GOOOOOD MORNING, A.I.I.....
It's a great day here in Orem, Utah! Today's MMM is being created on Tuesday, but we'll pretend it is actually yesterday. Veterans Day is always a special day where we get to remember those that served in our military to defend our freedom. While in Portland I spent a few minutes with one of our members who served in the Green Berets during the Vietnam War. My heart was re-opened with thoughts of what this man endured. We discussed some of the excitement of jumping out of a helicopter and directing your parachute flight into the trees so that you would be protected. He said that if you landed in a nice open field, then you were a sitting duck and an open target for sniper fire.
I was also amazed at the difficulty that this particular Vietnam veteran endured as he came back in 1970 and tried to fit back into normal society. He expressed the difficulties, the lack of public appreciation, and the long years of numbing the realities with alcohol. Many years later, after losing all that he had including family and possessions, he was able to heal his troubled soul. To meet with him now there is no evidence that any of this occurred. He is a wonderful man with a great heart. He has a second family and he has found inner peace.
My generation seemed to have lost its patriotism for a while. It took Desert Storm to get us headed the right direction and then 9-11 to bring us back to reality. I am thankful for the service of our veterans. I am proud of their efforts. I am thankful for our freedoms.
Arriving back home last night from Portland my oldest son Adam (8) came up to me and asked, "Dad, is Mr. Prior the one who served in World War II?" I told him that he was and inquired to know why he asked. "Well today in school our teacher asked us to think of a veteran and write them a letter thanking them for their service. I remembered the stories that Mr. prior shared with us at church and I wrote a letter to him." I was beaming with pride in my son as I took Adam over to Mr. Prior's house to give him the letter.
Adam rang the doorbell and went inside. He gave Mr. Prior the letter and then read it to this kind older gentleman. Tear flowed down Mr. Prior's cheeks as Adam read to him the letter thanking him for hiss service. Mr. Prior was so choked up that all he could do was say thank you and give Adam a hug. Tears also ran down my cheeks as I watched my son perform such a simple act of loving thanks that touched the life of one of our veterans so deeply. It was a life changing moment for me as I realized how negligent I have been over the years. Mr. Prior hugging my son showed me how important it is to express our thanks to the defenders of our country. I hope that all of you had a wonderful Veteran's Day.
I smiled as I sat down this morning (Tuesday) and read the following post ....
GEEZE....The net is dead and I feel lonely! Hope y'all had a good time at the conference. Sylvan Stenge, alone in Sacramento
My smile came because Sylvan had very few people on the Hotline that were still at home. The turnout in Portland was fantastic. There was no reason to flood the Hotline with questions because we were all posing and responding to questions face to face. It was mentioned to me several times that Sylvan was not anywhere to be found. We couldn't remember a conference that he had missed since joining the Association. The list of no shows was short.
I was so impressed with the outcome of the Portland Annual Meeting. The large number of inspector spouses present was refreshing. Over a third of the inspectors brought their wives along. Our newest member of the Board of Directors, Carl Fowler, brought along his wife Kathryn and his little two year old Christopher. I spotlight them because it was fun watching Carl and Kathryn chase little Chris around the event. I think that they were two of the most exhausted adults by the end of the conference. Seeing an AII Annual Meeting through the eyes of a 2 year old was incredible. As I got down on the floor Chris and I went through the more exciting parts of the vendor's area. Chris loved those mold sniffing dogs the best. It didn't matter what else we looked at we kept coming back to those dogs.
Bill Schwahn passed along the following information this morning.......
Michael, It was GREAT to see you again ! I seen this challenge today at my 1st inspection, the Realtor said that I was crazy and if he could use my ladder he would personally go up and take the wire off of the electrical mast so I wouldn't have to put it in the report. I said that he wouldn't be using my ladder, and if he was going to use some other ladder while I was there he should let me know so that I could call the EMT's.
I couldn't help but remember Douglas Hansen and the Electrical Class. Here goes.
Bill Schwahn - Belgrade, Montana
I shared with the participants in Portland the electrical supply house in Orem, Utah that is selling the $319.00 SureTest for about $219.00. They are a local supplier and I don't know if they will ship products and I don't know how many units they can get their hands on at that price. What I do know is that I bought one for the conference give-away and they said that they had another in stock and gave the impression that they could get more. The company's name is Electrical Wholesale Supply located at 658 N. State Street in Orem, Utah. They can be reached at 801-224-3540.
My recommendation is that you tell them that you attended an electrical seminar taught in Portland, Oregon over the weekend by Michael Leavitt from Orem, Utah. Tell them that he told you that they have the SureTest ST-1D Wiring Circuit Analyzer available for $219.00 and that they should call Electrical Wholesale Supply and place an order. The tool also carries the Ideal product number of 61-152.
NOTE: Please remember that SureTest company was bought out by Ideal and the new Ideal version carries both numbers. The model I purchased from Electrical Wholesale Supply was the older SureTest version. I called Ideal to inquire about any changes in the equipment and they said the only changes was to add an Ideal product number and Ideal logo on the tool, but that the old version was the same for accuracy and design as the Ideal version.
EWS can also special order the blade retention tester that I both showed and gave away in Portland. It is the Daniel Woodhead Receptacle Tension Tester model 1760 and runs about $55.00. You might also check with your local electrical supply house and see what investment they require to purchase these two gizmos.
Greetings, I really enjoyed seeing everyone at the Conference. Someone had requested I post again where the Tyvek suits and accessories could be found. This company has recycled tyvek suits at a very good price.
I went to the site, as Greg recommended, and was impressed with their product offerings. Below is the info on the standard Tyvek suit. If I remember the previous information correctly, These suits sell for $6 to $9 when brand new.
Please provide your full name or else we will not know who the response is from.
Which Cadet heaters do you encounter most in your area? Do you look and compare model numbers or do you use the Chicken Little "The Cadet heater is falling!" approach that indicates every unit with a Cadet heater is suspect and should be further evaluated by a heating specialist?
I always call for a licensed electrician to evaluate. Because I am an inspector and note the conditions only, I am not a licensed electrician and I am not an expert in the field. I do not want the liability of making a recommendation on a product line with a recall. Richard C. C. Iverson - Newport, Oregon
Update; I have an information sheet I printed out from CPSC that indicates the Model's RM & ZM, which were the replacement units, are on recall. Recalling the recalls! I have a line or two about this in my report. An Electrician has to figure out which combination of factors apply.
I do not remove the grilles any more. I have had alot of poor installations that made putting the grille back on a pain. If you kind of stand on your head, you can make out the info on most of the installations. Jim Archer - Florence, OR
Well pass that information along to me privately Jim and I will share it here in the MMM.
Michael I just saw 1/2 a dozen of them at home depot they start at about 79.00 and go up from there. Chris Burkhart - Sandy, Utah
Thanks for the heads up Chris. This means that we will be dealing with the inevitable future bad models here in Utah as well. I can't believe that Cadet doesn't just change their name so that the past nightmares don't kill off their future sales.
My guess is it is some sort of foot/feet miracle worker thingamagigger Chris Burkhart - Sandy, UT
It is obviously a "still" like the ones my grandpappy used in the backwoods of Kentucky. The base portion is supposed to be copper. D. Ray Arey - Thermopolis, Wy
Looks like an old fashion foot warmer? Rolland Pruner - Livermore CA
For more information E-MAIL Us