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Helpful Links
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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 In Rome, pipes were originally made from lead, which is "plumbum" in Latin.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.
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".
The average person visits the toilet six to eight times a day. During these six to eight visits to the toilet a day, each individual uses approximately 57 sheets of toilet paper.
You have a 1 in 10,000 chance of being injured by a toilet.
Thomas Crapper is commonly thought to have invented the first toilet, though is not true. A man by the name of Arthur Giblin invented the first effective flushable toilet. He was an employee of Crapper's and sold his patent to Crapper.
The first toilet paper was invented in 1880, but it didn't come on a roll. Instead it came as a box, like tissues.
Scott toilet paper has been around over a hundred years. The company developed its toilet paper on a roll in 1890.
72.4% of people place their toilet paper to be pulled from over the roll, rather than under.
The toilet uses more water than any other appliance in the house.
More toilets flush during half time of the Super Bowl than during any other time of year.
A third of people flush their toilet while they're still sitting on it.
Rats can survive being flushed town toilets. On top of that, they can often return to the dwelling they were in via the same route.
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What our customers
have to say
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Casey's Plumbing
"Great people, great service, no need to look anywhere else."
Kieth Robins, Sherwood
"Very pleased with your company. I'll be recommending you to others". Jo Hodges, Milwaukie"Excellent - Explained everything well. Even made friends with my dog". Ross Wine, King City"Thom was great! Professional and good about explaining the process". David Bleyle, Beaverton"Great workmanship; competent and skilled". Ken Moss, Gresham"We found all of your people to be professional, friendly and considerate". Michael Lowe, Beaverton"The best! I am continuing to recommend you guys". Carol Smith, Beaverton"I saw my neighbor using you guys and knew they only use good companies". Patricia Treece, West linn"As usual, work was performed promptly and explained in detail". Dan Ziglinski, TigardThanks to all for the above comments!
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Recipe of
the Month
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 May 2011
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Greetings!
Summer is all but here and I'm ready. Bill and I have been on an exercise and diet plan since last November and he has lost 20 pounds and I've lost 30! So yes, I feel great and I'm roaring to get into the swing of summer.
There are several home projects I've been putting off for some good weather, air conditioner tune up, duct cleaning and a little outdoor painting etc.
How about you? Are you ready for your seasonal projects? For you do it your-selfers, you can find a number of good tips in our previous Newsletters. Just go to caseysplumbing .com and click "View our Newsletters". If you are going to use a contractor for any of your projects, be sure to review the information in this Newsletter providing tips on using a reputable one. And don't overook our coupons at the bottom of this Newsletter if you need plumbing or electrical help.
If you didn't get a chance to read our last Newsletter, remember, we provide plumbing service 7 days a week with no additional charges for weekends. So if you just can't take off work for a plumbing contractor, simply ask for a weekend appointment. Finally, if a weekday appointment will work, we are now applying our entire dispatch fee towards any work performed, on Wednesdays, our slowest day of the week .
So come on sunshine and summer weather. We've got work to do!
Thanks so much for your time and continued patronage and a special salute to all our men and women who served our country as soldiers in the military .
Until next month,  Brenda Casey / Owner and Operations Manager BACK TO TOP
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How to repair a dripping faucet
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Washer-type faucets work with a rubber or composition washer
that closes onto a metal washer seat (Fig. 1). The washer can become hardened, worn or the seat wears, causing the faucet to leak. You can close the faucet tighter to stop the leaking temporarily, but this increases the internal damage to the faucet.
To repair the leak, first turn off the water. If there's a shutoff valve beneath the fixture, turn off the water at that point. Otherwise, turn it off at the main house shutoff valve in the basement, utility room, or crawlspace. Turn off the hot water supply at the water heater.
Take the faucet apart by removing the handle (this may not be necessary on some older faucets). Loosen the Phillips-head screw, which usually is beneath a decorative cap in the center of the handle. The cap either unscrews or snaps off when you pry it with a knife blade. If you must use pliers on decorative faucet parts, pad them with electrical tape or cloth to protect the finish. And take special care with the plastic parts found on many modern faucets. Next, lift or pry the handle off its broached stem. Unscrew the packing nut beneath the handle, exposing the rest of the stem. Remove the stem by rotating it in the "on" direction. It will thread out. Reinstall the handle if you have difficulty turning it (Fig. 1). Clean chips from the faucet cavity, but do not use harsh abrasives or a file.
Examine the stem. If the threads are badly corroded or worn, take it to your retailer and get a new stem to match. Clean the stem if it's dirty.
Now look at the washer, which is located on the lower end of the stem and held in place by a brass screw. If the washer is squeezed flat or has a groove worn in it, replace it-this should stop any dripping. Take the washer with you to your dealer to ensure an exact match in size and style. If the brass screw is damaged, too, replace it with a new brass screw.
The washer seat is located inside the faucet body. You probably can't determine if the washer seat is causing the leak just by looking at it. Any faucet that needs frequent washer replacement obviously has a damaged seat. The seat should either be refaced with a seat-dressing tool or replaced (replacement is best if you can find the correct seat replacement and it is removable).
