According to a chemist that worked for a manufacturer, when the salt gets wet chemical reactions begin to occur which can alter the final make up of the saltwater. I didn't ask exactly what happened, but when a chemist for the manufacturer tells me something I listen. I was also told the same thing by the lead aquarist at a public aquarium. I did notice once when I put the salt in the aquarium, added water and began mixing the salt with my hands the mix was warm to touch, warmer than the water I was mixing. I also noticed it dissolves better when you add it to the water vs. adding the water to it. I used to mix it 300 gallons at a time for the 5 systems at the wholesaler I worked for in a big vat using a PVC paddle. One time the kid we called "hoser" because his job was to siphon off the "stuff" on the bottoms of the freshwater aquariums put 2 150 gallon mixes in the vat and turned the water on, something definately happened. He had trouble getting the salt to mix and there was a really hard residue on the bottom of the vat when it was emptied.

Hi Jani: I originally thought that I had to have a Toto toilet. However, after looking at Toto toilets and trying them out in person, I'm not so convinced. At one local dealer, I had to flush the Toto dual-cyclone twice. Also, a skid mark is not acceptable, either. Here are my thoughts/desires: ~HET flush to get the local water company rebate ~map score of 800 or better ~single flush mechanism ~sanifloss finish for ease of maintenance ~soft close seat ~traditional looking (I like the looks of the Kohler Memoirs and Toto Soiree or Genevieve) ~moderately priced, not to exceed $450, less if possible Right now, I'm leaning towards the American Standard Town Square, it meets all of my conditions above. I found a two-piece with the soft close seat at my local plumbing store for $450. I don't know if that is a good price or not. I have heard that the soft close seats cost over $100 themselves, yikes! What are the relative benefits for a one piece versus a two piece toilet? I was surprised to learn that sometimes you have to buy each piece separately? Is the St. Thomas a one-piece or two-piece? I'll be interested in hearing about your experience once it's installed.

Haven't been out of the neighborhood, today--our annual block party has kept my pretty close to home. But I did fill up yesterday. We were coming home from the country house and saw that gas down there was about 3.23-5 a gallon. As we got closer to home, it was up to 3.35-3.39/gallon. Then we saw a Shell station (DH insists on using Shell because of the cleaner they add to the gas, that's supposed to make your engine last longer) that was--TA DAH--3.19/gallon. We pulled right in and had the attendant top off the tank (as I always mention--only full-serve in our state). We have found it interesting to follow the gas prices as we travel back and forth to the new house. It's not consistent at all--sometimes cheaper here, sometimes there, sometimes it's cheaper in the 'middle' of the 30 mile ride. We try to be aware of who's charging what, so we can get the best deal when we need to fill up.

Thursday on my way to work gas was 1.38 at one station, when I got off work it was cold and snowy and I didn't feel like stopping for gas. Yesterday morning it was 1.79.