IN THIS ISSUE:

1) Back into the sun... a message from the Natural Handyman

2) Our appreciation to sites and publications that have recently linked to,
listed or featured NH!

3) Sweepstakes Central... Contest winners and NEW CONTEST!!!!

4) What's new at Naturalhandyman.com?

5) LINKMEISTER's Corner...

6) Featured in the Natural Handyman Bookshop...

7) Be a "Friend of NH" and get FULL ACCESS for one year to our new
ADVERTISEMENT-FREE site!!



==================================

1) BACK INTO THE SUN ... A MESSAGE FROM THE NATURAL HANDYMAN

My beloved oil furnace, a noisy and inefficient beast of some 30+ years had finally reached the point of no return (or repair). The clock was ticking so it was time to bite the proverbial bullet and move a step closer to debtor's prison.

My timing was great... the heating company made me an offer I couldn't refuse. No interest for one year and no payments for six months! Give me the pen...

As usual, I keep my hands thoroughly wrapped around these projects. In other words, I'm always looking for trouble (as if you would expect any less from me). My little contribution was to disconnect the remnants of a late 70's vintage solar water heater, which by all accounts hadn't worked since the mid-80's. It once offered assistance to the furnace by preheating the water. Now it's a hiding place for field mice and a dust magnet!

After I received the quote for the furnace replacement, I coaxed the salesman into adding removal of the holding tank from the basement to the deal. He did so without objection... and for no additional charge (oh joy!). Perhaps he hadn't looked too closely at the 120-gallon monster, two-feet wide and nearly six feet tall!

Detaching the tank from the furnace was fairly easy. Thankfully the shutoffs worked, though it took hours to drain through its sediment-clogged faucet. The tank trickled and burped in displeasure. I think it knew where it was going, like my cats always know to hide on "trip-to-the-vet day". Patience ruled, and like a trooper the feeble monolith bled every last drop of its rusty-looking excretions into a nearby sump hole.

When I bought this home I thought I could "save" the solar system. I quickly realized "resurrection" was a more fitting description. Once I took stock of the repair costs, burning the money in my wood stove to warm the water bucket-by-bucket made more sense.

On furnace day, a single plumber arrived. He saw the tank, looked at me, looked again at the tank and asked to use the phone. "Help" was the operative word. Then he returned to the basement and began draining the heating system and disconnecting the old furnace.

Within an hour two other young men arrived. They looked at the tank and asked to use the phone. The word "Help!" was again heard amidst nervous laughing. They returned to the basement, had a few words with the plumber and left for a few hours. When they returned they were four strong, with one fellow who (had I not known better) could have been a shaved bear of Soviet Olympic lore. He would be needed.

The only outside exit from our basement is up a set of builder's-special stairs up through a set of Bilco doors. The stairs are so steep (bless those old building codes) that the lift was almost vertical. They installed a harness onto the hand truck bearing the massive tank and began the lifting process. Smoky (the bear) was at the bottom with two of the cubs. The supervisor (the one with the clipboard) was joined by the plumber at the top of the stairs, to help and be out of harm's way... just in case someone had to dial 911.

One step at a time, the tank rose into the sun. Each step brought gasps of relief and a few minutes of rest. Eight steps and thirty-five minutes later, light again shown through the hatchway as the tank moved silently across the back lawn. The three brave souls who did most of the work lay on the lawn, neither laughing nor crying but seemingly dazed. Bless those guys!

And to think... all of this wonderful youth and strength sponsored by the "other white-meat" of modern life... deferred payments! Seriously, I can't imagine how companies can afford to do this! Not that I haven't taken advantage of similar "deals" before. Sears for one gave us nearly a year dispensation on a new range. (In the last year NH went through an appliance meltdown! I won't even go into the garbage disposal nightmare... the refrigerator debacle... the microwave fiasco... or the garage door opener implosion... all gone on to the great appliance store in the sky. And then there were the cars... Eegads!)

Wow... I just realized that next year is going to be expensive! Ouch! Perhaps I can raise some additional moola by running the same type of promotion in my real-life handyman business. "Get your home repaired today... no payments for six months."

Hmmm. Followed by, "Lose home, lose marriage, lose mind!" I suppose I could find some joy in making license plates.

NH

============================

2) OUR THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING FOLKS FOR A LINK OR A MEDIA MENTION...

HANDYMAN-IN-YOUR-POCKET is a unique little book that will, in fact, fit into a pocket. (Works best with coveralls, though.) This is a cool 750 page plate of brain food with facts and figures, conversions, building standards and a few selected web links to reference sources. We are one of them, with a reference to our article on Adhesives. Thanks to the authors Richard Young and Thomas Glover.
This book is available at Amazon. If you want more info click below:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1885071299/thenaturalhandy  

==============================

3) SWEEPSTAKES CENTRAL... Contest winners and NEW contest !!

