Ready for some good news in "This Economy"?

In This Issue

ST PATRICK'S DAY AND WHERE IT CAME FROM

YES, IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!

ELECTRIC PNEUMONIA?

HELP FOR SLOW OR CLOGGED DRAINS

THIS MONTH'S PLUMBING SPECIAL

RECIPE OF THE MONTH - IRISH STEW

DISCLAIMERS

$200
to
"GO GREEN"

Dear

Last month I told you about the incredible deal your water company has for you if you install a new water saving toilet. This month, the deal is twice as good!

I am going to match their $100 making your savings a total of $200.00.

In a slower than usual economy, we really do need all the breaks we can find. And here's an opportunity to not only upgrade your toilets and save on your water bill but you'll actually be paid to do it.

But you'd better move quick as the program is scheduled to halt June 30th or until their money runs out.

Just check with your water company and they'll provide you with the details. Other than that, simply mention this ad when installing a new 1.28 gallon toilet by Casey's Plumbing and our plumber will discount your price by $100 on the spot!

(Discount offer applies only to toilets supplied and installed by Casey's Plumbing. Not valid with other Casey's Plumbing discounts).

Below are the details provided by the Portland Water Bureau as they appeared in our February 09 newsletter. Note: All water districts have similar offers - if you are in a different water district, please check with them.

Virtually every water district in the Portland metro area is offering home owners $100 to install the new 1.28 gallon water saving toilet. And if you are into saving money and helping the environment, why not upgrade your toilets and do both!

Beginning January 1, 2009, the Portland Water Bureau will offer a short-term toilet rebate on WaterSense certified toilets. Portland Water Bureau customers can apply for the $100 rebate by replacing a toilet that uses 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) or more with a new WaterSense toilet. To earn the WaterSense label, toilets must use no more than 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) and meet rigorous criteria for performance.

WaterSense Toilet Rebate Program Eligibility and Requirements:

Purchase eligible toilet between 1/1/09-6/30/09. For a complete list of approved models, visit: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/het.htm

Complete and sign WaterSense Toilet Rebate Form by June 30, 2009. Sales receipt and proof of recycling of old toilet required.

You must receive water from the Portland Water Bureau and have an active Portland Water Bureau account that is in good standing.

You must own the property where the new toilet is being installed or obtain the signature of the property owner on the WaterSense Toilet Rebate Form.

Limit of 2 toilet rebates per eligible account.

Each rebate is worth $100. However, if the replacement toilet costs less than $100 the customer will be reimbursed for the cost of the toilet plus $1 for recycling.

Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The program will end when funds are depleted or no later than June 30, 2009.

For more information or to schedule your new water saving toilet installation, call 503-620-9111 today while the rebates are still there!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE HUGE MONEY SAVING COUPONS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS NEWSLETTER!

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY! A Little History.

St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's greatest national holiday as well as a holy day. The date marks the anniversary of the death of the missionary who became the patron saint of Ireland. It is a happy holiday for the Irish wherever they may be - in Dublin, New York City, Boston, or San Francisco. The day celebrated with parades, speeches, festive dinners, and dances. Green is the color of the day, with thousands of little cloth shamrocks worn even by those whose forefathers never touched the shores of Ireland.

It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.

Click Here For "Marvelicious St. Patrick's Day Page"

Spring Cleaning You Didn't Think to Do!

Spring brings the excitement of warm weather and longer days. It also brings with it a harsh reality. Spring means spring cleaning! It's time to dust off the list of projects you've been meaning to tackle; there's deep cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming every inch of your home, and washing the walls. Spring cleaning may not be exciting, but your hard work is always rewarded. Afterwards, the interior of your home sparkles!

Why not apply the same amount of attention to the outside of your home? After all, ﬁrst impressions mean a great deal. It doesn't matter how nice the inside of your residence appears if the outside looks dirty, worn, and tattered. And by maintaining the exterior of your home today, you may avoid large and expensive repairs that might need to be made in the future. After you've scrubbed every inch inside your home, here are a few things you may want to consider doing to the outside of your home:

Wipe down your windows. Wash your windows with a mix of a quarter cup of vinegar with a quart of cool water in a spray bottle. Use rolled up newspaper to wipe the windows down. Don't worry, the newsprint won't rub off, and it's cheaper than paper towels. And remember to wipe from top to bottom!

Clean and repair your gutters. Keep your gutters from pulling away from your home by keeping them free of clutter. Pull all leaves and twigs out of your gutter. If you notice that your gutters may be sagging, tighten their loose straps.

Re-grade around your foundation. If pools of water accumulate near your home, it's only a matter of time before that water ﬁnds its way inside! Remove any sod or mulch from the depressed area with a shovel. Take additional soil and ﬁll in the low spots. With a tamping tool, make sure that soil is packed tightly. Push the mulch or relay the sod on top of the new soil.

