|
Join Our List
|
|
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 Plus 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!
|
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
|
|
Vegetarian Chili
Submitted By: julieliz Photo By: Cailin "They'll never know it's vegetarian!"INGREDIENTS:
1 (12 ounce) package frozen burger-style crumbles
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can of Gabonzo beans
1 (12 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
5 med size onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, combine meat substitute, black beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, onions, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover. Let the chili simmer for at least 1 hour before serving.
|
PLUMBING
FUN FACTS
|
|
The world's most famous plumbers are probably video game superstars Mario and Luigi, of Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers series.
Copper piping, which is the #1 material used for plumbing work in today's world, is the same material that the Egyptians used to lay their own pipe - some 3000 years ago!
Archeologists have recovered a portion of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. The evidence of indoor plumbing in palaces has dating back to 2500 B.C.E.
Since 1963 (the year CDA was established), more than 28 billion feet or about 5.3 million miles of copper plumbing tube has been installed in U.S. buildings. That's equivalent to a coil wrapping around the Earth more than 200 times. The current installation rate now exceeds a billion feet per year.
In a typical home, more than 9,000 gallons of water are wasted while running the faucet waiting for hot water.
As much as 15% of your annual water heating costs can be wasted heating this extra 9,000 gallons. WE CAN SOLVE THIS WITH
OUR PREMIERE HOT WATER RECIRCULATION PUMP
Though we all have heard the many slang-words of which his cognomen is probably responsible for, the truth is... there is no hard evidence anywhere that English plumber, Thomas Crapper was the inventor of the modern-day amenity that often bears his less-than-flattering name (it's believed Crapper may have bought the patent rights from another man - Albert Giblin - and marketed the concept as his own).
If a drip from your faucet fills an eight ounce glass in 15 minutes, it will waste 180 gallons per month and 2,160 gallons per year.
A low flush toilet can save you up to 18,000 gallons of water per year.
WE CAN SOLVE THIS WITH
OUR PREMIERE WATER
SAVING TOILET
The Earth has somewhere in the neighborhood of 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of water on the planet. Roughly 98% of our water is in the oceans of the world, and therefore is unusable for drinking because of the salt content. That means only around 2% of the planet's water is fresh, but 1.6% of that water is locked up in ice caps and glaciers. Another 0.36% is found in very deep, underground sources - meaning only about 0.036% of the planet's total water supply is found in lakes and rivers (our main supplies of drinking water)!
|
ELECTRICAL
FUN FACTS
|
|
 In the past decade scientists developed the laser, an electronic appliance that emits a beam of light so powerful that it can vaporize a bulldozer 2,000 yards away, yet so precise that doctors can use it to perform delicate operations on the human eyeball, provided they remember to change the power setting from "VAPORIZE BULLDOZER" to "DELICATE."
The Livermore Centennial Light was manufactured in 1901 by the Shelby Electric Company. It is a hand-blown bulb with a carbon filament. It uses approximately 4 watts of electricity. The bulb has been left burning continuously in the firehouse as a night light over the fire trucks since 1901.
Electrocution is one of the top five causes of workplace deaths.
The first use of water to generate electricity was in 1882 on the Fox river, in the USA, which produced enough power to light two paper mills and a house.
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.
An Electric eel can produce an electric shock of up to 650 volts at one ampere.
A 100 watt modern light bulb emits about 1600 lumens, while a single flame oil lamp form the 1800s emitted about 2400 lumens.
|
THE HISTORY OF VALENTINE'S DAY
|
|
 While the history of Valentine's Day is sometimes debated, it clearly links back to a Catholic saint named St. Valentine.
The problem is there are actually three St. Valentines -- one a priest, one a bishop, and little is known about the third. All were martyrs.
In 469 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 a day to honor St. Valentine, one of these three men.
One legend
says that a Roman emperor banned soldiers from marrying in the third
century, but St. Valentine took issue with this. He became an advocate
for soldiers and was executed as a result of his outspokenness.
Another legend
says St. Valentine was executed for his beliefs in Christianity and
just before he died, he left a farewell note for a loved one and signed
it "From Your Valentine."
