 NEWS YOU CAN USE!
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Casey's Plumbing Incorporated  503-620-9111 May 2009
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Dear
With summer now in full bloom, many of us have been anxious to get a little fun in the sun. And with a slow economy, most have been on the look out for some real bargains before we schedule any time off from work.
Well, I've just returned from a little "mini vacation" and I'm happy to report that you really can have a wonderful, memorable vacation on a shoe string budget.
Our family enjoys getting away to the "local small town" just to walk around, people watch and enjoy the sites. For us it was a trip to "The Dalles". Along with strolling around the downtown area, we were fascinated with our visit to the Wasco County Museum. (I can never get enough of Lewis and Clark!)
How about you? You know a little time off with your loved ones would feel great right now. Here are some ideas I found on the internet for children and adults. Remember, you don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun in the summer sun!
 MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR BEACH TIME
When playing in the surf gets old, set up a beach obstacle course. Just about anything can be used to create obstacles, including driftwood, shells, beach toys, and lines drawn in the sand. Lay out a series of challenges, then time each person as he or she races through them. Kids can compete against one another -- or the adults -- or simply try to beat their own best time. Fun elements could include:
Hopscotch - Use lines drawn in the sand in place of sidewalk chalk.
Bob 'n' weave - Run on a serpentine path through a series of markers, such as chunks of driftwood or rolled towels.
Balance beam - Tiptoe along a line drawn in the sand.
Water carry - Run to the water's edge with a bucket, fill it, then ferry it to fill another bucket.
Treasure dig - Uncover a buried treasure and carry it to the finish.
Rock tower - Balance a group of stones one atop the other.
Tire trot - Draw a series of "tires" in the sand, then run through them without stepping on the lines.
 TURN SOAPSUDS INTO POCKET CHANGE
Running a lemonade stand is a fun activity, but a bike-washing station has cooler fringe benefits: kids get soaked and sudsy while they scrub. The neighborhood kids will love this hot-weather pursuit. Plop a water-filled tub in the driveway, pour in some mild dish soap, grab some sponges, and wipe down plastic toys and bikes. This is simply good clean fun, but if your kids post some signs to attract customers and keep a cash box for making change, they might earn a few quarters too.
 COOL OFF WITH A SPLASHY GAME
It's an unmistakable sound of summer: kids' voices calling out "Marco! Polo!" In our land-locked version of this classic water game, you don't need a pool to play. Instead, clear obstacles from a swath of lawn or driveway (about 25 feet by 25 feet is a good amount of space); all players must stay within this area. One player -- "It" -- fills a bucket with water. As in the pool game, she keeps her eyes closed and tries to find the other players by calling "Marco!" As the other kids respond with "Polo!" she tries to get close enough to douse one of them. She can refill the bucket until she succeeds; her soaked target becomes the next It.
There's nothing as refreshing as a dip in a cool country lake in the summer time, especially when there's no one else around but the two of you. Of course, even if you're in the country or at a resort, you can have fun at night in the water. Before you leave on vacation, check to see if your hotel has a pool and pack your suits if it looks like you'll have an opportunity to swim. Some hotels reserve hours for adult swimmers, and a few better resorts have a pool that is adults-only.
 Dance!
Whether in the street or a nightclub, dancing together on a summer night is some of the most fun you can have with someone you love.
 Visit a County or State Fair
Whether you enjoy going on rides, looking at livestock up close, try to win a prize on the midway, watching performers at the grandstand, sampling unusual foods, or indulging in fried comestibles-on-a-stick, going to a fair can be great fun on a summer night. For adults, the best time to show up is after dark, when families with young kids tend to clear out and the night air is cooler.
 Stroll Along the Beach
Kick off your shoes, grab each other's hand, and walk along the sand on a warm summer night. Talk about what you'll do tomorrow, next week, or when you're old. Or don't say a word; just listen to the sound of the water lapping at the shore and remind yourself how lucky you are to have found one another.
Attend a Museum After Hours
Check to see if a nearby museum is open late one night a week; you may find in summer it's one of the most stimulating and least crowded places to be (and air-conditioned, too). Many facilities that open their doors to museum-goers during the day also screen curated films on summer nights.