Fill the cracks in your driveway. Clean all dirt from any cracks that exist and ﬁll them with driveway patch, which can be found at any hardware store. Smooth over the cracks with a trowel. After it sets, hose off the driveway and mix up a driveway sealer. Pour the sealer in a line down the center of the driveway. Use a squeegee to spread it out evenly and thinly. While doing this, make sure you have plastic bags wrapped around your feet, so as not to ruin your shoes.

Repair, lubricate, and seal any doors. Inspect all the doors in your home; this includes screen doors and garage doors. Lubricate the hinges and springs with a light household oil. Take a moment to look for any gaps that might exist around your doors and their frames. If you can see light peeking through that means air is leaking through, as well. Use backer rods and/or caulk to ﬁll in those small spaces.

Remove rust from railings and any other metal surfaces exposed to the elements. Scrape as much of the loose rust off as possible with a wire brush, down to the bare metal, if possible. Next, apply a metal primer to the affected area. Finish by painting it with a rust-resistant paint.

Trim your grass, bushes, and trees. Nothing can make a home look worse than tall grass and overgrown bushes and trees. Be sure to cut your grass regularly, so that it doesn't become a large project. Also, cut back your hedges, bushes, and trees every few months.

Power wash your home's exterior. Storms can blow dirt, leaves, and debris against your house causing discoloration. Rent a power washer, hook it up to your hose, and thoroughly wash and clean your brick walls. If you have siding, be sure to set your power washer on a lower setting. Once you've ﬁnished spray-cleaning your home, be sure to power wash your deck and privacy fence, too.

You don't have to be contractor, or even a handyman, to perform much of this work. At most, you'll need to run down to the localhardware store, ask a few questions, and be on your way.

One thing you may want to do to help you with power washing your home is add several faucets outside your home! It might be the only time during your spring cleaning spree that you'll need the help of a professional.

At Casey's Plumbing, one of our highly trained plumbers can come to your home, evaluate your situation, suggest several ideal locations for outdoor faucets, and install them in no time.

Call us at 503-620-9111 and you can see for yourself how we can help. Your new outdoor faucets might not make yard work more fun, but it will make it a little quicker.

This Month Special

SAVE $ ON YOUR WATER BILL!

Install a water saving shower head and get the 2nd one installed for free!

Call 503-620-9111 and reserve your appointment today.

OFFER EXPIRES 03/31/09

CCB 147298

Kiss those nasty, expensive drain clogs goodbye forever!

The drains in your home are a collection point for muck and gunk, including grease, oil, food, even things like hair gel that sticks to the inside of your pipes and slows down the waste water trying to leave your home. These materials build up and can cause slow, smelly drains or worse, clogged drains that are expensive to have cleaned.

If you have slow drains, smell an odor from your drains, or battle with a shower or tub that threatens to overflow, you need a maid. The BioSmart™ Drain Maid™ is a natural drain and septic system treatment that, when applied regularly, keeps your drains running smoothly so you don't have to worry about messy, inconvenient, slow running or stopped-up drains and toilets. And it contains natural enzymes (friendly bacteria) that eat away at that gunky buildup in your pipes and drains. And these natural bacteria won't harm your plumbing.

BioSmart™ Drain Maid™ cleans drains and keeps them free flowing by unleashing naturally-occurring bacteria that thrive on the grease, oil, and organics that are found
in every home's drains. So get the Drain Maid, and kiss those nasty clogs goodbye!

*100% Money-Back Guarantee! If, after 90 days, you are not completely satisfied with the product or its performance, we will remove the item and refund 100% of your investment.

*It is recommended that a mechanical drain cleaning be used on slow or clogged drains before using Bio-Smart. Not doing so may cause drain clogs and will void Casey's Plumbing warranties.

For more information, call...

503-643-4433

CCB 147298

Is Your Home's Electrical System Coming Down with
Pneumonia? Take care of your electrical system's cold before it turns into something worse!

Sniffling. Coughing. Sneezing. Those are the signs that you might be catching a bit of a cold! It also means that you may be headed to the pharmacy for some medicine or maybe even the doctor's office for a check- up.

Why do you go to the pharmacy or get a check-up? Of course, you go because you don't want those nasty little symptoms to turn into something bigger... something worse like strep throat, the flu, or even pneumonia!

You may not realize this, but your electrical system could be suffering from similar symptoms! No, it obviously doesn't have a sneeze or a cough. But it could be suffering from its own type of unique symptoms. Have you ever noticed the lights in any part of your home flickering? Do certain outlets only work sporadically? Do circuit breakers frequently trip? Do you have any loose outlets in any walls? Do bulbs frequently blow out? These are all signs that your home's electrical system could be coming down with a cold.

