Rebuilding Bridges on an Island: Culligan Men Make a Pledge

WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA - If Whidbey Islanders have questions about their water, they have new Culligan Men to call. Michael J. Nesheim of Culligan in Snohomish, King, and Island Counties, and Eric Clarke of Culligan in Whatcom, Skagit, and Island Counties, together will be servicing all islands in Island County – including the San Juan Islands.

After a previous Culligan dealer left the area, the Nesheim and Clarke dealerships wanted to work together to find solutions for the area’s water issues. Clarke’s dealership handles everything north of Coupeville, and Nesheim’s dealership is responsible for everything in and south of the town.

Both dealerships welcome all unresolved issues left by the previous dealer.

“Problem solving is our forte and an honor; it gives us an opportunity to help right a wrong and build new relationships,” states Nesheim. “Being available is the first step – good, old-fashioned communication is the next. Followed with expert service and a smile, those traits usually lead to jobs well done and clients who are eager to refer their friends and neighbors.”

Whidbey Island’s water treatment issues vary depending on the water source; city or well. Nesheim explains that most of the well water and municipal or ‘city’ water supplies deliver relatively ‘hard’ water to their customers. Additionally, most wells on the island have other water problems ranging from orange and brown staining (iron and manganese), to Coliform bacteria and hydrogen sulfide - usually the cause of a “rotten egg” smell in hot and/or cold water.

“Our solutions to these problems also range depending on the number of problems, and the clients interest in solving them. Our dealerships both offer a ‘Water Walk-Through™’ service, which includes accurate on-site testing, as well as reviews on plumbing, water-using appliances, fixtures and water heaters,” says Clarke. “Based on the water testing results, we offer appropriate, applicable recommendations for every client.”

The Culligan brand is synonymous with service, and we are eager to bring that quality back to the residents of Island County,” says Clarke. “This is our community too, and our company is committed to maintaining high levels of excellence. The Culligan Man is back, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re here to stay.

Our First Twitter-generated Blog Post!

Tweet. Drink. Repeat.

The Culligan Man loves the social media movement – for a few reasons. First off, the sheer amount of information keeps us better educated and better connected. News pours through my Tweetdecks like water over Niagara Falls. Secondly, it allows Culligan to ask consumers what’s important to them – and guess what? They answer. So in keeping with the invisible social media rulebook, it’s up to us to provide solid answers to consumer questions.

Now, I am proud to announce the unveiling of our first Tweet-generated blog post:

Twitter: @Local_Social
Where: Chicago
Question: “Do I really need bottled water in my home?"

Answer:

The Water Wise Guy crew will respond with a little help from our friends, a.k.a the Culligan dealers from around the continent. We’ll chime in to emphasize a point here and there.

From Steve Rangel, Rock Valley Culligan

There are a few variables to take into consideration when it comes to bottled water. There is a difference between need & want. Depending on the water source, i.e. well water, municipal water, etc you may be better off with bottled or reverse osmosis water.

The best way to find out would be through a water analysis.

(WWG thought: Private wells serving less than 25 people are not covered by the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act. Arsenic and nitrates are fairly common contaminants in the Midwest, and it’s up to the individual to test, so bottled water offers a worry-free drinking water option.)

Paul Moorman from Culligan in Belleville, Ontario breaks down why he has bottled water in his home:

This is in addition to just drinking great tasting water.

- I use it in my ice cube trays – makes harder, clearer cubes that last longer and don’t mess with the taste of the drink I put them in.

- My wife uses it in her iron to prevent blocking the steamer.

- It keeps our coffee maker clean and working better. And the coffee tastes better too!

My dog likes it better than our tap water!

(WWG: They can talk to dogs in Canada.)

- I sure can’t get high quality drinking water when I’m on the go. Only bottled water lets me do that. Having it at home to fill re-usable bottles saves time and money!

- My daughter fills her eco-friendly stainless steel bottle with mineral free, high quality Culligan water for her high school basketball games.

Canadian Culligan Dealer Helps Winter Wonderland

This article is from last year, but gives you a good flavor of the time and energy it takes to create these outdoor masterpieces. The bottom of the post is where you can find Culligan's role.

From the Ottawa Citizen
2008

For the past half dozen years or so, the National Capital Commission has stocked Winterlude with blocks of ice from a company called Iceculture, based in Hensall, Ont., just southeast of Goderich on the southeastern shore of Lake Huron.

Iceculture claims to be possibly the world's largest supplier of crystal-clear ice, and certainly North America's biggest. Each year, the company makes 25,000 blocks of ice for clients around the world. Apart from Winterlude, for example, the company recently hauled 90,000 kilograms of ice -- roughly enough to fill a school bus, and also the amount of water a fin whale draws in a single gulp -- to Dubai and then spent two weeks building an ice lounge, called Chill Out, inside a shopping mall. Next month, they'll head to Thailand to construct a similar one there.

This year, Iceculture will ship 1,800 blocks of ice to Winterlude, each weighing about 140 kilograms (300 pounds) and measuring 100 centimetres by 50 centimetres by 25 centimetres. That's enough ice to cover an NHL rink to a thickness of 15 centimetres. Its total weight of about 245 metric tonnes is roughly equivalent to four times the weight of all the players currently on NHL rosters.

But what makes the ice blocks clear?

According to Iceculture general manager Heidi Bayley, the secret is in the freezing process, which is designed to remove the trapped bubbles of air that typically make the ice cubes in your freezer so cloudy.

"It's very simple, but it's really sensitive," she says. "We have tanks that freeze the blocks from one side through to the other -- the cooling elements are on the bottom of the machine. At the same time, we circulate the water so that, as it freezes from one side, the circulation actually pushes any air out.

"The second thing we do," adds Bayley, "is we run it through an RO (reverse osmosis) system, a really giant Culligan water system that removes any impurities and minerals, such as calcium, which can add white spots to the blocks."