American Clay Product Introduction

Coming soon to Olive Branch! Would love to see all you creative types play in the mud!!!

American Clay Product Introduction

Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters

I get asked my opinion on what I would suggest for a water heater, Tank or Tankless.
In this blog entry I will evaluate this often asked question.

A 40 gallon water heater typically has a 40,000 btu output. A tankless water heater to replace a 30 or 40 gallon water heater has 199,000 btu output. This means you need to upsize your gas line to 1" or 1 1/4" for an inside install or install an exterior tankless right next to your gas meter and run a very short 3/4" gas line. I'll just say right now that I would only recommend a tankless if it is installed outside next to the gas meter. This method of installation results in zero venting costs and more space for the inside.

My #1 recommendation is to go with a 40 gallon tank water heater. 40 gallon is a more popular size, so the cost difference is not that much more than the 30 gallon. We import 90% or more of our water in San Diego, and the conveyance system crosses over 2 fault lines. If we had a serious earthquake and our water lines broke, you would then also have 40 gallons of stored drinking water instead of just 30 gallons.

Water is the deal here in San Diego. My customers often tell me they will put buckets under their faucets to catch the cold water coming out of the hot water line until hot water finally comes. (I don't like this because slip, trip and falls are a serious risk in a bathroom and water is 8 lbs a gallon)

Contrary to popular belief, a tankless water heater saves gas, not water. Tankless water heaters are noisy, so if outside next to the bedroom or kitchen window, you will likely be annoyed or distracted. Tankless water heaters do not produce instant hot water. You will have an average of 45 seconds of cold water coming out of your hot line, which is the same for a tank water heater. However, a recirculation pump will improve your hot water time with a tank water heater.

I hope this blog helps anyone who is looking for information on which type of water heater is best for their particular needs!

Lisa
Olive Branch G

thank goodness for family!

This week we were so happy to have our nephew Kevin visit to see Olive Branch. Besides enjoying the company of family, we got to show Kevin the store he invested in back when we were scraping together dollars to start up. He scraped his own dollars up and felt that green building was a great way to invest. Although the money was something we desperately needed, the faith that we were doing something he believed in was even more important to us. Having someone that believed in us propelled us and still does. Every customer and friend that is behind us keeps us going. Moreover, using our own savings and retirement was a risk but we felt a huge responsibility to the dollars given to us by someone we love. We still do. ( We're waiting for Kevin's sister Tammi to come out and see her part of the store too.) Kevin lives in hard-hit Detroit and can see that things need to be done differently. We were so proud to show him what we're doing and what's going on here at the store. And someday we hope those investment dollars translate into a payoff!

lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

Andrew Laskey

Today Andrew Laskey is going to work his last day with Olive Branch. He has another job that he worked 30 hours a week for
and they have now hired him full time. I am happy for Andrew because he will have greater challenges and the opportunity to
show off more of his skills. I can't say enough about Andrew. He helped launch Olive Branch Green Building Supply to another level. I am so appreciative for all your hard work Andrew. One day when Olive Branch needs a full time web designer and graphic designer I hope you will be available to negotiate with.
Andrew rides his bike to work everyday. He leaves North Park and rides up that darn hill behind the Padre stadium and out to the Kearney Mesa area. He is the shining example of taking action to do things differently. Thanks Andrew and Best wishes to you always. Lisa

Cost of Water

The cost of water is due some respect.
I have given a few talks on The California/San Diego water system. Where it comes from, where it is stored, how its supplied, what it affects, and the importance of the Delta Smelt, the fish that tell us how healthy are water system is. I have always loved water. To swim, bathe, play in, and pipe to.
I love the rain, waterfalls, and bird baths. I became a Journey Level Plumber in 2000.
I really have 1 sentence I wanted to say in my blog. I'm just using filler info right now and I will write that sentence
in a few.
In 1980 I was really interested in "Disaster Preparedness" I wanted to help people be able to sustain
themselves in the event of a crises or natural disaster. I went to a few shows with the local fire departments that
gave lectures on safety. And I sold goods at those shows like a wrench you would tie to the gas and water shut off valves so it would be right where you needed it. I learned back then that 90% of our water is imported and the piping system that brings it to us passes over "Fault Lines". So if we had a large enough Earth Quake are supply can be cut off.
So we all know the importance of water. But do we really know the price???
Well I don't really want to pay more but I was shocked when I learned how cheap our water is. No wonder it is wasted so
carelessly by some.
1 gallon of San Diego Water costs 1/3rd of a penny. The price increase will bring it to 2/3 rds of a penny.
This life saving, life giving product needs some some respect. What if we were charged what bottled water costs.
$1.20 per gallon??? Do you think water might earn its respect then!

What an Earth Day Week!!

Last week, Lisa was out visiting her mom in the hospital (who is going home today or tomorrow; thanks for all the well-wishes) while the rest of us did our best to hold down the fort here at Olive Branch. I could not have done it without the help of our dear employee Andrew (who will be leaving Olive Branch to accept a full-time web design position with a raise and benefits - a loss for us but we are so happy for him) and our customers-of-the-decade Kim and Dean.

Kim & Dean worked the Earth Day Festival booth at Balboa Park along with Ramon from our partner Living Green Design Solutions and, no kidding, they all did a better job promoting Olive Branch than I did. They were out there for 10 hours (!) raising awareness about sustainable materials, telling people how to get to our store, and most of all laughing and having a good time (for example, let's talk pros and cons of using UltraTouch recycled denim insulation for bedding). It was a great positive and supportive event and I'm pretty sure the projected 60,000 to 70,000 people all showed up!

Earlier in the week, I filled in for Lisa at the Jack-in-the-Box corporate office Earth Day event (and got free fries and a Jack pen) and had a great time talking with many people who told me that they had no idea how many sustainable products are actually readily available right here in San Diego. And as I speak, Lisa is doing another in-house corporate event at San Diego Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities in Kearny Mesa.

The word is getting out and you all are spreading it. More and more people are hearing about Olive Branch and we have only been open a little over a year with absolutely no advertising. We would not be surviving if people didn't want to buy eco-friendly materials and products. And guess what; they do!

Lynn

co-owner Olive Branch Green Building Supply