|
Join Our List
|
|
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
|
|
Savory Kale, Cannellini Bean, and Potato Soup
By: Chris&Kelly
"I wanted to use some of the kale I froze for the winter, and have something healthy to bring to work for lunch this week, so I whipped up this soup, which is really quite good!"
Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:1 Hr
Ready In:1 Hr 15 Min
Servings 6
Original Recipe Yield 3 quarts
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
1 onion, diced
3/4 cup diced carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced.
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth.
2 cups water.
1 cup white wine.
3 potatoes, halved and sliced.
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary.
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage.
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme.
1 (16 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained.
2 cups finely chopped kale leaves.
1 small red chile pepper, seeded and chopped fine.
Ground black pepper to taste.
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir the onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the carrot and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes more.
Pour in the chicken broth, water, and white wine; stir in the potatoes, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add the cannelini beans, kale, chile pepper, and black pepper, and simmer, covered, for 30 more minutes.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 260 | Total Fat: 5.3g | Cholesterol: 2mg
|
V.I.P. TREATMENT
|
|
Now, for only pennies a day, you can protect your home from costly and annoying plumbing and electrical problems!
"The
Diamond Club Plus" is a private membership service club that's limited
to 22% of our clients. It isn't available to everyone because we
couldn't possibly keep up with the work load.
We're offering
it only to people like you who really love your home and want to
protect it from unexpected plumbing and electrical breakdowns or worse...
water damage or electrical failures!
It really
is plumbing and electrical security for your entire home! Take a look
at the following member benefits...
You go to The Front Of The Line! When a Diamond Club customer calls in, they move to the head of the line regardless of what is on the board.
You get 20% off any work done! *This one is huge! This even applies to water heaters, faucets and other repairs that you may need. *Excludes larger bid type work.
Your membership is FREE! Every dollar you pay will accumulate in your private account that can be used for any future work done. For example; If you have paid in $14.95 a month for 10 months, you will have accumulated just under $150 that can be used for ANY plumbing or electrical work done.
Call Today, You're Worth It!
|
PLUMBING
FUN FACTS
|
|
Archeologists recovered a portion of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt evidencing indoor plumbing dating back to 2500 B.C.E.
Water pipes used to be made from Lead. In fact, the word Plumbing (and plumb, and plumber) actually derive from the Latin word for Lead,
plumbum. (Incidentally, the periodic table element label for lead, Pb, is based on the same word).
Pipes haven't always been made of metal. In the 1800s, both Boston and Montreal used wooden pipes; they were logs that were hollowed out and tapered at the ends.
Lead solder was used even after lead was found to be harmful to humans, all the way through the 1980s. It was believed that the amount of lead that could potentially leach into the water was too small to matter. We've since smartened up.
The most recognized video game character in the world is a plumber. Nintendo's Mario (of Super Mario Brothers fame) was created by Shigeru Miyamoto, and has appeared in more than 200 games.
There are actually two common types of plungers - a toilet plunger and a sink/ shower plunger. Toilet plungers narrow at the bottom to fit into the toilet drain, while sink and shower plungers have a flat rim.
Sir John "the john" Herrington is credited with inventing the flushable toilet in 1596. He called it the "Ajax" a
shortened version of "a jakes." "Jakes" was a common old slang for toilet at that time. . Unfortunately, Sir John's
designation for the flushable toilet didn't stick, but his name did.
In Japan, some urinals have voice-activated flush mechanisms. According to wikipedia, these urinals respond to as many as 30 different languages and several terms, including "fire."
In 1929, a series of sewer explosions occurred in Ottawa, Canada. Contrary to initial reactions, it likely wasn't caused by Methane gas, but rather by shop owners pouring flamable oils down drains as the still-unregulated automobile industry took off.
Hot water heat recycling is the process of recovering
heat from used water
(primarily from sinks, showers, dishwashers, and washing machines). Heat exchanger systems can recover as much as 60% of the heat that normally goes down the drain.
The terms Faucet and Spigot were once used only in the Northern and Southern U.S., respectively. . The terms have come to be used interchangeably (although spigot is more commonly used for outdoor connections.
There are more than 10 different types of common end-user plumbed-in fixtures. Can you name them? They include, at least, toilets, urinals, drinking fountains, sinks, bathtubs, showers, ice makers, humidifiers, plumbed-in coffee pots, eye wash stations, washers, dishwashers, and fountains.
The Chicago Water Tower was one of the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago fire of 1871. Now a historical site, it is the only building from this time still standing in the area.
The fire sprinkler was invented in 1864 by Henry Parmelee to protect his piano factory. He patented the idea, but by 1883 had only successfully had the system installed in 10 factories.
