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HOMETREASURE VALLEY MASTER PLUMBERS ASSOCIATIONTVMPA Newsletter November 15, 2002
Meeting November 20, 2002 @ Fiesta Guadalajara – 704 E. Fairview in Meridian at 7:00 P.M. (6:30 if you plan to have dinner with us)
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COMING SOON………
What was once considered an unsolvable safety hazard has now been solved… It will save lives and prevent untold future injuries Ann Brown, Chairman U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission
We are aware that plumbing code requires water heater stands to help prevent accidental ignition of flammable gas. But now, by federal mandate, water heater manufacturers are required to improve the water heater technology so that these explosions cannot happen.
Some manufacturers are still in development, some are ready now, but by July 1st of 2003 residential gas water heaters as we know them will no longer be sold.
Steve Roberts of Rocky Mountain Marketing will bring us up to speed on American Water Heater’s “Flame Guard” technology, available now in the Pro-line series. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… The Idaho State Plumbing Board met October 25, 2002 Two of the items that were discussed were: *Civil Penalties: allows for the enactment of civil penalties against unlicensed individuals or companies acting as a contractor, journeyman or apprentice, or specialty licensed contractor, journeyman or apprentice. (up to $1000.00 per citation) *Water Softener pending rule: would require the installation of a water treatment loop and drain on all one and two family residences. The softener industry has expressed their support of this rule Come to the meeting for more information
2003 Idaho State Plumbing Board Meeting Schedule February 21, 2003 to be held in MeridianMay 16, 2003 to be held in Meridian September 12, 2003 to be held in Northern Idaho November 14, 2003 to be held in Eastern Idaho
Checking out www.tvmpa.org This month we have added a listing of Idaho State Plumbing Bureau employees and Idaho State Plumbing Board members This can be found in the Idaho State web site but it can be found much easier here!
We ask that all active members of the association make a special effort to be in attendance at the November 20th meeting. We have special business to conduct.
TREASURE VALLEY MASTER PLUMBERS ASSOCIATIONTVMPA Newsletter October 11, 2002
Meeting October 16, 2002 @ Fiesta Guadalajara – 704 E. Fairview in Meridian at 7:00 P.M. (6:30 if you plan to have dinner with us)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Is A Taxing Situation!
Pete Skamser, Idaho State Director of the NFIB will be our guest speaker at the TVMPA October 16 meeting. He describes his topics as follows:
This year the legislature is facing $168 million shortfall in tax revenues when they return in January 2003. How did it happen? What will they do to “Fix” it?
The revenue shortfall is putting the legislature in a tough spot. They want to increase education funding. The dominant party in the legislature has taken a lot of heat over education funding - most of it undeserved. The single most importing thing the legislature does is fund education.
How can they address the shortfall? Raise sales tax. This could mean one percent or one and one-half percent added to the current sales tax rate. This is the down and dirty quick fix.
There is also some support for extending the sales tax to labor and services. This has an appeal because you could lower the overall sales tax rate - pleasing the public while cleverly covering up a huge tax increase. The problem with this is that labor and service bills go up by five percent, making bad people out of good service providers. The other problem is that small businesses are themselves high consumers of services - utilities, building and property maintenance, equipment repair, tax services, bookkeeping and so on forever.
Add to this the cheerful picture of the prospect of a fifty percent increase in unemployment insurance taxes and you have a session that could be very rough on businesses.
Clearly, there are issues for Idaho businessmen and citizens to be concerned about. This discussion will help us better understand the situation and what should be done about it.
WATER HEATER DEATH BY PRESSURE
In recent years, since municipalities have required meter yokes with check valves built into them, and since some have begun charging their systems to higher pressures, the factor of excessive pressure in the house water system has become quite evident. We’ve all seen water on the garage floor from relief valves seeping. But have you seen the water heater destroyed by thermal expansion?
This failure occurs when the concave bottom of the water heater is flattened by pressures of 500-600 lbs, caused by thermal expansion. The bottom of the gas water heater is connected to the top by means the flue, welded to the bottom and the to top. As the bottom flattens the flue will pull the top down with it, so we have the bottom, the flue and the top, all dropping several inches. As the bottom of the water heater flattens it disrupts the burner chamber. The flame will still burn, but not properly. It will send carbon monoxide out of the burner chamber, into the room.
Most of us have been unaware of this problem but as of just now, that is not the case for you readers. It’s fairly rare, and conditions have to be just right. But it happens enough that it needs to be a concern and a suitable prevention needs to be established INDUSTRY WIDE. Manufacturers consider it “installer error” and take no responsibility for anything regarding the problem.
We have always believed that the relief valves should take care of pressure situations and we have felt safe in relying on it for safety from dangerous pressure situations. But obviously, when the pressure reaches the kind of pressures we are talking about, the relief valve has failed to do what we have believed that it would do.
We have considered the expansion tank to be an aid in giving the pressure a place to go. But expansion tanks can waterlog, as we all know they do and then they’re useless.
This problem can happen to anyone. In our company we have seen it three times within the last 4 years.
It is potentially dangerous and being so, it brings upon our industry, certain moral obligations as well as the threat of lawsuit
We have taken the problem to the State Plumbing Bureau where Bob Rawlings and Rusty Boyer are looking at the problem. If anyone else has had experience with this problem, I believe that the State would like to hear more about it.at 334-3442
I know that I would. Please contact me, Dennis Butterfield, at 888-7555
Checking out WWW.TVMPA.ORG
When you open up the TVMPA website you see a respectable, noncluttered site. When you start opening it up, you’re going be impressed with the useful information you find there.
*The rolling banner across the top will catch your eye first. It will inform you of the next TVMPA meeting time and location *The visitor count registers the fact that far too few of us have been taking advantage of the web site so far. *The weather box below the visitor count indicates Boise weather as a default. But if you want to see the weather for Meridian, double click on the icon, enter the name of Meridian in the box. If you don’t specify Meridian, Idaho, you’ll discover that there are 8 Meridians in the USA. This tells me that I can check the weather anywhere in the country. This little site has lots of interesting things to look at and do. Do it yourself!
Those buttons on the left side of the home page have quite a lot of valuable information behind them. We’ll talk about the power behind them in future newsletters.
We just added the apprenticeship button this month. This page is valuable to apprentices as well as their responsible sponsors. In it you’ll find: Class locations, times, and instructors, the 4-year curriculum required books, materials, and how to get them, and next week, class rules. Everything you ever wanted to know about the apprentice program but were afraid to ask about.
We will be adding more features to the website for the next few months. Open up the TVMPA website and start playing with it, watch the progress! You’ll be impressed. |