These minor electrical problems may seem like nothing more than an inconvenience. In reality, they may be a sign of bigger dangers. Just as you'd go to the doctor to evaluate your health, you should call your electrician to evaluate your home at least once a year.

A lot can happen in a year. You may have purchased new electronics that could put a significant drag on your electrical system... like a new computer or big screen television.
Also, outlets could begin to show their age and may need to be replaced. A number of things can occur over twelve months. If you've never had a safety inspection performed on your home, you're greatly overdue.

Regular electrical inspections can save you money as well! For example, a properly trained electrician can show you ways to reduce the amount of energy your home consumes. An electrician can also show you various types of inexpensive repairs or adjustments to your system that could lead to significant savings. You may be surprised.

Whether your electrical system hasn't been inspected this year or ever, it's something that you may want to explore soon. You don't want to be stuck with an emergency on your hands.

Call us at 503-643-8833 and our highly trained electricians, who are drug-tested and background checked, can give your home a complete and thorough evaluation. That way your home's electrical system's cold doesn't turn into pneumonia.

"Keeping the lights on"

CCB 147298

Recipe of the Month - Irish Stew
Courtesy of Recipe courtesy Giana Ferguson / Food Network

Ingredients

    * 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
    * Oil, for frying
    * 1-ounce butter
    * 1 sprig dried thyme
    * 2 1/2 pounds best end of lamb neck, cut into large pieces
    * 7 carrots, chopped lengthways into 2-inch pieces
    * 2 tablespoons pearl barley
    * 5 cups chicken stock, recipe follows
    * Salt (recommended: Fleur du Sel)
    * Freshly ground black pepper
    * 1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, and bay leaf)
    * 12 medium potatoes
    * 1 bunch parsley, leaves finely chopped
    * 1 bunch chives
    * Serving suggestion: herb butter, recipe follows

Directions

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the onions in oil and butter, on medium-high heat until they are translucent. Add the dried thyme and stir. Add the lamb and brown on a high heat to seal in juices. Add carrots, and pearl barley. Pour in the chicken stock so that it almost covers the meat and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and add Bouquet garni. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours, being careful not to boil. Place potatoes on top of the stew, cover and cook for 30 minutes until the meat is falling beautifully off the bones and the potatoes are fork tender.

Serve the stew in large flat soup bowls, and drizzle herb butter over the potatoes or garnish with parsley and chives.

Stock:

Chicken carcass

1 onion

4 cups water

3 stalks celery, roughly chopped

Bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the stockpot. Combine ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Then let it cool down and skim off the fat.

Yield: 6 servings

Herb Butter:

1 stick butter

1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

1 small bunch chives, finely chopped

1 sprig thyme
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add parsley, chives and thyme.

Yield: 6 servings

Click here for even more great recipe ideas...

AND...

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

It's getting to be a real problem in our world today. Innocent homeowners call contractors looking to have work performed on their home. A service person shows up, and the homeowner doesn't think twice about letting that person into their home. They presume that person is honest and coming to help them with their problem. All too often these seemingly innocent calls turn tragic.

Not long ago, I read about a Florida woman who was killed by a registered sex offender who was performing work in her home. In another instance, a service technician in the Minneapolis area was convicted on several counts for stealing from customers' homes. In yet another story, an unsuspecting housewife in Missouri hired a contractor only to have him call back two weeks later and make lewd remarks over the telephone. What if this guy had done more than just make telephone calls? You don't think about this possibly happening until it's too late.

You and your family deserve to feel comfortable and safe in your own home; to live life without fear. Women home alone with small children, the elderly, or the disabled shouldn't have to be wary of their security when calling a contractor. As a person who's been in this industry for years, it sickens me that this has become an issue... but it has.

Knowing this, we have made a commitment to you and all of our loyal customers. You will never have to worry about a person from our company that enters your home or be concerned about their true intentions. As a service to you, every single one of our employees is background checked and regularly drug tested. No criminal or drug addict will ever wear one of our uniforms. We have one of the most difﬁcult hiring processes around, and only people of high moral character are given the opportunity to be employed by us. We then take these hard working people and provide them with the best technical and communication training offered in the country. So, you'll know that when one of our people shows up, they're upstanding citizens who are eager and able to help you with any and all of your home's needs.

Now, many contractors in the home services business do not bother to practice such stringent policies... But that's what distinguishes us from the rest. When you call Casey's Plumbing, Rooter n Drains or Metro's Best Electric, you know you're dealing with professionals who care about your personal safety, the safety of your family, and the well-being and security of your home. We feel that's the least we can do for you.

Sincerely,