V.I.P. TREATMENT
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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!
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Join Our List
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH
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Baked Spaghetti
By:
Louise Miller
"This yummy spaghetti casserole will be requested again and again for
potlucks and family gatherings. From Westminster, Maryland, Louise
Miller writes, 'It's especially popular with my grandchildren, who just
love all the cheese.'"
Ingredients1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt 2 eggs 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 5 tablespoons butter, melted 2 cups small curd cottage cheese 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Directions- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat.
- Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Thanks to... |
PLUMBING
FUN FACTS
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Famous and often controversial rockstar Ozzy Osbourne was a plumber's apprentice before getting into the music industry.
The word "plumber" dates all the way back to the Roman Empire. In Rome, pipes were originally made from lead, which is "plumbum" in Latin. People who worked with lead were called Plumbarius, which was eventually shortened to the word we use today.
At 140 degrees, it takes five seconds for water to burn skin. At 160 degrees, it takes only half of a second. Home hot water systems should be set to no hotter than 125 degrees.
In Japan, some urinals have voice-activated flushing mechanisms. The urinals respond to several commands, including "fire."
The term "plumbers" was a popular name given to the covert White House Special Investigations Unit established during the presidency of Richard Nixon in response to the leaked "Pentagon Papers" documents. Their job was to plug intelligence leaks in the U.S. Government relating to the Vietnam War; hence the term "plumbers".
Sir John Harington is credited with inventing the flushable toilet in 1596, hence the American nickname for it, "the john
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)!
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ELECTRICAL
FUN FACTS
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 One lightning bolt has enough electricity to service 200 000 homes.
First Lighthouse to use electricity - Statue of Liberty (1886)
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.
The Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge to be lit using electricity.
Every year, American homes waste more than $13 billion in energy - an average of $150 per family.
More than 10,000 homes in the United States are powered entirely by solar energy.
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.
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.
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.
Electrocution is one of the top five causes of workplace deaths.
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.
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Water Saving Tips
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1. Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or for cleaning.
2. Verify that your home is leak free. Many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
3. Repair or replace dripping faucets. If your faucet is dripping at a rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year. This adds to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or can strain your septic system.
4. Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes.
5. If the toilet handle frequently sticks in the flush position letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.
6. Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water and use this to water plants. The same technique can be used when washing dishes or vegetables in the sink.
7. In the shower, turn water on to get wet; turn off to lather up; then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat when washing your hair.
8. Install a toilet dam or displacement device such as a bag or bottle to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush. Be sure installation does not interfere with the operating parts.
9. Insulate your water pipes. You'll get hot water faster and avoid wasting water while it heats up.
10. Store drinking water in the refrigerator. Don't let the tap run while you are waiting for cool water to flow.
11. Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
12. Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing of food waste instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50 percent to the volume of solids in a septic tank, which can lead to malfunctions and maintenance problems.
13. Consider installing an instant water heater on your kitchen sink so you don't have to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce water heating costs for your household.
14. When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
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Greetings!
Is it spring yet? I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some sun rays. I will say however, that this winter has been far more friendly to our plumbing systems than last year's historic snow falls. And I know, we're not quite done with our rainy season yet but I do believe that we can begin "de-winterizing" our outside faucets. And you'll find detailed instructions on how to do just that in this month's newsletter.
As our economy sputters ahead, it seems that a complete economic recovery will take some time. Having said that, I am pleased that our workload has gradually been picking up. And if you're one of our many clients who have recently had us out for service, please allow me to thank you again for your patronage.
Speaking of the economy, many of you know that our "Recession Discounts", ended February 28th. If you missed this date, I have some good news. We are extending this 60 days for all of our previous customers!
Finally, you will notice that there are a couple of stories in this Newsletter that occurred last month. This was not an accident. The two repeated stories are still very timely for do-it-yourselfers going into better weather.
Be sure to check out this entire Newsletter. There are tips for do-it-yourselfers, Safety tips for families and communities, plumbing and electrical Fun Facts and our Recipe of the Month.
Until next month, 
P.S. I welcome any and all input from my readers weather it be content you'd like to see and / or offer, or just good old fashioned critique!
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DE-WINTERIZING YOUR OUTSIDE FAUCETS
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Once we are sure that the freezing weather is behind us, we can prepare our outside faucets for the spring! To do this we simply reverse the instructions given going into the winter.
- First, remove the air inlet cap from the outdoor faucets' service valve and make sure that the small rubber gasket is still up inside.
- Second, make sure the your outside faucet is in the off position,
come back in and turn the water on. At this point, especially after a
hard freeze, inspect ceilings and walls - where ever the pipe travels to
get to the outside faucet, to ensure there are no freeze breaks. If you see or hear running water, turn the service valve of at once. Otherwise, if all is dry, Walla! You are ready to wash your car!
DE-WINTERIZING YOUR HOME
Vacation homes etc.
- Turn off all of the faucets in the home and remove the aerator (faucet tip), from each faucet spout. Remove any insulation that may have been applied to the plumbing pipes.
- Turn off all of the valves in the home, including your washing machine water heater and dish washer hook-ups.
- Turn your water main back on partially, to allow the water to flow slowly into the plumbing system. Allow enough time for your toilet tanks and water heater to fill up with water.
- Look out for any leaks in your plumbing pipes as the water flows. If you find any, turn off the water main and repair them before you go on. It will be helpful to have a friend or two help you with this step.