At 140 degrees, it takes 5 seconds for water to burn skin. At 160 degrees, it takes only 1/2 of a second. Home hot water systems should be set to no hotter than 125 degrees.
A dairy cow must drink four gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk.
It takes 3.3 acre feet of water to grow enough food for an average family for a year.
If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away.
The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day.
Every day in the United States, we drink about 110 million gallons of water.
Albert Einstein was named honorary member of the Plumbers Union after saying publicly he'd become a plumber if he had to do it all over again.
|
ELECTRICAL
FUN FACTS
|
|
In 1800 Count Alassandro Volta made the "voltaic pile", a battery. His experiments, along with Luigi Galvani, applying electricity to frogs legs and making them jump when touched by an electric wire prompted Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley to write FRANKENSTEIN in 1818.
In 1957 a battery was discovered in Bagdad. It was made by the Parthians, who ruled Bagdad from 250 B.C.E. to 224 C.E., and was used to electroplate silver.
Every year, American homes waste more than $13 billion in energy - an average of $150 per family.
The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was one of the most well known inventors of all time with 1093 patents.
During the whole of his life, Edison received only three months of formal schooling, and was dismissed from school as being retarded.
10 percent of total US generating capacity is fueled by natural gas, about the same as hydropower. More than half of US capacity is coal-fired, with nuclear accounting for 20 percent.
$212 billion in electrical bills paid by US customers each year.
An electric oven uses one kilowatt-hour of electricity in about 20 minutes, but one kilowatt-hour will power a TV for 3 hours, run a 100-watt bulb for 12 hours, and keep an electric clock ticking for 3 months.
Early in their history, Christmas lights were so expensive that they were more commonly rented than sold. An electrically lighted tree was a status symbol in the early 1900s.
One lightning bolt has enough electricity to service 200 000 homes.
First Lighthouse to use electricity - Statue of Liberty (1886).
A bolt of lightning can measure up to three million (3,000,000) volts and it lasts less than one second!
|
|
|
Greetings!
I hope that you and your loved ones had a great Christmas and are prepared for a fantastic New Year! Looking forward, I can tell you that 2010 is looking like a stellar year compared to the last two. We are back on our feet again and even planning for some growth. Our plumbing staff has returned to normal and we are taking steps to build our electrical division - Metro's Best Electric. Our new "Bad Weather E-Alerts", were a smashing success during our recent freeze. Many found themselves without water as their water pipes completely froze. But with our regular updates, many got through it without any significant damage. If you are not a part of the e-mail alert program or want to add friends or relatives, just send us their e-mail address. It is absolutely free to join. Next month our successful "Recession Discounts", will come to an end. So if you have a plumbing or electrical job you've been putting off, now would be a great time to get your projects done at prices that may never be repeated. These discounts end February 28th. I greatly appreciate the business that most of you have sent our way and want you to know that I am always glad when I get a chance to meet and talk with our client - you. And that if you ever have a concern of any kind regarding our work, you can call me directly at 971 - 563 - 9418. Don't forget to check out the rest of this Newsletter. In it you will find helpful advice for home owners and do-it-yourselfers, links to some of our partners and of course, Huge money saving coupons and several great recipes. Until next month, 
|
DOES YOUR WATER HEATER LOOK LIKE THIS?
|
|
If your water heater is more than six years old, gas OR electric, it may very well look like this on the inside. The average water heater will last between eight and fourteen years.
The image above illustrates how debris can accumulate over time and thus, require your water heater to work harder than it needs to, resulting in higher energy bills. In areas where water is high in debris (wells, hard water etc.), the debris seen above will eventually pile high above the lower electrical element and cause it to fail
The broken dip tube pictured here is also a real concern. The dip tube forces the cold water to enter at the tank's bottom so you will have a full tank of hot water. When it breaks, the cold water enters and exits the top without getting hot water to the bottom. This will cause you to run out of hot water very quickly. Water heaters made between 1992 and 1997 have defective dip tubes. During these years, all water heater manufacturers obtained their plastic from the same source. This source was defective and hence, all these water heaters have dip tubes that will dissolve and or, decompose. And simply replacing the dip tube is not a solution either. As you can see, the dip tube almost always begins to decompose close to the top. It of course, then falls into the tank where it will continue to decompose and thus begin to clog up every hot water outlet in your house. So given that replacing dip tubes won't cure the problem and that water heaters made between 1992 and 1997 are clearly pass their normal lifespan, replacement is the only solution.
If your water heater is over eight years old and or made between 1992 and 1997, I have some great news!