People-Watch at a Sidewalk Café
There's nothing more interesting to observe than humans, especially when they think no one is looking. To get the most out of this summer night activity, plan to have dinner late. Then find a comfortable table at an outdoor café with an unobstructed view of a busy thoroughfare. Just for fun, imagine what the most interesting people you see do to entertain themselves on a summer night.
Take in an Outdoor Concert
Every summer, performers ranging from ballerinas to rock bands hit the road on a touring schedule. Many venues, such as the Waterfront Blues Festival, this July 2nd thru the 5th, or a series of concerts at the zoo beginning in June to August, can be an inexpensive treat for you and your whole family!
Go Star-Gazing
Lovers have looked to the stars since time began, to make a wish and share a kiss. For the best star viewing, head for a place far from city lights on a cloud free summer night. The fewer electric lights and signs around, the clearer your view of the cosmos will be. Here's a fun way to learn how to identify one of the most identifiable star clusters in the night sky online: Orion.
I sincerely hope that you found an activity to participate in and that you can take some time to enjoy your summer.
Your friend,
Bill Casey
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Ideas To Reduce Your Summer Utility Bills
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 Most cost-effective investments for reducing summer utility bills. For a typical home, here are the top six investments you can make to reduce your summer utility bills while staying cool and comfortable. The sequence is loosely based on typical potential benefits balanced with costs but will vary from house to house.
Window Shading. Sun control is usually a much better investment than storm windows. An exterior shading strategy should be used for any glass that receives direct sunshine or even reflected radiant heat from pavement. Reflective interior window treatments help, but they are not nearly as effective as exterior or glass solar control.
Solar screens are an inexpensive, do-it-yourself treatment that can block up to 70% of the solar heat while preserving the view. Solar films (window tint) provide a wide range of properties to fit your needs. Spectrally selective films allow more visible daylight through while blocking solar heat. Look for a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) around .4 (no higher than .6) and a visible light transmittance (VT) of .5 or higher. The lower the SHGC, the better; the higher the VT, the better.
Landscaping is great way to shade both glass and walls as well as add value to the home. Awnings are another good option with aesthetic benefits, but they're more costly.
Light-colored Exterior Surfaces. When repainting, re-siding or reroofing your home, choose white or light colors. It may not make a huge difference, but color choice is a no-cost way to reflect some heat. Among roofing options, a white metal roof provides the greatest benefit. Light shingles can provide a much smaller benefit.
Appliance and Lighting Use and Choices. In general, each three kwh of energy saved in the home can reduce the need for cooling by an additional kwh. So you save energy and money two ways.
Leaving lights, computers, TVs and even ceiling fans on adds heat needlessly. Ceiling fans are considered an energy saver by keeping you cooler at higher thermostat settings, but they end up being a net energy loser if you leave them on in unoccupied rooms. Turning everything off when not needed is free. If that's a difficult habit to enforce, install and use timers or motion sensors.
When replacing appliances, look for the EnergyStar label, a verification of high energy efficiency. Also, compare the big yellow EnergyGuide labels to reveal the hidden cost (operating cost) of different models. Investing in higher efficiency will pay off. Refrigerators and freezers are especially important, since they run (and give off heat inside your home) almost continuously.
Replace your high-use incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). CFLs have a higher price tag but use about 1/3 the electricity, produce 1/3 the heat and last about 10 times longer -- so you save money during the life of the lamp and stay cooler. The newer electronic types do not flicker or hum and produce a warm light.
Attic Improvements. If space permits, increase attic insulation to R-38. Where you can't fit R-38, it can suffice to use R-19 attic insulation with either a truss-mounted radiant barrier system or a light-colored metal or tile roof. Ridge and soffit vents provide better attic ventilation.
Sealed Duct System. If your home is typical, your ductwork may lose 30%-40% of the cooling you pay for! That's because most ducts are quite leaky, and the ductwork is in the hottest place on earth (the attic). The entire duct system should be sealed with mastic and mesh (not duct tape), tested by a trained professional with specialized equipment and insulated (if in an unconditioned attic) with R-8 or better.
