Buckeye Plumbing

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         Newsletter 2,  June 5, 2009

 

Quote of the month

“Your life is either a celebration or a chore.  The choice is yours.”

Author Unknown

 Summer Plumbing tips      

 Since the warm weather is here to stay for a few months, there a number of items to adjust to get the most efficiency out of your home.

If you have a septic system, you may need to change the effluent distribution to a separate filter bed.  It’s a good idea to treat your drains and septic system with  Bio-Clean.  These enzymes will not only clean out your drains, it will clean your septic tank and leach field too.  We sell Bio-Clean at our store and would be happy to explain the many benefits of its use.

 Outside faucets are prone to freezing through the winter if a garden hose was left attached through any period of freezing temperatures.  I recommend checking them by having someone turn them on outside while another person is watching the piping from the inside.  When a frost free faucet freezes and breaks it happens inside the house.  If broken, it will leak water inside while you still get water outside.

There is a misconception about wells and well water, being that if you use too much water your well will run dry.  This is not true.  In fact, you should use your well for irrigation, washing vehicles, filling pools, etc.  Using the water, in large volumes at times will keep the aquifer open and free of iron and calcium build up.  Using the well sparingly will allow those minerals to restrict the amount of water coming into the well.

 

Poison Ivy

Did you know there are five different kinds of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac in the U.S. ?  All have the same sticky sap substance, toxicodendrol that causes the blistering, itchy rash that most of us get when we come in contact with these plants. 

The rash does not spread by leaking blisters and it is not contagious.  The only way to get it is to have come in contact with the sap.  You may be able to avoid getting the rash if you wash with soap and water within 15 minutes of contact. 

The oil from these plants stays active on any surface including dead plants for up to five years.  It only takes one nanogram (billionth of a gram) to cause a rash. 

If you are trying to spot these different types of plants it can be difficult.  Poison sumac has 7 to 13 leaves on a branch compared to the 3 leaves per cluster for poison ivy and poison oak.  They are not always the same color and shape, especially in different parts of the country.

 

Energy Tax Cedits “Stimulus” 2009

The energy tax credit for for new water heaters (gas, propane or oil), central air conditioners, furnaces (gas, propane or oil), electric heat pumps and boilers (gas, propane or oil) are available for installations mad during 2009 and 2010.  This energy tax credit is for qualified energy efficient products installed in your primary residence for up to 30% of the amount invested with a maximum credit of $1,500.

Here are a couple of important points to know about these credits.  First, this credit goes with the taxpayer and not the residence.  When your reach the limit of allowable credit you cannot move or use another address for more credit.  Second, the credit is only available for solar water heating in a new residence.  There is a separate $2,000 tax credit available for contractors building a new energy efficient home.  Third, this is a tax credit and not a tax deduction, meaning you offset your tax liability by the credit amount.

An example of one such credit would be to purchase a Navien C R -210 tankless water heater for your home.  Say the cost of the appliance with installation is $3,000 which gives you a $900 tax credit.  The $900 can then be deducted directly from the tax liability you owe at the end of the year. 

 

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