A conventional and widely accepted belief about the holiday itself is that Valentine's Day grew out of a Middle Ages tradition of celebrating Feb. 14 as the day "the birds began to pair."
History.com notes
that February has long been associated with being a month of love, and
Feb. 15 was celebrated in ancient times as a fertility festival. ALL MATERIAL ABOVE GLEANED FROM FROM THE RESPECTIVE LINKS. PLEASE CHOOSE WHICH VERSION YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH.
|
THE HISTORY OF PRESIDENTS DAY
|
|
 Our first President, George Washington
If you live in the United States then you will know that Presidents day, which is also known as Washington's Birthday, is a federal holiday in the US and is celebrated on the third Monday of February.
The federal holiday titled as Washington's Birthday, was originally implemented by the United States Congress back in 1880 for the government offices in the District of Columbia, but then
expanded in 1885, to include all federal offices.
As it was the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on George Washington's actual birthday - February 22nd. It was on the 1st January 1971, that the day got shifted to the third Monday in February.
That date then fell between February 15th and the 21st, which would never actually fall on Washington's Birthday.
A draft of the Uniform Holiday Bill of 1968 would have had the holiday renamed as Presidents Day, to honor both Washington and Lincoln.
But that proposal unfortunately failed in committee at that time, so the name Washington's Birthday was kept.
The first attempt to create the day as a Presidents Day came in 1951. It was in the mid-1980's that the term Presidents Day began being used.
You can read much more about the history of Presidents Day by visiting Wikipedia.org.
|
|
|
Greetings!
Thank you for taking the time to read our monthly Newsletter. In addition to the monthly "how-to" tips, there are money saving discounts that are often are only to be found in this Newsletter.Your patronage has meant so much to our family and we want to thank you by providing you helpful tips on maintaining your home, special discounts on work performed, a little humor and history and even a few fantastic recipes. And because this is a service designed to help our readers, I would really appreciate some feedback. If you have any ideas concerning home maintenance - perhaps a project you are considering to do in the near future, let me know. Or maybe you have a recipe you would like to share; anything that you feel may benefit our readers would be considered a real help. To get your information to me, simply respond to this Newsletter. I hope you and your loved ones had a great Valentine's and Presidents Day. Going forward, I hope the ice and freezing weather is behind us and that we can begin to plan our spring projects. Among these of course, will include "un-winterizing" your outside faucets. Next month you will find detailed instructions on how to do that. Finally, I really would like to hear your ideas for our Newsletter content. My job is to compile information our readers can use now. Your ideas will be a great help to that end. Thanks again for your continued patronage. Until next month, 
|
SPRING PROJECTS
The time to plan is NOW!
|
|
With money harder to come by for all of us these days, it's more important than ever to begin your spring / summer project planning, early. Whatever your project - remodeling, additions, plumbing or electrical rejuvenations - projects large and small, there are some important things you need to know before you begin. Using A Contractor
- Always check their CCB (Construction Contractors Board), number. For larger jobs, check to see if there are any unresolved complaints with the CCB.
- Ask for at least three references and contact these people to see what their experience was.
- Check with "reputable" internet resources like Angie's List. Because there is a very small membership fee to use this service, customer comments are usually more representative of how the company actually performs and relates with the public.
- Last but not least, what does your gut tell you? Regardless of what I discover with the prior steps, if I'm not comfortable with the person at my door, I go onto someone else.
When seeking out a contractor, keep in mind that quality work always will cost more than sub standard "cheap" fixes. Indeed, in a slower economy, the hit and run contractors are out in force. And of course their bids are lower than most. But remember, there is a big difference between price and costs. The initial price from a cheaper contractor may end up in fact, "costing" much more when the corrections and do-overs begin to show up.
 Doing The Work Yourself
- Make sure you understand and have a plan for each step needed to take your project to completion.
- If you are doing electrical or plumbing work, check with local and state codes to ensure you are complying with them.
- Be sure to get the proper permits for any work that may need them, especially plumbing and electrical work. This will directly affect, good or bad, the long term resale value of your home.