High SEER A/C. When it's time to replace your air conditioner, invest in a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of at least 12 (SEER 10 for room size units). Make sure it has a moisture-removing capacity (latent capacity) of at least 25%, or choose a variable-speed unit that will provide good humidity control in mild seasons (especially important if choosing a SEER 14 or higher). Insist that the unit NOT be oversized. More is not better. An oversized A/C will cool-- but not dehumidify adequately -- and will cost more to operate and will not last as long.
Keep your thermostat at 78-82 in the summer and 60-65 in the winter.
For most people, this is the other way around. If you currently keep it
much lower than this, try changing it over a couple months so you can
get used to it.
Move down to the coolest part or up to the warmest part of the house.
In the summer move all your beds and/or the TV down to the basement. In
the winter your upstairs room maybe the warmest so move up there. Don't
move everything twice a year. If you have a bi-level house with bedrooms on both floors, it may work better for you to live during the day all on
one floor. Then move all of the sleeping arrangements downstairs, even though it means that you use the downstairs family room for a
bedroom.
In the summer, open windows in the opposite corners of the house to "draw" the air through first thing in the morning. Then close them later before the heat of the day hits. Use fans instead of central air or even air conditioners. We don't turn on the air conditioner unless it is more than 80° F (27° C)outside
- Put fans in your windows backwards to draw hot air out.
If you want the cooler outside air to blow across you in one room,
place the fan in a window directly across the house to suck air out.
Then, the cooler air will be pulled into the window where you are.
- Use attic fans to draw hot air out too.
Don't underestimate how much an attic fan can help. Consider that a
125° attic next to a 78° house can raise the temperature, even with
good attic insulation. It can literally drop your home's temperature
several degrees.
Do the things that are less physical and more stationary in front of a fan during the hotter part of the day (washing dishes, folding clothes, paying bills).
Plan ahead for baking.
In the summer when it's hot, only bake on the cooler days, ideally when
you don't need the air conditioner and can keep the windows open. If
you can plan ahead for the week, bake what you can in advance so that
if a really hot day comes, you can avoid using the oven that day.
Keep an eye on your appliance operating costs.
- Sometimes, you will save money on energy use by replacing an inefficient appliance.
Most of the time, it will take a while for the cost of replacing the
appliance to make the energy savings worth it, so don't replace
something expensive just to save on your utilities unless you do the
math. If you find that you need to replace an appliance soon, replace
it now if you can save on energy costs since you will have to incur
that cost anyway.
Don't use appliances that you can avoid using. Line dried clothes smell so fresh; so try not to
use the dryer much. This helps keep the cost down and also saves money
because the dryer reduces clothes' life span. For some appliances,
reducing your use won't save much. Unless you own a malt shop, go ahead
and use the blender as much as you usually do.
If you need
any professional advice concerning plumbing or electrical work,
give Casey's Plumbing or Metro's Best Electric a call and we will be glad to help.
Best of Luck!
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DRAIN MAINTENANCE
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 What is the number one reason people call their plumber?
Nasty, clogged drains! Now you can kiss those nasty, expensive drain clogs - that never come at a convenient time - goodbye with Rooter n Drain's clog-busting Drain Maid Maintenance Program featuring the power of BioSmart.
Will it help you?
Take this quiz. Do you experience...
- The constant mess from that slow or backed up drain in the kitchen sink?
- Your bathtub or shower threatening to overflow while you're showering, leaving a nasty ring after it finally drains away?
- Having to use your plunger on that unreliable toilet in the guest bathroom? This can be embarrassing!
- Having your septic system back up, creating your worst nightmare?
- Smelling that stinky skunk-like odor from that one particular drain?
If so, you need a maid. The Drain Maid featuring BioSmart 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.
What is BioSmart? It is the most advanced microbial drain, septic, and grease trap treatment available. It is comprised of naturally occurring strains of live, vegetative bacterial cultures with an exceptional appetite for organic matter.
It is FAST ACTING and begins working immediately when introduced in a drain line or collection system. These friendly bacterial cultures do not require a wake up period as with other microbial products.