A seat-dressing tool is not costly. Every home with washer-type faucets needs one. Use the tool according to the manufacturer's directions, placing it in the faucet along with the packing nut. Then rotate (Fig. 2) until the seat is smooth, and blow out the chips.
Some washer seats can be unthreaded and replaced. Check the faucet body with a flashlight to see if it has a square or hexagonal hole through its center or is slotted for a screwdriver; if so, it is replaceable. However, if the seat simply has a round hole through its center and no slots, it is not replaceable. In this case, dress it with a seat-dressing tool. To replace it, you'll need a faucet seat wrench, which comes with a combination of square and hex heads to fit most faucet seats. Turn the washer seat counterclockwise to loosen, clockwise to tighten (Fig. 3). Add a little silicone rubber sealant (RTV) or pipe joint compound around the threads of the seat before you install it to make it easier to remove during future repairs.
It's important to install the correct type of faucet washer (Fig. 1, bottom). A swiveling washer (C) is preferable to either (A) or (B). To install washer style (C), file the shoulder off the end of the stem, drill out the threads of the screw hole. Instead of rubbing against the seat as it closes, a swiveling washer closes with a straight-down, frictionless action - this allows it to outlast fixed washers.
Following this seat and washer service, your faucet should be like new. Put the parts back together in the reverse order of taking them apart. Spread a bit of petroleum jelly or silicone grease on the threads of the stem to lubricate the faucet's action.
If the faucet leaks around the stem rather than from the spigot, install new packing. You may want to install one of the newer nylon-covered or graphite-impregnated packings-their lubrication allows the faucet handle to turn more freely. Wrap one turn of this packing around the stem just beneath the packing nut (Fig. 1). Use three complete wraps if you're applying string-type packing. Some stems use O-rings, rather than packing. For these stems, replace the O-ring with a matching one to stop a leak. Hand tighten the packing nut, then tighten it another half-turn.
The above instructions apply to compression type faucets only. If these kind of repairs are more than you want to tackle or the faucet is really old and in poor condition, you probably would be better off just replacing the faucet.
And whatever the case, Casey's Plumbing is there for you if you need some help with your repairs or new plumbing installations.
503-620-9111 
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MORE THAN JUST A 20% SAVINGS
| |  The Diamond Cub Plus Diamond Club Plus members enjoy a number of benefits,
including 20% off any work performed*. They also receive special treatment when calling in for a service call; they go to the front of the line regardless of how many non-Diamond Club Plus customers were on the board. A Diamond Club Plus member will receive a FREE annual plumbing and electrical evaluation to ensure your system is safe and operating smoothly. And finally, it's FREE! The $14.95 monthly dues accumulate in an account to be used for future work. So let's say that you've been a member for 10 months and now need some plumbing or electrical work done. You will now have accumulated around $150.00 that can go towards that work. So there you have it; it really is FREE. Finally, if you are interested in becoming a member, do so now. Because we couldn't possibly accommodate all of our clients, we limit the membership to 22% of our customer base. So what are you waiting for? Why not sign up today? Just call, 503-620-9111 and tell them you want special treatment too and are ready to sign up for the Diamond Club Plus. *Does not apply to larger bid type work. Back To Top |
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Memorial Day
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Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.
There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 180 - 1920.
While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
General John A. Logan Library of Congress, Prints &Photographs Division, [ LC-B8172- 6403 DLC (b&w film neg.)] Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies.
She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women.
This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans' organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.
Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program. And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."
The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."
On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform.
Credit to Memorial day History, for this information
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Tips for hiring a contractor
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Check with the CCB (verify contractor's license), before asking for bids or entering into any agreements with a contractor. When checking a contractor's license: - Verify the contractor is actively licensed. This means the contractor can legally work in Oregon, has a surety bond, provided proof of liability insurance at the time of application and insurance renewal*, and assures that you have access to the CCB (Construction Contractors Board), Dispute Resolution Process.
- Check the contractor's history of complaints (disputes) and any other licenses associated with the contractor's name.
Get more than one bid from licensed contractors before making a decision. Don't automatically accept the lowest bid. A higher bid may be worth the price in better materials or workmanship. If you get a very low bid, the contractor may have made a mistake or not bid everything. If the bid is too low to make a profit, they may use cheaper materials or take shortcuts. Ask for references. Check with previous customers. Were they satisfied with the work? Was the work completed on time? Did the contractor return phone calls? Check the BBB (Better Business Board) and Angie's List for records of complaints and / or praise. Learn as much as you can about the contractor you are hiring. Read "Building/ Remodeling Checklist" and "16 Ways to Avoid Remodeling, Repair and Construction Problems" for a more comprehensive list of issues to consider when hiring a contractor. *Many insurance companies do not contact the CCB when the policy is cancelled since they are not required by law to do so. Consumers may want to verify coverage is still in effect. The above information was taken straight from the CCB as we believe they are your best resource for checking lincensing. If you have any questions or need to schedule a plumbing service call, please contact us at... 503-620-9111
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MONEY SAVING COUPONS
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COUPONS NOT GOOD WITH OTHER OFFERS
OR WORK PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED
 
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A Word From Bill Casey
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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,
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