By doing these things well in advance, you will be in a great position to enjoy a trouble free project with expenses that are understood well ahead of time. Good Luck!
Feel free to contact Casey's Plumbing, Metro's Best Electric or Rooter n Drains, if you just need some advice with any of your projects. Casey's Plumbing - 503-620-9111
Metro's Best Electric - 503-643-8833
Rooter - n - Drains - 503-643-4433
|
GFCI's RECEPTACLES
SAVE LIVES!
|
|
THE PROBLEM
Have
you ever experienced an electric shock? If you did, the shock probably happened
because your hand or some other part of your body contacted a source of
electrical current and your body provided a path for the electrical current to
go to the ground, so that you received a shock.
An
unintentional electric path between a source of current and a grounded surface
is referred to as a "ground-fault." Ground faults occur when the current
is leaking somewhere, in effect, electricity is escaping to the ground. How it
leaks is very important. If your body provides a path to the ground for this leakage,
you could be electrocuted.
Some
examples of accidents that underscore this hazard include the following.
- Two children, ages five and six, were electrocuted in Texas when a plugged-in hair dryer fell into the tub in which they were bathing.
- A three-year-old Kansas girl was electrocuted when she touched a faulty countertop.
- These two electrocutions occurred because the electrical current escaping from the appliance traveled through the victim to ground (in these cases, the grounded plumbing fixtures). Had a GFCI been installed, these deaths would probably have been prevented because a GFCI would have sensed the current flowing to ground and would have switched off the power before the electrocution occurred.
How Ground Fault Protection Works
A
"GFCI" or ground fault circuit
interrupter, is an inexpensive electrical device that if installed in household
branch circuits, could prevent over two-thirds of the approximately 300
electrocutions still occurring each year in and around the home. Installation
of the device could also prevent thousands of burn and electric shock injuries
each year.
The
GFCI is designed to protect people from severe or fatal electric shocks.
Because a GFCI detects ground faults, it can also prevent some electrical fires
and reduce the severity of others by interrupting the flow of electric current. How the GFCI Works
In
the home's wiring system, the GFCI constantly monitors electricity flowing in a
circuit, to sense any loss of current. If the current flowing through the
circuit differs by a small amount from that returning, the GFCI quickly
switches off power to that circuit. The GFCI interrupts power faster than a
blink of an eye to prevent a lethal dose of electricity. You may receive a
painful shock, but you should not be electrocuted or receive a serious shock
injury.
Here's how it may work in your house. Suppose a bare wire inside an appliance touches the
metal case. The case is then charged with electricity. If you touch the
appliance with one hand while the other hand is touching a grounded metal
object, like a water faucet, you will receive a shock. If the appliance is
plugged into an outlet protected by a GFCI, the power will be shut off before a
fatal shock would occur.
Availability of GFCIs
Three
common types of ground fault circuit interrupters are available for home use:
- Receptacle Type: This type of GFCI is used in place of the standard duplex receptacle found throughout the house It fits into the standard outlet box and protects you against "ground faults" whenever an electrical product is plugged into the outlet. Most receptacle-type GFCls can be installed so that they also protect other electrical outlets further "down stream" in the branch circuit.
- Circuit Breaker Type: In homes equipped with circuit breakers rather than fuses, a circuit breaker GFCI may be installed in a panel box to give protection to selected circuits The circuit breaker GFCI serves a dual purpose - not only will it shut off electricity in the event of a "ground-fault," but it will also trip when a short circuit or an overload occurs Protection covers the wiring and each outlet, lighting fixture, heater, etc. served by the branch circuit protected by the GFCI in the panel box.
- Portable Type: Where permanent GFCls are not practical, portable GFCls may be used One type contains the GFCI circuitry in a plastic enclosure with plug blades in the back and receptacle slots in the f rant. It can be plugged into a receptacle, then, the electrical product is plugged into the GFCI. Another type of portable GFCI is an extension cord combined with a GFCI. It adds flexibility in using receptacles that are not protected by GFCls.