"PIN_EEZ" CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED!!

Drum roll, please! The six winners of a PIN-EEZ hinge-extracting tool are:

T. Wilkes of Louisville, KY
K. Grodske of Reseda, CA
T. Perex of New York Mills, NY
T. Green of Fairfield, OH
C. Enoch of Norridgewock, ME
M. Commini of Homestead, FL

Thanks to all our entrants and congrats to the winners.
Again, many thanks to Ross Tools for donating these unique tools!
http://www.rosstools.com 

................................................................

NEW CONTEST: Win a PLUMBING REPAIR VIDEO!!

We are giving away FIVE plumbing repair videos from A-OK VIDEOS!!
Each of our winners will receive their choice from the growing A-OK VIDEO collection of tapes. They have four available right now... with more to choose from by this contest's closing date!

.................................................................

Our continuing giveaways are...
(1) Win a "FRAMING WIZARD" from FRAMINGWIZARD.COM
(2) Win a "LEATHERMAN MULTIWAVE TOOL" from JHL TOOL SUPPLY
(3) Win a CABINET PRO utility stand from E-Z SPREAD'N LIFT.

To enter any of our contests follow this link to SWEEPSTAKES CENTRAL:
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/contest 

================================

4) WHAT'S NEW AT NATURALHANDYMAN.COM??

First, a brief apology... Our letter is a little late due to a number of teeth-gnashing computer-related issues in the last few weeks. In THIS issue only, we have not included the usual Q&A or feedback sections. Again, for just this issue.

However, we were able to get a larger than usual number of articles and reader submissions posted onto the website. They are listed below. Thanks for your understanding. We hope to have everything back in shape by April 15th.

.....................................................

LADDER SAFETY IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
NH and the US CPSC bring you timely, common-sense ladder safety tips. Especially useful for the ladder novice, but also valuable for anyone who doesn't want to become famous for "high diving" into the proverbial empty pool!
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infladdersafety.html 

....................................................

FAUCET REPLACEMENT
NH's article on faucet replacement is now online. Featuring a common Delta faucet, learn some of the ins-and-outs of faucet replacement! As NH says, removing the old faucet is often the hardest part!
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infplumb/inffau/inffau.html 

......................................................

ON THE CARPET
A unique and thorough article on carpet maintenance and cleaning... everything from vacuuming to stain removal. Thanks to author Marie S. Hammer of the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service!
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infcleaning/infcarpetstain.html 

....................................................

REMOVING MINERAL DEPOSITS on various surfaces can be really tricky!! Let Dr. Sandra A. Zaslow of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service help you find the right methods for you!
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infcleaning/infmineraldeposits.html 

.....................................................

SELLING YOUR HOME? BUYING A HOME? You might want to read about the new New York State Property Disclosure law. Even if you don't live in New York, you will find this an enlightening look the "cutting edge" of real estate protection for buyers.
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infnypropertydisclosure.html 

.......................................................

IF YOU MADE A DONATION to our site and have not received a username or password, contact us at SORRY THIS SERVICE HAS BEEN CANCELLED ..

Send your full name and email address in the body of the letter, and mention
that you made a donation and would like access to our "FriendsOnly" area.
Thanks again!

=============================

5) LINKMEISTER'S CORNER...

FOOD FOR EVERYONE is a nonprofit foundation that promotes efficient non-polluting gardening methods. They feature the "Mittleider method", which utilizes a custom-made soil for greater production at low cost. The site has detailed instructions as well as an online planner to help you lay out your own garden. Yummy!
http://www.foodforeveryone.org 

...............................................................

POOL S.O.S. is a swimming pool alarm system that warns you if someone falls into your pool... or uses your pool without your permission! Two styles are available, one that sounds a loud alarm from the pool and one featuring a remote alert that you can place in your home.
http://www.allweather.ca/en 

HAVE A GREAT HOME REPAIR LINK?

Have a great link you’d like to share? Click HERE and let us know about it! 

===============================

6)FEATURED IN THE NATURAL HANDYMAN BOOKSHOP...

"Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath"
by Fu-Tung Cheng

For some, it's a "hard" concept to wrap their mind around, but concrete countertops are a most amazing invention! They are custom-made for each room, absolutely functional and totally beautiful. OH.... and cheap (except for the sweat-equity). Depending on your artistic talents and your patience, you can make them look most anyway you want. And, unlike the other favorite do-it-yourself material... wood... concrete countertops are virtually indestructible! Did I say cheap?

Mr. Cheng, well schooled in this art, will guide you through both the fine and rough points of making your kitchen countertops... yourself.

See this and other fine books in our BOOKSHOP at:
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/bookshop 

COPYRIGHT 2002 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Like what you see??  Click HERE To Subscribe!