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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2004)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 7, 2004 Page 11 Tips to keep the pressure up and frustration down Fred & Sara Ball Co-owners of Bi-Rite Auto Parts in Cave Junction. How long have you lived in the valley? Since 1970. Fred: “When we moved here, there were no sidewalks; that’s where we parked.” And what brought you here? Fred: “It was really a fluke. I stopped to check out some property while on a fishing trip.” Sarah: “It was nice to get away from the big city (LA) and get back to the coun- try.” What do you like about living in Illinois Valley? Both agree Cave Junction is a small town. Fred: “I like it because it is neighborly... you get to meet and know in- teresting people.” Why did you choose to go into the auto parts busi- ness? Fred: “I started the business in 1971 working on big trucks providing parts, fuel and tires. When my body couldn’t work on trucks any more, I branched out into auto parts.” What do you do in your spare time? Fred: “I started 10 years ago as a volunteer Santa Claus for the elementary school in Selma and have continued on for five years working on CJ Cares helping local fami- lies during the holidays.” Sara: “After our son graduated in 1998, we began hosting the Illinois Valley High School graduation parties each year at the Junction Inn.” Do you have any pets? Two dogs (business mascots): “Ash” and “Boston;” and seven cats. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Fred: “Chocolate shakes.” Sara: “Hagen Daas vanilla ice cream.” Interview by Shane Welsh Cave Junction Wednesday, Jan. 7 Cloudy & rainy, High--48, Low --38. Thursday, Jan. 8 Cloudy, windy with rain High--51, Low--39. Friday, Jan. 9 Chance of rain, drizzle High--51, Low--35. Saturday, Jan. 10 Mostly cloudy High– 52. Low- 31. Sunday, Jan. 11 Cloudy, High- 51. Low– 33. Monday, Jan. 12 Showers possible. High– 49. Low– 29. Tuesday, Jan. 13 Cloudy, chance of rain. High– 46. Low– 30. Additional Listings Besides the program listings Provided, the following also are among those available from Charter Communications. For information about costs that might apply, contact the company. 1-800-338-8838 *12 - QVC *14 - Better Life TV *16 - Home Shopping *23 - Community Bulletins *25 - Fox News *26 - C-Span/House of Rep. *27 - C-Span 2 (Senate) *28 - ESPN 2 *31 - CNN Headline News *33 - Fox Sports Northwest *36 - Country Music TV *37 - Nashville Channel *40 - The History Channel *41 - The Learning Channel *42 - Cartoon Network *43 - Home & Garden TV *44 - The Weather Channel KBCC - LP 107.9 FM Have you ever had a warm, roaring shower re- duced to a trickle because someone started the wash- ing machine or turned on the dish washer? This nuisance happens because your private water well system or utility pipe- line doesn't have enough water pressure. You don't have to co- ordinate your shower with household errands. It is one you want to take seri- ously because constant water pressure not only makes life more comfort- able, it aids water soften- ers, iron removal devices and other equipment in working more efficiently and helping provide you with safe, potable water. The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) offers the fol- lowing facts about water pressure and some reme- dies for water pressure problems: * Water flows out of taps because of pressure in the water system. For most well systems, it is a well pump that provides the pressure that makes the water flow. *Different pumps have different flow capacities, as the overall rate of flow is directly related to the pump capacity. If your household has a 10-gallon- per-minute demand, there will be trickling water if the pump will only supply five gpm. *A pressure tank in a water system is designed to have extra gallons of water in reserve so small demands don't require the pump to switch on. An example is turning on a faucet for a few seconds to get a glass of water. How- ever, the tank cannot com- pensate for flow greater than the pump capacity. *If you receive your water through a utility pipeline, your location and the age of the utility can affect water pressure. If you live near the end of the line or if the utility's infra- structure is old, you may have to install your own booster pump and pressure tank. To remedy your water pressure problems, the sys- tem first needs to be checked. If there is adequate pressure in the tank, hard water could be causing the decline in pres- sure. A build-up of scale can cause increased fric- tion in the pipes and ham- per water pressure. If installation of a de- vice is required, there are three primary solutions: 1. A constant pressure valve can be installed be- tween the pump and the pressure tank. It will auto- matically adjust flow from the well pump to a preset pressure. It is relatively easy to install and a good, economic solution. It will solve many problems. However, it does not increase the flow rate greater than that of the pump. 2. Additional pressure tank capacity can be added to meet high demands for water that is in excess of the pump's capacity. Ensuring that two tanks and the existing pump will work compati- bly will require a profes- sional, but this will aid in the short-term demands. However, it will not per- manently solve the prob- lem of the shower, dish- washer, washing machine and other heavy appliances all running at the same time. 3. The pump can be replaced with a variable speed pump. The motors of variable speed pumps can run up to two times faster than those with constant speeds. The speed of it is regu- lated by the demand for water. A device measures the demand for pressure, and adjusts the pump's flow rate. Some variable speed pumps have a slow start-up, which eliminates power surges and reduces torque on the pump and well piping. Safety always comes first, and installation of valves, tanks and pumps is not for amateurs. The NGWA recom- mends contacting a water well contractor to examine your system and perform any necessary installations. Rainbows apologize for angry skies. - Sylvia Voirol - Closed Tuesday & Wednesday...