Where GFCIs Should Be Considered
In
homes built to comply with the National Electrical Code (the Code), GFCI
protection is required for most outdoor receptacles (since 1973), bathroom
receptacle circuits (since 1975), garage wall outlets (since 1978), kitchen
receptacles (since 1987), and all receptacles in crawl spaces and unfinished
basements (since 1990).
Owners
of homes that do not have GFCls installed in all those critical areas specified
in the latest version of the Code should consider having them installed. For
broad protection, GFCI circuit breakers may be added in many panels of older
homes to replace ordinary circuit breaker. For homes protected by fuses, you
are limited to receptacle or portable-type GFCIs and these may be installed in
areas of greatest exposure, such as the bathroom, kitchen, basement, garage,
and outdoor circuits.
A
GFCI should be used whenever operating electrically powered garden equipment
(mower, hedge trimmer, edger, etc.). Consumers can obtain similar protection by
using GFCIs with electric tools (drills, saws, sanders, etc.) for
do-it-yourself work in and around the house.
Installing GFCIs
Circuit
breaker and receptacle-type GFCIs may be installed in your home by a qualified
electrician. Receptacle-type GFCIs may be installed by knowledgeable consumers
familiar with electrical wiring practices who also follow the instructions
accompanying the device. When in doubt about the proper procedure, contact a
qualified electrician. Do not attempt to install it yourself.
The
portable GFCI requires no special knowledge or equipment to install.
Testing the GFCIs
All
GFCIs should be tested once a month to make sure they are working properly and
are protecting you from fatal shock. GFCIs should be tested after installation
to make sure they are working properly and protecting the circuit.
To
test the receptacle GFCI, first plug a night light or lamp into the outlet. The
light should be on then, press the "TEST" button on the GFCI. The
GFCI's "RESET" button should pop out, and the light should go out.
If
the "RESET" button pops out but the light does not go out, the GFCI
has been improperly wired. Contact an electrician to correct the wiring errors.
If
the "RESET" button does not pop out, the GFCI is defective and should
be replaced.
If
the GFCI is functioning properly, and the lamp goes out, press the
"RESET" button to restore power to the outlet.
Content Provided By the DOE Newsletter Special... HAVE TWO OR MORE GFCI's INSTALLED AND RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL ONE FOR FREE! Play it safe. Get your home protected today! To schedule an appointment, Call the Best,
Call...
|
Your House May Have Cancer!
|
|
 Do you get regular doctor checkups? How about your cars maintenance? I'll bet you have your oil changed every 3000 miles or so. And your car will go down in value or depreciate. Your home is probably the largest investment you will ever make and yet we often take for granted that everything will be just fine if we think about it at all! After all, "I don't have any slow or backed up drains; why should I spend money on maintenance before a clog occurs?" Answer - for the same reason you change the oil in your car. You probably drive your car into the shop when you do have the oil changed, right? Well it drove there just fine - why spend money on maintenance? I know that this may be an over simplification but I believe it makes the point. Your home plumbing system needs periodic maintenance as well. And with your drain pipes, you can wait 20 years between your scheduled maintenance for a home in decent shape! Here is a piece of ABS drain pipe cut out of a 12 year old home.  Note the build up. When it gets this bad, major work will be needed that may even include pipe replacement. The soaps we wash with and the grease a typical kitchen produces will create build up and in older homes with steel pipes, this can be very unforgiving. The good news! Rooter - n - Drains can completely rejuvenate your drain system to a point where they will be like new.
This will include a mechanical drain cleaning for every drain in your house, all the way out to the city sewer, a power cleaning with high pressure water - for your kitchen, laundry and main sewer, a video inspection with locates of your main sewer out to the street and a year's supply of "Drain Maid". After your complete rejuvenation is complete, a regular treatment with "Drain Maid" will keep those drain lines open by eliminating building up.YOUR NEWSLETTER SPECIAL...
Schedule A Complete Drain Rejuvenation And Get $100 off any package chosen!
Don't Wait For The Drains To Clog - get Your Maintenance Scheduled Today!
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
