Preferred Vendors 
 
 

Have you flushed your water heater recently? Even with a water softener, tank type water heaters still need to be flushed at least once a year. Call or e-mail Mr. Heffner if you have any questions on this.

Greetings!  

Of all of the people that responded with their guess on the year and mileage on the van, only 3 people got the correct year which is 2004. The actual mileage on January 9, 2013 was 139,156. Congratulations to Todd F. of Indianapolis who guessed 2004 and 115,000. I will personally deliver his $100.00 Visa gift card next week. Thanks to all of the people that took the time to send in their guess on this. 

I would like to do this sort of thing on an ongoing basis and would welcome suggestions as to other simple contests that I can do through the newsletter. 

My daughters had been complaining to me recently about a slow sink drain in their bathroom. I have told them both that before they graduate from high school that they will learn some basic plumbing household repairs that they can use for the rest of their lives. When I got home from work the other day, I took my oldest daughter to the bathroom to fix this slow drain. I loosened the pivot nut on the drain assembly and pulled the pivot rod back enough to remove the stopper from the drain and tightened the nut again. I then showed her all of the hair that was clogging the drain and made her remove it all with a long screwdriver. Her words to me were "This is gross!" and I told her that she had made this mess, not me and it would be her responsibility from now on to fix the drain. With the stopper now loose from the pivot rod, both girls will very easily be able clean the sink drains without my help.

At my wife's suggestion, I contacted the Director of Continuing Education at IUPUI and to make a long story short, I will begin teaching a Plumbing 101 class for homeowners. This would cover some basic plumbing repairs such as what I did with my daughter, but will also cover unjamming garbage disposals, basic faucet and toilet repairs, etc. The first class is tentatively scheduled for June, 2013. I will send out more details as I get them, but hope that there would be enough interest such that I can do this class on an ongoing basis. 

I have several customers that are snowbirds that either head south to Florida or west to Arizona during the winter months. My advice to them or anyone that is leaving their house for just a few days or several months is to turn the water off to the house. A response I get sometimes is "Uncle Ray comes over to check the house everyday to make sure that all's well." Unfortunately, water leaks don't always wait around for Uncle Ray to show up. A burst washing machine hose can dump up to 500 gallons of water an hour into a house which can do a significant amount of damage in a short period of time. Turn the water off at the main shut-off valve and drain the house down to the lowest point. The reason for this is that if you lose electricity in the dead of winter and there is still water in the pipes, those pipes can freeze and burst. Not sure how to do this? Give me a call and I would be happy to explain this over the phone. 

If you ever have a water leak that has gotten into the sub-floor, walls or ceiling, call your insurance agent and then a professional water damage company. Water damage is not child's play and if not handled in the correct manner, can do more harm than good intentions, a wet/dray vac and some fans could ever do. 

Stay warm and safe out there!

Regards,