June 3, 2008 AsktheBuilder News
What's in This Issue
WATER HEATER ADVICETRAGIC CARBON-MONOXIDE DEATHS
HOME DESIGN SOFTWARE
RECORD STAIN SOLVER SALES
NEWEST COLUMNS AND VIDEOS
Water Heater Advice
I
received an email a few days ago Bob
Wilks asking about an item in my Water-Heater checklist. Actually, Bob
was commenting on something he felt was missing in the checklist.
He
had seen a television segment that featured what can happen if the
flames or pilot light from a natural gas or propane water heater ignite
fumes from gasoline, paint thinner or any other flammable vapor.
The building code mandates that the burner of a gas water heater needs
to be above the floor at least 18 inches if the heater is in a garage.
Note the word garage.
You do not need to install the heater on a
platform if it is in a basement or inside a home as most people do not
store flammable liquids inside a home or basement. Or DO
YOU????????
The lesson here is to make sure all flammable liquids at your home are
in the garage and in a safe cabinet where they can't spill. The fumes
of most of these liquids are heavier than air and collect on a floor.
If your water heater is in your garage, then I would seriously consider
figuring a way to safely store all flammable liquids outdoors in a
metal cabinet or outdoor storage shed. Keep these liquids out of your
home and away from gas heaters. Read the safety label on your water
heater.
Tragic Carbon-Monoxide Deaths
Just
two
days ago, two sisters, who were in their twenties, passed away from
carbon-monoxide poisoning here in Cincinnati. One was a young mom. How
did it happen? The
newspaper story
says that they had a gasoline-powered
generator operating in the basement. The electricity was not on as they
had just moved into the house.
The two women went into the basement to
check on the generator. My best
guess is that it stopped operating as it ran out of oxygen. The two
women
were immediately overcome with the toxic carbon-monoxide gas as they
walked down the stairs into the basement.
I have always assumed people knew not to ever turn on a combustion
engine
inside a home, but you know what happens when you assume. You can even
have issues if the generator is outdoors next to your house and the
fumes
get sucked indoors through an open window, a vent or any other opening.
What a sad tragedy.
Home Design Software
If you subscribed to this newsletter of
mine, you undoubtedly are using
a
computer. For well over ten years, there have been different types of
software that allow you to draw your own house plans. The original
versions were not as robust as one might like, and the learning curve
was
steep.
Times have changed! You can now purchase software that will allow you
to
quickly draw plans for the most complex home or a small project like a
planter stand for your yard. Any project in between is also possible,
such as a room addition, a bathroom or kitchen remodel or a redesign of
an existing room. You can even make three-dimensional models of what
you
plan to build!
I am currently using
Better
Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite version 8.0 software
Record Stain Solver Sales
I don't want to bore you with all of the
details, but hundreds and
hundreds of people helped break a record here at AsktheBuilder last
month. Woo Hoo!!!!!
We had record sales of the all-purpose and 100-percent green cleaner
Stain Solver.
The craziest thing is that for the first time
ever, the
50-pound size
was the sales leader. We ran out of the green
five-gallon pails not once but twice. My salesman had to rush to our
headquarters on two different days with buckets packed into the trunk
of
his car. His regular delivery trucks were not able to get to us fast
enough.
I realize that you might be rolling your eyes about me bringing up
Stain
Solver, but please understand that each week there are over 1,500
new
subscribers to this newsletter. These newsletter newbies
don't
realize that 13 years ago I discovered the power of oxygen bleach
liking
it so much I developed my own product to sell. It is my duty to share
with them the magic you already know about! You do want to share don't
you?
To celebrate the record sales, I am going to give you a 20-percent
discount on any size of Stain Solver. Look at the value per pound of
that
50-pound size.
It's a huge bargain. No wonder it helped break
the record last month.
You will need this Promo Code:
Record
Act Quickly! Why? I may run out of the five-gallon pails again, and
this
Sale ended Friday night (June 6, 2008).
P.S. As a little bonus, I will autograph the sides of the green
five-gallon pails that are sold as part of this Sale. Who knows what
that
pail might be worth in the years to come!
Newest Columns and Videos
Patio Pavers
How to Build a Retaining Wall
Plumbing
Vent Pipe Tip Video
Right Angle Drill vs. a Hole Saw Video
Index of past newsletters.
