June 3, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

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Veteran subscriber? You know I do this from time to time.

Two Friends Sent To Heaven Too Soon

Do you live in Watauga County, NC - more specifically the hamlet of Boone, NC? Then you know where this is going.

Four days ago, two friends and peers of mine, Audri and Jim Lanford, died instantly when their home exploded. The story made the national news.

Heavy rain the days before the tragedy caused a landslide above their home.

The rest is speculation because I've not seen an official detailed written report from the Watauga County Sheriff, and don't know if one will ever be issued.

I'm reasonably sure, because of the remote location of their home, they heated with propane. Based on the photography available to me, it's my guess the propane tank was on the side of the home that faced the hillside.

You typically put propane tanks someplace out of sight. They're not the most attractive things after all.

I'm surmising the ground slipped pushing the tank towards the house. This could have caused the gas line that entered the home to be pushed farther indoors. This movement could have somehow fractured the gas line and the full flow of gas began.

Study the photo to imagine what kind of force it takes to blow apart a house at the seams and cause the destruction you're about to see. Sadly it all could have been prevented with a $50 +/- automatic gas shut-off valve.

These valves are made to sense the unnatural FULL FLOW of gas through the line. When that happens, the valves SHUT OFF THE FLOW.

You can CLICK HERE to see an enlarged version of the photo.

You can CLICK HERE to read the tragic local news story.

RIP Audri and Jim!

I appreciate all you taught me even though I was not as diligent as you were at implementing all of your knowledge.

I'm going to write up a better story with a few illustrations for you explaining why the landslide happened. Once again, my geology degree comes in handy.

What's your primary takeaway?

You need to find out ASAP if you can have an automatic gas shut-off valve installed on your gas line. If you live in an earthquake zone, you probably already have one.

Some other accident or ??? could cause a ruptured gas line inside your home. Why take a chance? Why not install a valve that could SAVE YOUR LIFE or those of your LOVED ONES?

It doesn't matter if you use natural gas or propane. If you use propane, you can call your local propane supplier to see if they offer these valves.

Plumbers usually do this work. CLICK HERE now to get free bids from local plumbers about installing an automatic gas shut-off valve if you'd rather take that route.

Your secondary takeaways should be:

Bury all the hatchets you may have lurking in your life
If your primary focus is not family and friends, make it so
Create or update your last will and testament
Get rid of all that clutter in your home
Carpe Diem

Countless Revised Columns

I've been very busy the past couple of weeks revising old columns. I've written so many columns over the years, I've FORGOTTEN some of the ones that could really help you.

I've gone to great lengths to locate fantastic videos about the topics. Each revised column has at least one video in it. Some columns have multiple amazing videos for you.