At Bill Howe, we know that no one enjoys the odor of rotting food rising from their garbage disposal. Many websites offer natural solutions for getting rid of garbage disposal odor, including the idea of grinding up lemons in the disposal. However, experienced San Diego plumbers like us know that this home remedy could have unexpected consequences.

A garbage disposal may chop a lemon peel into very small pieces. However, an experienced San Diego plumber will tell you that those pieces will eventually end up in your kitchen drain line, causing it to clog and back up. Putting lemon juice in the disposal for deodorizing is a better solution. However, use this method sparingly as the citric acid may eventually corrode your disposal’s metal parts.

The only way to prevent clogged and smelly garbage disposals is to use the disposal sparingly (put a little in at a time) and rise the disposal well after each use. In fact, our San Diego plumbers recommend running hot water with a small amount of bleach to thoroughly clean the disposal. Unfortunately, if your drain is already clogged, then no amount of hot water or bleach will eliminate the smell. If your garbage disposal is clogged, then it’s time to give Bill Howe Plumbing a call.

An experienced San Diego plumber from Bill Howe will come to your home and offer a free estimate to remove the clog. Once the location of the stoppage is determined, the technician can resolve the issue immediately. If the job is more complicated, like having roots or a broken line, or if you would prefer a formal estimate, then we are happy to write an estimate for you.

To schedule an appointment or receive a free estimate, please contact us at 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).

Many times we are asked how to choose a good plumber and one of the first things we advise is to find a reliable San Diego plumbing company before flooded bathrooms and other plumbing emergencies occur. When you’re faced with an emergency situation and you’ve never had to call a plumber before, you might not have the time to research the best and most qualified plumber in town and you might call out the wrong company. It’s best to do research for contractors such as a plumber, heating and air conditioning, and restoration and flood services company before you have an emergency. Lucky for you, we do it all!

A good way to find reputable San Diego plumbers is by researching customer reviews online and reading what they have had to say about their experience with a company.  It’s natural for mistakes to happen, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing for a company to have bad online reviews (as long as it’s not too many negative reviews). What you should judge the company by is how they handle those reviews. Did they respond to the customer to rectify the situation, did they respond to explain what happened in that particular situation. You want to put your trust in a company that will back up their work if anything goes wrong and not fight with you about what happened. The best way to know if you can trust a San Diego plumber is how they handle their online reputation.

Another factor when choosing a quality plumbing company is receiving a price for the work before the job begins. If possible, try to get a quote over the phone, or at least get the hourly rate. Keep in mind that all phone quotes will likely change since every job is different and it’s best to get an onsite estimate. However, you should check with the company first to see if there is a “trip charge” or any fee to send the technician out or a fee to provide the estimate. At Bill Howe Plumbing, we provide free onsite estimates as long as the job can be visually assessed and it is scheduled during regular hours. We don’t charge any “trip charge” so you can rest assured that if you’re shopping around to compare prices, you won’t have to use up have your budget.

Other tip to consider while choosing a San Diego plumber is to check awards received by both the industry and the community. There are many awards that plumbing companies can receive that show their commitment to their customers and to their community. Plus, when a company is consistently giving back to the community, you know that they are here to stay and that you’ll have a plumber that can back up their work for years to come.

Bill Howe’s numerous awards include the Better Business Bureau’s 2011 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics Finalist, National Contractor of the Year 2011 Award by the PHCC and Delta Faucet Co., San Diego Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award awarded to Bill Howe in 2011, “Best Places to Work Award Finalist by the San Diego Business Journal 2010 and 2011. Other awards include the San Diego Business Journal’s 2010 Family-Owned and Closely Held Business Award and the 2010Women Who Mean Business Award awarded to Tina Howe. The San Diego Rotary Club 33 also honored Bill Howe with the 2011 Heilbron Award for the company’s “pay-it-forward” spirit.

To schedule an appointment or receive a free estimate, please contact us at 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).

This Sunday we had the Healthy Heart Drawing Contest Kickoff Party at The New Children’s Museum. Check out some pictures from the event below or visit our Facebook page to see all of the pictures: www.facebook.com/billhowecompanies.

If you weren’t able to make the party and you have a child between the ages of 5 and 12 who would like to enter our drawing contest, visit www.billhowe.com/HealthyHeartsContest and download the entry form. Contest ends March 30th and the winner will be announced May 11th.

At Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., we strongly recommend that every home or business replace their current thermostat with an auto programmable thermostat, which will ensure both efficiency and convenience. Once you program the thermostat once, it is good to go so that you don’t have to worry about adjusting your thermostat when you’re away from home. Plus, with a good thermostat, you can save energy, cut down on your electric bill and even be notified when you need maintenance.

With an auto programmable thermostat, you will never have to remember to turn your system on or off because you can program it to come on at different times during the day. This is the easiest way to deal with your AC unit so that you aren’t wasting both your time and electricity.  After all, it takes a lot more energy to go from 55 degrees to 72 degrees than it does to go from 65 degrees to 72 degrees. Some systems will even tell you when you need to call for maintenance, which we would be happy to assist with.

 
According to California Code, the programmable thermostats are now required on any new installations or replacements. The reason for this is because of the mercury found in older thermostats which can do great harm to the human nervous system. Also, there is a significant danger in just throwing away old thermostats and that’s why Bill Howe Heating & Air, Inc. has teamed up with Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) to properly dispose of older thermostats.

 
At Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning, one of our highly trained, expert technicians can upgrade your system quickly and affordably. Additionally, we can help with the programming of your thermostat so you’re always comfortable, while lowering your electric bill all at the same time. Experience all the benefits of an auto programmable thermostat, and let us help!

 
To schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians, please contact us at 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).

Whether you’re on holiday and realized that you didn’t set your home’s thermostat to vacation mode, or you’re at the office and you’re having unexpected guests over and need the house cooled down or warmed up earlier than usual – you can do it all with a touch of your smart phone, tablet or PC.

Controlling you the temperature of your home is easier than ever before with new technology innovations. For example, Honeywell’s RedLINK™ Wireless Comfort Systems offer a full-suite of wireless-enabled comfort services. Features include remote access from a PC, smart phone or tablet, free app download, access to multiple systems and zones within your home, email alerts when the temperature or humidity limits are surpassed, and automatic upgrades. Honeywell also offers the Portable Comfort Control system, a portable thermostat so that you can adjust the temperature in your home where it’s most convenient for you, while also giving you all the information you need, like outdoor temperature and humidity, to help you make smart energy-related decisions.

Even if you have a very basic HVAC system, there are thermostats and other features that can be installed to give you what you want. You can then control the temperature, adjust settings and view what the temperature is in your house with just the click of a button and without even being there. You can even program your phone or tablet to give you alerts and warnings when something’s wrong with your system or when your system is due for a routine check-up.

Bill Howe can introduce you to all of the new systems that are available so that you can be as tech savvy as you’d like! We can show you the latest trends in technology,  including mobile apps and wireless products so that you can be on the cutting edge of technology and make smart energy decisions for your home.

To schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians, please contact us at 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).

Written by Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning Division Manager, Miguel Sanchez