TGIF - DONATIONS NEEDED

What a week for tragic headlines!  The death and chaos following this fierce typhoon are unimaginable. Those lucky 

enough to survive are unlucky enough to have no food, no water, no clothes ,no home and no livelihood.  Relief is slow in coming with the extensive damage to roads, bridges and airports, but relief IS on the way.  We just have to ensure that it is enough to make the difference.  Money is key as the organisations on the ground can purchase the priority itemsand get them to the people who need them quickest.  Right now, the Federal Government will match our donations dollar for dollar. Kudos to our Remax

 Sabre colleagues who have raised more than $2,000 in 2 days and still counting. I know that many other offices, work places, Churches, groups and the local Philippino community are doing the same - together, Canadians can respond to make a significant contribution as they 

hear the gut wrenching stories out of the Philippines.

 
     UNICEF (http://www.unicef.ca) was one of the first on the ground 

providing critical supplies, having prepositionedsupplies in key areas. They 

had delivered 45,000 lbs of emergency health kits, shelter equipment and 

medical supplies in a matter of a few days, and are continuously air lifting 
family essentials.  They estimate that more than 4 million children are affected by Typhoon Haiyan - many in remote, hard to access areas.  The Red Cross (http://www.redcross.ca) and World Vision (http://www.worldvision.ca) are also on the ground doing similar work along with other non profit organizations. It is vital to donate now to prevent further loss of life. We are the fortunate ones!

  

  Congratulations to the Klahanie residents who took on the Evergreen Line for having misleading drawings with regard to the grade in their community.  Evergreen announced yesterday that it will be taking steps to mitigate the effect on noise and view - not the same as the rail being at grade there, but an improvement on what might have been. People power at its best!
 
     Have a great week.  Remember, when it comes to real estate, we have you covered.  Sheila
 

TGIF - REMEMBERANCE DAY

"Never in the field of human conflict was so  much owed by so many to so few"  - Winston Churchill.








Monday is Remembrance Day - so personal to me as my Dad went directly from being a university student to being an officer in the Royal Navy and serving on an aircraft carrier, HMS Venerable, throughout World War Two.  His younger brother survived 67 bombing missions as a rear gunner in a Lancaster. Their parents were the lucky ones - both sons returned home.  But youth was lost and life was different.  We have so few of these Second  World War veterans still alive that soon there will only be their stories kept alive by us.  Remembering  is not only an act of honoring those who sacrificed so much, but a preventative measure against war and an incentive for peace.

These days we have so many young veterans of more recent wars - many with severe physical and psychological damage.  Our government sent them to fight for us and our country, but is not taking seriously the necessity for looking after these vets and their families, both medically and financially.  Something we can all do this November 11 is to communicate with our MPs and express our outrage that we are not doing the right thing by our war veterans - we owe them every opportunity to enjoy the rest of their lives.

Our communities all hold Remembrance Day services - for details - www.thev3h.com - events
                                                      

"We are the Dead.  Short days ago

    We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
     Loved and were loved, and now we lie
      In Flanders Fields"
              From "Flanders Fields" - by John McCrae, May 1915

INSPECTOR INSIGHTS: POLY B PIPING

One of the most common plumbing pipe materials used from the late 1970’s to the late 1990’s was Poly Butylene pipe, Poly B for short. It is a gray pipe connected with both grey plastic fitting made of acetyl plastic or with copper fittings.  It was used for plumbing supply pipe and also for Hot water radiant space heating applications.
 

     Consumers in the Southern States had their piping systems installed in attics exposed to high temperatures with water with elevated chlorine levels. This caused high failure rates with high property damage due to the location of the pipe.  In Canada the early installations were connected with the plastic acetyl fittings. Over time these proved problematic.  The consensus for the reason of failure is that elevated chlorine levels in the water made the plastic fittings age harden and fail under pressure.  In the early days of use the materials were often stored outside exposed to sunlight which also made the pipe fail sooner. This is also true of Poly ethylene pipe we use today as well. Hence this is why all Pex pipe is stored under cover or inside.

This is not the case in Canada. Most of the systems I see in the Lower Mainland are installed with copper fittings crimped in place and in areas where high temperature exposure is anticipated such as near the hot water tank copper pipe is added to avoid problems. This has proven to be very reliable. The reality is that any plumbing system can have defects or leaks over its lifespan. Repairs are common on most systems I inspect.

     It is estimated that there somewhere in the order of 150,000 homes in BC with this type of plumbing system. The vast majority with copper fittings have performed well. In Alberta the Department of municipal affairs has investigated and found that virtually all failures in Alberta are the result of workmanship issues.

If you do need to repair or extend an existing system the product is no longer available but a transition coupler will need to be used.
The new product which replaces Poly B is Poly Ethylene Pipe or Pex for short. It is a stiffer and stronger plastic pipe which is engineered to handle higher temperatures and stress. It has been in use since 1998. If in doubt have a reputable plumbing contractor review your entire system and advise you on their recommendations and the cost of repairs.

Insurability of the home may be an issue for your insurance broker or company. Check with your broker. They may put restrictions on your insurance either but raising the deductible, increasing the premium or adding other conditions. Ultimately the final solution is to re-pipe the home. The cost of this varies enormously with the size, type and degree of finishing involved. Always obtain several quotes and ask about the refinishing costs. Scheduling replacements or updates of the system when other renovations occur can reduce costs. E.g.: kitchen or bath renovations already require a plumber or general contractor so cost savings can be had.

    When Poly B is used in a radiant hot water heating systems several issues arise. Oxygen transfer thru the wall of the pipe occurs so that ferrous metal components fail. Several technical solutions are available. When components fail they are replaced with either stainless steel or copper components so corrosion is not possible. Adjustm

ent of the operating controls to avoid high temperatures is also needed. 

Sometimes another approach is used. Separating the poly B loops from the heating components but allowing energy transfer is accomplished with a heat exchanger. There is a penalty here in that the maximum effiency of a heat exchanger is 80%. So it will cost you more to heat your home using this approach.  If in doubt always have a reputable Hot Water heating specialist review your system and make recommendations.



Roland Klann, RHI BC License 47331 HomePro Systems2000 Inc. 604 240 3314
www.Homeprosystems2000.ca
 

TGIF - MIRACLE RUN

Hope everyone had a safe and spooky Hallowe'en - don't eal all those candies at once! An interesting piece of Trivia from the radio yesterday was that the average child collects 11,000 calories in their goody bags!  Parents are therefore comple

telyjustified in sharing!! While we were in Victoria at our national Re/Max Conference, Michelle ran in a 6:30am RR4K (Re/Max Run for Kids) and finished in the top ten, 3rd female - but who was counting?!  But the real winner was Children's Miracle Network - with $9,021 raised from this run.  It was a great few days for worthwhile causes - we also raised $26,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.







Strange little pockets of real estate activity through the TriCities. Overall, low inventory is making the moment advantageous for the sellers - so if you're thinkin about it, don't wait! Conversely, there is a high inventory in many strata properties - good choices & prices for buyers. Lots of grand openings for new developments - don't forget to take us with you, both for input and representation purposes. 

FALL BACK this Saturday - Daylight Savings time ends. Put your clocks back 1 hour.

Port Moody Film Society, Inlet Theatre, a week today, Nov. 8 @ 7:30pm.

When it comes to Real Estate, we have you covered.

Sheila