermo on 80 degrees! That peak-capacity fee is a kicker - every June it kicks in and doesn't stop until October.....CPS is killing me -

[CH1960]

Originally Posted by Steel Man

If I can remember, the original note for the 25 acres, club house, and pool was around $750,000.

As my son would say - "back - in - the day"!

[BamaSailor]

I've been happy with my CPS bills. The last few were:
$164
$146
$116
$99

SAWS bills have been running just either side of $70.

[rd2007]

I'll trade you my water for your electricity.. my water is almost always just under $40 and I do the average payments to CPS and that comes out to $198.

there was a ton of corrosion inside the valve because the builder did not use brass. The plumber said that is common. A brass valve was almost $50, but it should last much longer. He is back today flushing out the water heater and arrived within 10 minutes of when he said he would be here. That alone is worth it to me. Having people show up on time is one of the biggest issues I have had with hiring people here in SA. Also, not sure if I metioned this before, but that valve did fix the water pressure. My upstairs shower probably has nearly double the flow and pressure it had before. Downstairs isn't so noticeable, but it is definitely worth the money. Toilets also fill up much faster than they were.

Did anyone get a notice today for their fence? Mine just says repair it, nothing specific. I thought people were supposed to inspect it and tell you what you needed to do? I'm just going to put a nail in and call it a day now. That's technically a repair..

[BamaSailor]

One way to help your CPS bill is to replace the almost worthless roof vents that the builder installed with a rotating turbine vent for about $40. In fact, I replaced the one and added a total of three more.

Add solar screens to the windows.

Caulk!

I also added a couple of simple vents into the ceiling of the garage to allow some of the air in there to rise up and then escape through the roof vents.

[wellguy]

wc2005- That's good news about your water pressure. You will find that draining /flushing / cleaning the water heater is going to resolve your white particle problems. Please remember if I can ever be of ANY help to you please contact me. If I'm not the one you need I'll get ahold of that individual, Division, Department.

Yes SAWS Water is a steal. Some of my neighbors think I get it for free. To tell you the truth I was a little scared (of my wife) in anticipation of the water bill. It was only $54.00. I have done a lot of hand watering in the early morning hours this past month.

The CPS Bill for some reason was $100.00 higher than last month ($136 / $236) Life has been the same. No temp changes on the A/C .We have had solar screens for the past nine years, plenty of shade, blinds stay semi closed. It has never been that high in the last 9 1/2 years. I asked my wife to call CPS since she takes care of the bills and she retired May 2008. I don't know if she has called yet. The only change this year is our participation in the Programable Thermostat Energy Peak Saver Program in which we allow CPS to cycle off our A/C . It doesn't appear that the house gets warmer during that time. Shoot its difficult to tell when it's cycled off.

My Mom and Stepdad who live in the Thousand Oaks /Jones Maltsberger have been making energy efficient changes to their 25 year old home. The had a roof put on 2-3 years ago due to storm damage and ridge vents were installed. Their current Contractor told them that that is one of the best energy saving improvements we can make to our homes. When its time for a new roof I'll have them put all over including over the garage.

wc2005 -Did you install the turbine vents or have it done. I assume you bought the ones that are painted /colored? Have you noticed any changes with your CPS bill yet? I would like to try something now but I'm timid about putting holes into the roof so I'll have to hire an expert.

I was out late this evening , near Hwy 16N and Hwy 211. It appeared that we had some rain out this way. Does anyone know about how much?

[BamaSailor]

Originally Posted by wellguy

wc2005 -Did you install the turbine vents or have it done. I assume you bought the ones that are painted /colored? Have you noticed any changes with your CPS bill yet? I would like to try something now but I'm timid about putting holes into the roof so I'll have to hire an expert.

I did them myself. Yes they are painted. If you have one of the flat "pan" vents already, start with that one since the hole is already there. Get the largest turbing (15 inch if I recall). You'll need to replace the base for the existing "pan" because the diameter is different. They only thing you might damage is a shingle or two when trying to remove the old base. Just be careful and use a putty knife to get it out. If you do damage a shingle, its easy enough to replace it. Once the base is in, put a little wet roofing cement under the shingle to tack them back down.

If you are installing a new one (making the hole yourself) it is very easy to do. Decide about where you want the vent to be. Place it similar to the old one's location...high up for maximum benefit. Go into the attic and drive a long nail through the roof...put the nail halfway between the studs. Back onto the roof, find the nail. That nail will be the center of the hole you are going to cut out. Use the nail to measure the distance to make a 15" diameter hole (if you have a 15" base). Draw a line on the shingles which marks where you want to cut the hole. I drill a hole onto the line so that I can insert a jigsaw and make the cut. By using the nail, you know that you aren't going to cut through a stud.

Put in the base (use a few roofing nails and a bit of the roofing wet cement). Level the neck by sliding it around and tighten the screw to hold it. Put the turbine on top of the neck. Put in a couple of screws into the predrilled holes.

May sound a bit scary but it really isn't hard at all. You'll also have some instructions in the box with the new vent.