- Turn on each faucet partially and let the water flow for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the faucet on full and let the water flow until it runs clear. Flush each of your toilets two or three times. )This removes air in the pipes and flushes out any anti-freeze added during the winterizing process.
- Turn the faucets off once again once you have flushed the system. Screw the aerators back onto the faucets. Switch on the power or gas for your water heater.
- Pour a gallon of water down your floor drains as well as your washing machine drain. Refill any water softeners.
For help with any of this or to schedule an appointment,
503-620-9111
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Safety Issues With Older Wiring
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Faulty wiring is the leading cause of residential fires, according to a 2009 study by the National Fire Prevention Association. And the older your house is, the greater the chances that the wiring might be outdated or unsafe.
Old wiring, even knob and tube wiring that dates back to the early 20th century-isn't inherently dangerous, but unless you were around when the house was built, you can't be sure the electrical system is up to code. Plus, materials such as wire insulation can deteriorate over time.
If you don't know when your wiring was last inspected, it's worth paying a licensed electrician to give it a once-over, especially if you have any of these warning signs: - Breakers that trip or fuses that blow repeatedly
- A tingling sensation when you touch an appliance
- Flickering or dimming lights
- A persistent burning smell from a room or appliance
- Warm, discolored, or sparking outlets
- Two-prong ungrounded outlets throughout the house
- No ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in kitchens, baths, and other areas exposed to moisture.
Another reason to consider upgrading is that some insurance carriers refuse to insure houses with older wiring, or charge owners higher premiums.
Be on the lookout for aluminum wiring
Instead of the standard copper wire, many houses built in the 1960s and early 1970s have aluminum wiring, which is considered a safety hazard. "Aluminum wiring connections often loosen up over time," says Greg Fletcher, a master electrician, educator, and author of several books on wiring. "That can cause overheating and possibly fires at receptacles when appliances are plugged in to them." An inspection can determine whether it's safe to leave the wiring in place. Sometimes the addition of copper connectors, called pigtails, at receptacles and circuit breakers can resolve potential problems.
When you need more power
Sixty amps used to be the standard for household power. Today, houses often need 200 amps to run air conditioners, flat-screen TVs, computer equipment, and all the other gadgets our parents and grandparents hardly imagined.
Not having enough power isn't just an inconvenience; it can actually damage sensitive electronics. "It's very hard on these devices if the voltage drops off," says San Francisco-based builder Bob Hauser. Even with adequate power, you may need to add outlets to avoid relying on power strips and extension cords, an inconvenience and a potential safety hazard.
Upgrading electrical wiring is a big job, for one simple reason: All the wires are behind the walls. Every house is different and prices vary by market, but for a whole-house rewiring job, you're easily looking at a bill of several thousands of dollars. The vast majority of that is the labor involved to get to the wires, run new ones, connect them to every switch and outlet, close up the holes, and clean up the mess.
The easiest time to tackle this work is during a larger remodeling project, such as redoing a kitchen or building an addition, when contractors are knocking holes in the walls anyway. That speeds the process, which can take anywhere from five days to two weeks for an entire house.
Depending on the circumstances, though, you might not need a top-to-bottom rewiring. Examples are when you need to add circuits to run a new appliance or power an addition like a swimming pool. In those situations, the expense and disruption could be reduced.
Plan ahead for future power needs
If you're going to spend the money and cut holes in the walls, you might as well run all the wires you can. That way, you'll be ready for any possible future power needs. "There are things to be bought and plugged into a receptacle 10 or 20 years from now that are not even invented yet,".
One smart investment is structured wiring. These are heavy-duty data cables that enable the latest features of TVs, stereo equipment, computers, game consoles, phones, security systems-even Internet-based remote control of house systems like heating and lighting. While a standard electrical upgrade essentially maintains the value of your home, adding structured wiring can increase it. According to a 2009 study by the Consumer Electronics Association and the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, almost 50% of homes built in 2008 included structured wiring, a sure sign of its growing value to home owners.
FOR A FREE ESTIMATE* PLEASE CALL...
503-643-8833
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First Aid in Electrical Emergency Situations
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- Call 9-1-1 for medical and rescue assistance.
- Shut off the electrical current, if safely possible. This could mean unplugging a cord, removing a fuse from the fuse box, or turning off a circuit breaker. Often simply turning off the appliance will not stop the flow of electricity.
- If the current can't be turned off, wait for help to arrive. Stand back. If there is no help around, a non-conducting object like a broom or a chair could be used to push the victim away from the source of the current. It's best just to wait for help, however, to avoid adding yourself as another victim.
- Once removed from the electrical current, if the victim is faint, pale, or shows signs of shock, lay him/her with the head slightly lower that the main part of the body and feet elevated. Cover the person with a warm blanket and wait for help to arrive. Provide no food or water.
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Disaster Planning
DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE!
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 Preparing Your Community For a DisasterRecent disasters have shown just how much communities count on their firefighters and other first responders to keep them safe and protected. But they have also revealed the strains placed on our emergency personnel during times of crisis. Today, more than ever, first responders and local residents must work together to prepare their cities and towns for disaster. CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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SPRING PROJECTS
The time to plan is NOW!
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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
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Your House May Have Cancer!
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 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!
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A WORD FROM THE OWNER
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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 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
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MONEY SAVING COUPONS
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Cannot be used with other offers or work previously performed.
PRINT OUT OR MENTION ABOVE COUPONS FOR ANY WORK PERFORMED.
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