HomeXpert Plumbing 2 Color Winter 2012 by Hudson Ink

Winter 2012/2013

Keep Your Home from Becoming a Termite Snack …page 2

Something More Valuable Than Dollars? …page 2

Cut Your Risk for Flu This Season …page 3

<Company>’s

My Word by <NAME>

It’s great

to greet you again. The weather may look bleak on the outside – cold air, bare trees, lawns without color. Yet these are the coziest days for indoor living. Naturally, this is a time of year when you want your home to be its most comfortable, and that includes making sure your home plumbing system is up to the challenge. Call us if you would like to schedule a Winterization of your plumbing system. Remember, soggy ceilings, bulging walls or buckling floors are much costlier than preventive maintenance.

…continued on page 4

— Home Health —

Quick Tips for Perfect Pipes This Season Nothing takes the edge off of

high spirits quite like a plumbing problem. More frequent use due to houseguests and family gatherings makes this problem especially prevalent – and annoying – during the Winter months. Add that to the wear and tear the weather puts on pipes, and it can be a recipe for disaster. There are ways to protect your home against potential plumbing hazards: Know the location of the stop valve on your incoming water supply and have it clearly labeled. This can be a lifesaver in the event of a plumbing emergency. Periodically test all stop valves to be sure they are working properly. Check outside faucets to be sure that they aren’t leaking or dripping. Even a tiny crack can unleash more than 250 gallons of water in a single day.

Have your water heater and other heating appliances inspected and serviced annually. Besides preventing a disaster, this can prolong the life of the water heater. Taking the time for a preseason tune-up can mean saving thousands in repairs caused by leaks or equipment failure. A water heater needs to be partially drained periodically to keep sediments from building up and causing erosion and rust. This buildup can shorten both lifespan and heating efficiency. Flushing it out can remove buildup and keep your water heater operating at peak performance. Give us a call if you have any questions about your plumbing system. A small investment now can mean huge savings in repairs and comfort in the future.

Visit www.<yourcompany>.comfort-tips.com for more great ideas for home & life, including: Money-Saving tips | Home & Organizing | Health & Food

— Q & A: —

You A sk , W e Answer

Something More Valuable Than Dollars?

— I t ’s Abou t T ime —

Keep Your Home from Becoming a Termite Snack B enjamin Franklin was onto some-

thing when he said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When it comes to termites, savvy consumers can save thousands of dollars by preventing termite infestations altogether. Americans spend more than $5 billion repairing termite damage – a price tag not typically covered by homeowners’ insurance policies. That’s a major “Ouch!” to the wallet. More Bad News … Not only are homeowners who are caught by surprise left to fit the entire bill for costly damages that could have been detected early or avoided entirely by regular inspections and preventative treatments by pest professionals but… Once termites invade a property, they become part of that home’s permanent record – a fact that makes prospective homebuyers uneasy, which could end up costing you more money in the long run. Get professional help. Signs of a termite infestation typically include small holes in wood, crumbling drywall and sagging doors or floors. In order to avoid such costly disasters, you should focus on preventing termites and not just repairing their damage.

Schedule professional checkups. Simply scheduling one visit from a termite professional isn’t enough.

The goal is to always be one step ahead of a termite problem, and that requires regularly scheduled checkups. Just like your own trips to the doctor, a clean bill of health in May doesn’t mean you won’t get sick in September. For more information on sending these pests packing, visit www.termiteinstitute.com.

haritable giving hit a record high of $306 billion in 2007, according to a survey done by the Giving USA Foundation. But today, the economy is still recovering. Yet, Winter is an especially hard time for those who are less fortunate. So, what can

Is Your Water Giving You a Hard Time? Nothing sends a day down the drain like hard water. Soap won’t lather. Dishes have spots. Clothes are stiff and uncomfortable.

you do to help those in need even if you’re unable to donate money this season?

