Home Improvement Information


Mexico: Who Farted?


Do you have embarrassing gas problems? Do you find this problem creeping up on you when you least expect it? I bet not.

If you have lived in the United States all your life, I bet you've never seen a gas main or line and have just taken it on faith that it is there pumping gas into your house. The same with water. How many of us would shudder at the thought of not being able to get a refreshing drink from the tap whenever we wanted it?

In Mexico, it is a part of everyday life that you have no gas lines leading into the house nor can you drink water from the tap. That's just life here.

What we depend on are these screaming men who walk through the streets from early in the morning and until late at night calling out,

"Gas!" or "Agua!" (water)

These gas and water servicemen are those on whom every resident in the country of Mexico depends to bring these two vital components of our existence. I don't know what we would do without them.

How it works is that your gas for heating and cooking comes in two four-foot-high tanks. These bellowing supermen will carry these tanks on their backs to where your outside connection is and replace the empties with newly filled ones. They test to see whether there are any leaks and off they go to their next customer.

Having never had to deal with such a setup, I had to have "gas lessons" from my landlady who took no end of pleasure in instructing the poor, ignorant gringo in how to turn on the gas tanks. What happens is that one day you will have hot water and the next day you will not. Whoops! Time to change the tanks.

Since there are two tanks, you have to switch from the empty one to the full one by turning off the valve on the empty one, pushing a lever to open the line, and turning on the valve on the full tank. Once both are empty, you have to wait for the street patrolling gas guy to happen by and get his attention. Or, you can call the gas company and they will make an appearance--eventually. Sometimes these men (and they are always men) will be wonderfully musical in their plaintiff cry, "Gas!" One guy, I swear, sounds like he is calling out, "Gas! Get your nice and friendly gas!" But, of course, he isn't.

Judging when you need more gas is easy. Doing the water is not. How many of us know how many times a day we would hit the tap in America for a cool drink? Who counts? That made the potable water issue a little harder to judge.

At first, we were using three five-gallon jugs a week, but that wasn't enough. Therefore, we went to four, which suited us fine. It is hard to decide how many jugs are enough at first. To complicate matters, the water guys in our first neighborhood would not come by daily and sometimes we ran out of water!

To get a refill of gas is cheap. Two tanks will cost $480.00 pesos and will last about three months. Water, in the five gallons jugs, will run $18.00 pesos each. We were spending $160.00 pesos a month for purified water.

You can hear the cries of these servicemen all over the city. They are out, rain or shine, to make sure that you don't run out of water and that the embarrassing gas problem won't catch you unaware.

Expatriates Doug and Cindi Bower have successfully expatriated to Mexico, learning through trial and error how to do it from the conception of the initial idea to driving up to their new home in another country. Now the potential expatriate can benefit from their more than three years of pre-expat research to their more than two years of actually living in Mexico. The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico answers the potential expatriate's questions by leading them through the process from the beginning to the end. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn not only how-to expatriate but will learn what to expect, in daily life, before coming to Mexico.BUY BOOK HERE: http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581124570


MORE RESOURCES:

24dash (press release)

Simplified home improvement rules introduced
BBC News
New regulations have come into force to make it easier for Scots to make changes to their homes. The move means many home improvements will be able to go ahead without planning permission. Projects including extensions, sheds and garages will not need ...
Scotland eases planning rules to boost buildersThe Construction Index
Scotland: planning rules eased for home improvements24dash (press release)

all 4 news articles »


PerezHilton.com

'Home Improvement' kid suspected of driving stoned
San Jose Mercury News
(Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images) BURBANK -- The actor who played the youngest brother on "Home Improvement" was arrested Wednesday in Burbank on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, police said. Taran Noah Smith, 27, was arrested ...
"Home Improvement" actor Taran Noah Smith arrested for DUI, reports sayCBS News
Former Home Improvement Child Star Taran Noah Smith Arrested for DUI and Drug ...E! Online
Whoops! Home Improvement's Taran Noah Smith Arrested For Drugs!PerezHilton.com
Huffington Post -The Hollywood Gossip
all 28 news articles »


New York Daily News

Home Improvement Star Arrested for DUI, Drug Possession: Report
People Magazine
By Tim Nudd Taran Noah Smith, who played youngest child Mark Taylor on the '90s sitcom Home Improvement for eight years, was arrested early Wednesday for DUI and drug possession, according to a report. Smith, 27, was arrested around 1 am in Los Angeles ...
'Home Improvement' actor arrested on suspicion of DUI in BurbankLos Angeles Times
'Home Improvement' kid busted on drug chargeNew York Daily News
'Home Improvement' Star Arrested For DUI, Drug PossessionLong Island Press
Fox News -The Daily Blabber from iVillage -TheCelebrityCafe.com
all 139 news articles »


The Consumerist

Home Improvement Projects To Warm Up Cold Rooms
The Consumerist
A quick home improvement project can make the room more livable. Family Handyman has several ideas to help you warm things up. Here are a few: * A toe-kick heater. A type of space heater you'll need to wire in to your main electrical panel, ...



NARI Home Improvement Show set for State Fair Park
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The best place might be at the 50th Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show to be held Thursday through Sunday in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. The show includes hundreds of exhibitors offering home improvement advice, products and ...



HOME IMPROVEMENT INNOVATI
Quad-Cities Online
Today is Sunday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2012. There are 330 days left in the year. 1862 -- 150 years ago: Town collectors are required to return their books to the county treasurer on the 14th. People should pay up, now, as fast as possible, ...

and more »


Whole-home display planned for Eastern Iowa Home Improvement and Landscaping show
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
WATERLOO --- Nearly 175 exhibitors will showcase the latest project ideas for the home, lawn and garden at the 61st Annual Eastern Iowa Home Improvement and Landscaping Show, Friday through next Sunday. The event takes place at the Five Sullivan ...



Home improvement hits wall for homeless shelter
Sussex Countian
By Christine Miller On Jan. 18, officials from the Sussex Community Crisis Housing Services found themselves rejoicing in the Georgetown Planning Commission's decision to approve a request for a conditional use permit that would allow the facility to ...

and more »


Home improvement for your health
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By (ARA) (ARA) - When considering home improvements, people tend to choose projects that will improve the value of their home. While this is important for a healthy bottom line, investing in the health of those living inside the home also is a ...

and more »


O'Fallon has loans available to improve homes
STLtoday.com
With 10 spots available in its home improvement program, the city of O'Fallon is encouraging homeowners to find out if they qualify for help with home repairs. The city has forgivable five-year loans of up to $5000 available for help in addressing code ...


Google News

home | site map
© 2007