Simply mention this E-Newsletter and you will receive $100 off any standard water heater installation and $150.00 off any 10 year Deluxe or Lifetime Premiere!*
*Cannot be used with other offers, discounts and work previously performed. Applies only to water heaters that Casey's Plumbing supplies and installs.
Call 503-620-9111 to schedule your water heater installation today!
|
Is Your Water Bill Higher Than Usual?
|
|
Do You Have An Annoying "Phantom Flush"?
Well before you invest in a large job like a main water line replacement, check your toilets. The operation of a toilet is really very simple but before I continue with what is causing your problem, I will go over some basic principles that need to be understood first.
The toilet has two major components; the bowl and a tank of water above it. The bowl is simply a large p-trap (see below). A p-trap's main purpose is to "trap" some water to keep sewer gas from entering your home.
 When the "FLAPPER" is lifted, God takes over - gravity. The water pours into the bowl thus displacing the contents - sending them down the sewer. Once the "FLOAT" drops with the water, the fill valve kicks in and refills the tank until the float is back in the full position, thus completely turning off the water. Your "Phantom Flush" is actually the fill valve re-filling the tank. When the fill valve fails to shut off there are usually only two things that will cause this. - The flapper is not sealing thus allowing water to leak under it. A new flapper often will correct this.
- The water level is too high and going over the "overflow tube". As the name implies, the tall tube coming up from the flush valve allows excess water to go down the drain rather than to continue to rise and onto your floor. This fix is usually a simple adjustment to the "fill valve".
Either of these two problems has the potential of wasting up to 105,100 gallons of water a year. So, no wonder your water bill is high! If you're not sure how to check for possibilities, give us a call! We check your toilets on each and every service call to ensure efficient use and operation. More Good news! Have Rooter n Drains install one of our award winning Toto Drake toilets and enjoy a $50 discount on one, $100 off the second and $150 off a third toilet as needed, just by mentioning this E-Newsletter. *
*Cannot be used with other offers, discounts or work previously performed.
For questions or to schedule an appointment call...503-643-4433
 |
GFCI PROTECTION
|
|
Statistics indicate that the number of deaths and injuries due to electrical hazards may be on the decline. Part of the reason for that may be related to the use of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs). GFCIs can protect against electrical shock, while AFCIs detect hazards often responsible for electrical fires.
To help keep your family safe from electrical hazards, increase your electrical safety awareness. Make sure you're using quality electrical safety products, such as GFCIs and AFCIs, to help protect against electrical shocks and fires.
GFCIs
One of the most important safety devices in your home is a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). Estimates indicate that the installation of GFCIs have saved hundreds of lives and prevented thousands of injuries in the U.S. over the past 30 years.
GFCIs are designed to provide protection against electrical shock from ground faults, or leakage currents, which occur when the electrical current flows outside of the circuit conductors.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) Must be Checked Regularly. There are four steps to this test. To begin, please click on the button where indicated.
 For more information, check out
 Electrical safety is one of the more common issues that are ignored by homeowners. After all, "everything is working just fine now" right? But think about it; isn't it true that until a disaster does happen, everything probably seemed "just fine"?
Don't take chances. If you have any potential electrical problems, get them checked out today.
Metro's Best Electric can insure your electrical safety today.
Call the best, Call...
|
|
DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY DISASTER PLAN IN PLACE?
|
|
 
What Would You Do In The Event Of A Major Catastrophe?
The recent horrors coming out of Haiti have caused many to reevaluate their emergency readiness. Things we all take for granted may suddenly become unavailable or unfit for use. Water, food, electricity and communication could all be jeopardized in an instant. And the potential disasters could come from a number of sources... - Earthquakes
- Flooding
- Fires
- Major Power outages
Suffice it to say, we all should have a ready to go plan in the case of such disasters. A great resource for preparing a plan is "Get A Plan" at ...  For those of you who are interested in earthquake statistics, check out the site...  _________________
Finally, given the somberness of the current tragedy in Haiti, we are posting a few opportunities for financial involvement, for those of you who may want to help...
|
|
A WORD FROM THE OWNER
|
|
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 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.
Many
contractors in the home services
business do not bother to practice such stringent policies... But
that's what distinguishes us from the rest. Indeed, recently when
screening applicants to fill an opening we had for a journeyman
plumber, only a very small percentage passed the drug screening. And these people are now working for someone!?
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.
Thanks your continued patronage.
Sincerely,
Bill Casey / GM
Casey's Plumbing Inc.
Rooter n Drains
Metro's Best Electric
|
MONEY SAVING COUPONS
|
|
Cannot be used with other offers or work previously performed.
PRINT OUT OR MENTION ABOVE COUPONS FOR ANY WORK PERFORMED.
|
|
|
|
|
