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That 60 gallon tank of hot water in your basement eats up a lot of energy. But tankless on-demand water heaters leave you running water down the drain while you wait for warmth. This tiny Kickstarter water heater promises to change all that, and save you money, thanks to some fascinating technology.

The team behind the Heatworks Model 1 says the foot-long device can deliver instantaneous hot water on demand, saving 40% on energy costs and 10% on wasted water compared to an electric tank-style heater. One unit supplies enough endless hot water for one shower at a time, while larger households could install a unit at every bathroom, saving money on hot water piping and cutting out minutes spent waiting for hot water to arrive.

The key is how the Model 1 heats the water. Unlike current tankless electric heaters, which use a corrosion- and failure-prone metal coil, Heatworks relies on submerged graphite electrodes that use the water around them as a resistor. This, they say, gives you instant heat, rather than the 30-second wait associated with other tankless systems.

Sure, this all sounds great, and with the Kickstarter already past goal, it looks like Heatworks will have the money they're seeking to start production. But being funded on Kickstarter is entirely different from producing a reliable product in quantity. Even if they make it, are you willing to trade the familiar water heater any plumber can fix in the middle of the night for a high-tech energy saver that runs on the future? It's a gamble, and a cold shower is the loser's lot. [Kickstarter]

Update: Prompted by a number of comments asking whether there's any risk of being electrocuted by this device, we reached out to Heatworks for clarification. Founder Jerry Callahan explained via email:

Yes, we pass currents through the water, but here is why no one should be concerned;

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This Football-Sized Device Could Replace Your Huge Water ...

A Staten Island public elementary school is getting more than $1 million dollars in federal emergency funding to help cover repairs made to the school after Hurricane Sandy, but that is only a drop in the bucket considering what needs to be done. NY1's Bree Driscoll filed the following report.

Principle Jane McCord greets students at P.S. 52 every morning.

As they make their way in, they have to hop over broken concrete, damage left over from Hurricane Sandy.

"I never anticipated that I'd be 15 months out with plans still not on the table," McCord said.

Hurricane Sandy devastated the building.

"I was here the following morning, and we opened the door to the basement, and you couldn't go down," McCord said. "The water came up to the second step."

The school's boiler, electrical, ventilation, hot water and telephone systems were all destroyed. Students were forced to relocate to the Petrides School for about a month.

Since the storm, the student population has dropped by about 75.

"Many of our families moved away and haven't been able to return," McCord said. "Some still hope to return."

The school has a new ventilation and electrical system, paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the boiler is temporary, and the hot water heater is much smaller than what was there before.

See more here:
SI Elementary School Still Dealing with Damage from Sandy

Dead Tree Removal Newcastle
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TREE FALLS, TAKEDOWNS, ZIP-LINES, RIGGING, TREE REMOVALS
This video is about The risks we take as tree climbers, groundsmen and arborists. Put together a video that had a little bit of all my videos in it. Have sho...

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Melbourne Tree Removal - Large Grey Gum
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JENNY DeHUFF, Daily News Staff Writer dehuffj@phillynews.com, 215-854-5218 Posted: Sunday, February 9, 2014, 3:01 AM

IF A TREE falls in the yard but no one is around to claim it, does it have a keeper?

That's the question the Daily News asked yesterday, following a record number of downed trees in the wake of this week's snow-and-ice storm.

Many in the city were lucky to escape the power outages that affected swaths of the city and badly hit the suburbs - but those with saplings and shrubbery around their homes had a different experience.

"It's tough because we can't control the fact we have so many trees, but it's very dangerous during storms like this," said Noreen Spota, administrative coordinator for the Chestnut Hill Community Association. "All these trees have so many icicles and branches hanging off them, you really need to be aware when you're walking. Be aware of what's overhead."

Pennsylvania Insurance Department press secretary Roseanne Placey said if there's any question as to who's responsible for a fallen tree that may or may not have caused damage, the first place to get answers is with homeowner's insurance.

"It generally doesn't matter whether a fallen tree originated on your property. If it landed on your house, you should file a claim with your insurance company," she said. "If there's no damage, you still might be able to refer to your policy. You may have coverage to clean up the fallen tree."

In some cases, she said, insurance companies work together on subrogation, in which one insurance company recovers from another. Poorly maintained trees in yards are red flags for risk, she said - that's when liability comes into play.

"If the tree hits an insured structure but there's no damage, you likely do not have coverage for tree removal, unless the tree has fallen in such a way that it blocks a passageway into your house," she said. "It's always best to ask your agent or company about your specific policy."

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Whose responsibility is a downed tree?

An ordinance pending council approval on Feb. 11 that could prohibit clear-cutting in Montvale was questioned Tuesday by members of the planning board.

The proposed ordinance, which seeks to regulate the excessive removal of trees in the borough, would require residents to obtain a $35 permit prior to cutting down three, four and five trees in residential zones, R-10, R-15 and R-40, respectively. A $500 fee would be charged for every tree removed thereafter, and violators could face a $2,000 fine for every tree that is "improperly removed." According to the proposed ordinance, exemptions include trees located within a nursery, removal of trees which endanger public safety, and the trimming of trees in a public right-of-way.