It is easy to use and a simple pour and go. No pre-mixing, the convenient drain back bottle cap measurer is used to add the correct amount of treatment to the drain line or collection system.
It requires one half capful per treatment. One half capful has more activity than 5 capfuls of all other bio-products.
BioSmart eliminates Emergency return calls. It continues to work long after the service call. The Hungry Bacteria® continue to feed on the organic residue left in the drain line, grease trap, and septic tank long after the technician leaves.
BioSmart has received the EPA LETTER OF RECOGNITION. It has met the EPA's DfE challenge for biological drain line and septic system products by demonstrating a more positive human
health and environmental profile.
To learn more or order some Bio Smart, please call...
 at 503-643-4433
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VICTIMS OF ELECTRICAL FIRES
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 "Electrical fires in our homes claim the lives of 485 Americans each year and injure 2,305 more. Some of these fires are caused by electrical system failures and appliance defects, but many more are caused by the misuse and poor maintenance of electrical appliances, incorrectly installed wiring, and overloaded circuits and extension cords.
During a typical year, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses. Home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances. "
Text by The United States Fire Administration
The sad truth is that many of these tragedies could have been prevented with the proper maintenance.
Here are some things you can do to be safe.
Prevent Electrical Problems
Studies of electrical fires in homes show that many problems are associated with improper installation of electrical devices by do-it-yourselfers. Common errors that can lead to fires include the use of improperly rated devices such as switches or receptacles and loose connections at these devices. Both can lead to overheating and arcing that can start fires. Fires are still caused by people using the wrong size fuse or even putting a penny behind a fuse when they don't have a spare. These practices are very dangerous. The fuse is a safety device designed to limit the electricity carried by the circuit to a safe level. Electricity and water are a bad combination. All electrical devices installed outdoors should be specially designed for outdoor use. Outdoor receptacles as well as those in kitchens, bathrooms, and anywhere else near water should be the ground fault circuit interrupting type (GFCI).
Safety Precautions
- Routinely check your electrical appliances and wiring.
- Frayed wires can cause fires. Replace all worn, old or damaged appliance cords immediately.
- Use electrical extension cords wisely and don't overload them.
- Keep electrical appliances away from wet floors and counters; pay special care to electrical appliances in the bathroom and kitchen.
- When buying electrical appliances look for products which meet the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) standard for safety.
- Don't allow children to play with or around electrical appliances like space heaters, irons and hair dryers.
- Keep clothes, curtains and other potentially combustible items at least three feet from all heaters.
- If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
- Never overload extension cords or wall sockets. Immediately shut off, then professionally replace, light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that flicker. Use safety closures to "child-proof" electrical outlets.
- Check your electrical tools regularly for signs of wear. If the cords are frayed or cracked, replace them. Replace any tool if it causes even small electrical shocks, overheats, shorts out or gives off smoke or sparks.
IF YOU'RE UNSURE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF YOUR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,
DON'T TAKE CHANCES; HAVE A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN CHECK IT OUT TODAY!
For a limited time Metro's Best Electric will perform a safety evaluation for only $79.50 (Regular, $269.50).
NOTE: Electrical evaluation includes only a visual inspection of your electrical system that do not require the use of tools.
"Keeping the lights on"
For more information, please call... 503-643-8843
CCB 147298
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Amazing Brown Rice
INGREDIENTS 2 cups water1 cup brown rice1/4 cup diced red onion1/2 cup diced celery1/4 cup dried cranberries1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing1 tablespoon sugarDIRECTIONSIn a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, or until done.Transfer rice to a serving bowl, and stir in onion, celery, cranberries, salad dressing and sugar. Cover, refrigerate, and serve cold.For more recipes, visit  |
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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,
William Casey - Owner and GM
Rooter n Drains
Metro's Best Electric
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Great Savings With All 3 Companies
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OUR PLUMBERS AND ELECTRICIANS HAVE BEEN DOING THIS
A LONG TIME!
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DISCLAIMERS
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Helpful tips provided in this newsletter are for educational purposes only and Casey's Plumbing, Metro's Best Electric and
Rooter n Drains are not responsible for any potential damage or injuries that results from using them.
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Call 503-643-8833