There’s no shortage of opportunities: Soup Kitchens Helping to serve meals to the

— Quick T ips —

F orever losing your bathroom

tweezers and clippers behind a vanity door.

with small items – especially

You can even spice things up a bit by getting creative with the magnetic strip. Add patterned cloth over the magnet to match your bathroom décor which adds a new look to a unique solution.

essentials? It’s hard to keep up since they seem to sprout legs and wander away when you’re not looking!

Solution? Use magnetic

strips to store bobby pins,

homeless in your community is a great way to give back. Look online for a soup kitchen near you (check out The Salvation Army) or consider volunteering through a local church or other civic organization. Make-A-Wish Foundation Dedicated to enriching the lives of children facing lifethreatening medical conditions, the Make-A-Wish Foundation welcomes volunteers who have specific talents and skills, like fundraising and language translating. But they also need general office help and people who are willing to serve as committee members. Hospitals Volunteers who work in hospitals perform a wide variety of tasks, including clerical work, depending upon the needs of the facility. Many times, hospital volunteers help lift the spirits of patients by visiting or delivering small gifts to them, which is especially important during the Winter when hospital stays are even harder on families.

We’d Like to Friend Your Friends. We enjoy providing superior service, and we’d like to offer the same expertise to your friends and family. Just call <COMPANY> at <PHONE> to let us know you’re sending another friendly face our way. To say thanks, we’ll take $20 off your next service. ©2012

— Buckle Down —

Cut Your Risk for Flu This Season

F lu viruses are “airborne,”

meaning that they can be spread by sneezing, coughing or direct contact. The CDC notes that every year in the United States: 5-20% of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications. Approximately 36,000 people die from the flu each year. The CDC recommends flu vaccines and good health habits to prevent or

slow the spread of illness. For example: Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people if either you or they are sick. Clean your hands. This is especially important after you’ve been to a store or any public place where you can pick up germs from doorknobs and other surfaces. Install hypoallergenic filters in your return air.

— T he Good Life —

Go with the Flow

A few bathroom trends have

been emerging in recent years: A flush beats a full house? The government called for low-flow

toilets in new homes in the mid1990s because they can save

up to 22,000 gallons of water a

year for a family of four. Homes

with water-guzzling models built prior to that time are ripe for replacement.

Safety’s still first. The bathroom is the site of 70% of accidents in the home. Minimize slips with nonskid bathmats in tubs or shower stalls, and non-skid rugs on tile floors, and reduce the risk of falls with grab bars near the tub, shower or near the toilet. Shower Shock. If you have an older shower system that produces “shower shock” – a temperature change following a flushed toilet, new dishwasher cycle, etc. – consider installing a pressure-balanced shower valve to keep shower temperature consistent. Give us a call if we can help!

My Word

! e M n a c S

…continued from page 1

We may not be able to do anything about the weather, but we can assure you that we’ll be here when you need us. If you run into any plumbing trouble at all, give us a call, and we’ll get someone out there to fix you right up. Until the bright days of Spring bring us together again, stay warm and stay safe.

Yours sincerely,

<SIGNATURE> <NAME> P.S. Be sure to check out the discounts in this newsletter. If you can’t use them, pass them on to someone who can. Thanks.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to view <your company>’s special online offer. Don’t have a smartphone? Send an email to <your email address> or visit <your website> for more information.

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“Who says there’s no rest for the weary?” Holiday seasons are busy. Frenzied. Hurried. Noisy. And then they’re gone. What happened?

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Connect —

M O r e S av ings and G r eat N ews

—

Want to see more home and savings

Remember when you were a child and could drift away without a care, celebrating a welldeserved rest? You still can…

tips? Visit our HomeXpert portal at

Take a moment (now might be good!) to reflect on what this Holiday means to you: Giving thanks, getting joy, and sharing both freely. We give thanks to you for letting us service your home and look forward to seeing you again.

season, plus articles covering the hottest

<yourcompany>.comfort-tips.com. You’ll find energy saving tips for the coming topics in home, health and savings news.

You may even find a recipe or two! So visit <yourcompany>.comfort-tips.com.