The governing body unanimously introduced the ordinance at its Jan. 28 work session meeting and then gave it to the planning board for its review. The ordinance was drafted by a tree ordinance committee, which was assembled by Councilwoman Leah LaMonica. LaMonica said the ordinance would be a "tremendous benefit to the community," as the act of clear-cutting "has happened in Montvale recently."

While the board commended the committee for its work on the ordinance at its Feb. 4 meeting, the board had reservations about it, with some calling it "stringent," "restrictive," and "burdensome."

"I'm not quite sure if what's proposed is meeting the goal as set forth in the objective in the ordinance," said Planning Board Chairman John DePinto, who made a motion for the board to authorize planning board planner Richard Preiss to examine the ordinance with the help of professionals. DePinto also asked Councilwoman Theresa Cudequest, who is the planning board liaison, to relay board members' concerns to the council.

The residential zones included in the ordinance, the need for permits, and violation fines were shared concerns among the board that evening. DePinto said he wasn't in agreement with the selected zones the ordinance covers and questioned why commercial zones weren't included in the ordinance. He made mention of a heavily wooded, five-and-a-half-acre tract located at 64 Chestnut Ridge Road, which contains a few cottages that landowners lease to their tenants. The property is situated in a commercial zone and used for residential purposes, DePinto said, adding that it would be devastating if the owners were to remove an indiscriminate number of trees on that property, since it is not covered in the proposed ordinance.

"Hopefully, the Montvale Mayor and Council will amend the proposed ordinance to address this and other properties outside of the R-10, R-15 and R-40 zones that may be vulnerable to clear-cutting," he said.

Last month, Robert Hanrahan, president of the tree ordinance committee who helped draft the ordinance, said the committee consulted with residents to help determine the number of trees each homeowner could remove in each zone. He said most of the other commercial zones in the borough are covered by other zoning ordinances, although more zones may be added in the future.

Other concerns among the board included the need to obtain a permit to cut down, for instance, a diseased tree in a backyard and having to pay a $2,000 fine to the borough for violating the ordinance if the tree belongs to the property owner and not the borough.

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Montvale Planning Board says tree preservation ordinance needs more work

MINERAL - Lassen Volcanic National Park will take advantage of low snow levels and begin work on the Northwest Gateway Forest Restoration Project.

This fuel reduction project is located in the northwest corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park where forest conditions present a severe risk of high intensity fire.

In partnership with Lassen National Forest, a onetime entry with mechanized equipment will be used to reduce live understory and ladder fuels in this popular recreation area.

These activities will specifically focus on the reduction of excessive understory tree densities and surface fuel loads previously managed with prescribed fire.

"One hundred years of fire exclusion in Lassen Volcanic National Park has resulted in overly dense and unhealthy forest areas," said Park Superintendent Darlene Koontz. "In the absence of surface fires, shade-tolerant white fir have formed dense thickets crowding out old growth pines, aspen stands, and understory shrub and grass vegetation. The process will reduce oldgrowth mortality rates, promote a more varied stand structure, and restore and protect wildlife habitat."

The Northwest Gateway Forest Restoration project is composed of six areas with a total treatment area of up to 2145 acres.

In early February weather permitting, mechanical thinning will begin in two of the six areas totaling approximately 500 acres.

Should the park receive a significant amount of snow, the project may be postponed for the season.

The overall restoration goal of this treatment strategy is to reestablish a fire adapted forest landscape by restoring a more resilient, diverse forest structure.

Once the forest structures and/or surface fuel profiles have been restored, natural and prescribed fire applications can be utilized to further restore, enhance and maintain the system without further use of mechanical equipment.

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Lassen Volcanic National Park restoration

A brief daytime break from freezing temperatures is breaking pipes across the Sound.

In Kenmore, restoration crews were prepping to pull out insulation and ceiling tile from three spaces that flooded Thursday evening.

"There's like a 6-inch wall of water throughout 50 feet of space there that came rushing out." Said James Mahar, who has a chiropractic office a few doors down. He was at work when the manager of an empty space found a pipe, broken in five places, was flooding the building.

"I've been in this building 20 years and I've never seen anything like that." He said.

Daniel Wright has. This is the sixthcall out for his cleaning and restoration crew this week.

"It can be tens of thousands of dollars. It's a lot of money." Said Wright.

Water in a pipe freezes and expands to a diameter wider than the pipe itself, causing it to break. When temperatures thaw out, the water rushes out.

Residents were close to a catastrophe at an Issaquah home where the exterior pipe to a garden hose froze. Weld marks show where the pipe was fixed the last time it burst. This time, the plumbers were called in time to flush the ice out.

"This more than a success on the customer's part. No damage was done." Said Kris Jones, with Steves Plumbing.

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Frozen pipes flood spaces

Lawn Sprinkler System Contractor, Irrigation Systems in Bradenton FL 34210
Bayko Irrigation is an Irrigation Equipment Supplier in Bradenton, FL, that has been serving the community for many years. We specialize in Irrigation System...

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