The Benefits of “Spring Cleaning” Your Water Heater

At Bill Howe Plumbing, we know that performing annual maintenance on your water heater is extremely important and can be easily done. Over the course of the life of a water heater, sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank. When the sediment builds up, the water heater has to use more energy to heat through the sediment and then heat the water. Additionally, the buildup takes up space within your water heater, reducing the amount of hot water your tank has room to hold. Flushing out your water heater will also improve the quality of your water.

The Process:
Flushing out your water heater is a straight forward process. First, shut off the water inlet to the heater. Then drain the water from the tank – you can do this a few different ways, the most efficient is by hooking up a garden hose to the hose bib at the bottom of the tank. Open the hose bib and let the tank drain. Once it’s drained, partially fill the water about a quarter of the way. Do this a few times and then you can fill up your water heater again.

Ventilation on Newer Water Heaters:
Water heaters that have been installed in the past eight years or less have been made with a vent that is located at the bottom of the water heater. That vent is used to bring in oxygen needed for the heating process. These vents can become filled with lint and debris and should be vacuumed out at least once a year. This can be done using a standard Shop-vac. The vent may need to be vacuumed out more frequently, depending on the location and environment of the water heater, i.e. water heaters in laundry rooms will need more attention than other locations.

Extending the Life of Your Water Heater:
Anode rods are the key ingredient in determining how many years your water heater will last. These rods, made of magnesium and structured around a steel core wire, are secured from the top of the water heater and run inside the length of the tank. The rods work in a sacrificial way in that corrosion will happen on the rods before the steel surface of the tank. By checking the condition of your anode rods and if necessary, replacing the corroded anode rods, you can extend the life of your water heater.

Performing this type of maintenance to your water heater can be the difference between a six year and 10 year lifespan of a water heater. If you have any questions about “Spring Cleaning” your water heater, call 1-800-BILL-HOWE, Because We Know Howe!

Howe Talented Are These Kids!

The Howe Healthy is Your Heart Drawing Contest has been going for a month and we’ve received some really great drawings so far. Click on the image below to check out the contest Flickr page and see the rest of the submissions. Need a contest entry form? Click here. Hurry, contest end April 29th!!

Howe Healthy is Your Heart Contest featured on CW’s San Diego 6

Tina Howe and Dr. Ostrander, Interventional Cardiologist with SHARP were on CW’s San Diego 6 to talk about the “Howe” Healthy is Your Heart Drawing Contest. There is still time to enter the contest – download the entry form here.

Bill Howe Sponsors 12th Annual Spring Harp Fest

The Bill Howe Family of Companies is a proud sponsor of this year’s Spring Harp Fest in La Mesa, CA at Harry Griffen Park on Sunday, April 23rd. The event goes from 12 PM to 7 PM.

Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. All donations go to supplying harmonicas to local schools through the Blues in the Schools program.

Bill Howe Plumbing’s very own Tom Safreed will be performing at the event! Check out the video of Tom and Harmonica John below to learn more about the event.

For even more information about Spring Harp Fest visit www.springharpfest.org.

How to Know if I Need My Air Ducts Cleaned

When not properly installed, maintained and operated, components of your heating and cooling system may become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris.  Some of these components include supply and return air ducts and registers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, and condensate drain pans (drip pans).

When is it necessary to get your ducts cleaned:

-        Upon inspection of the ducts, the registers have excessive amounts of dust, debris/particles and pet dander

-        Ducts infested with pests (rodents, insects, etc.)

-        To improve efficiency of your heating and air conditioning unit – air duct cleaning alone will not improve the efficiency of your unit, but should be done as you perform regular maintenance which should include a tune-up and filter change

-        Mold Growth: you can request a video inspection of the ducts to show you the mold. Be aware that although a substance may look like mold, it should be confirmed by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation

Things to consider when hiring a company for air duct cleaning:

-        Do not allow the use of chemical treatments or biocides unless you fully understand the pros and cons

-        Check references: ask to speak with satisfied customers to ensure they didn’t experience any problems with their HVAC system after the duct cleaning

-        Contact the San Diego Better Business Bureau to check the company’s rating and any existing or previous complaints regarding their business practices

-        Charges: if the company charges by the hour, request an estimate on the number of hours or days the job will take

Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning is a leader in San Diego air duct cleaning. We recommend cleaning your air ducts every 2 to 3 years or as you see needed using our recommendations above, changing your air filter twice a year, and scheduling an HVAC unit tune-up once a year.  The air duct cleaning process takes, on average, 2-4 hours and consists of using a combination of an air scrubbing brush and HEPA filtered vacuum.  HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) is a type of filter that can trap a large amount of very small particles that other vacuum cleaners would recirculate back into the air of your home.

It is normal for the return registers to get dusty as dust-laden air is pulled through the grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy deposits of dust or debris; the registers can be easily vacuumed or removed and cleaned. In order to best determine if you need an air duct cleaning is to have a camera inspection of your air ducts.

At Bill Howe Heating & Air Conditioning we want to make sure you have the most efficient running HVAC unit without enduring extra stress on your budget. While it’s important to take the necessary steps to make sure your heating and cooling system is ready for the next heat wave or cool season, we want to make sure you are aware of your options. Want to find out if you’re in need of an air duct cleaning or tune-up? Call us, because We Know Howe.

For more information or to schedule a duct cleaning or HVAC tune-up, call 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).

*Some of the information in this article is provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency

Take Part in National Wear Red Day!

This Friday, February 4th is National Wear Red Day – a national campaign that takes place every year on the first Friday of February. In an effort to educate workplaces and customers about women’s risk of heart disease and promote prevention of heart disease, businesses across the county participate and host their own Wear Red days. At Bill Howe Plumbing, Heating & Air we’ll be wearing red at our office and all of our technicians will be wearing a red ribbon in honor of the cause. We’d like to encourage you to wear red to work on Friday and ask your co-workers to do the same.

Why Go Red?
Because coronary heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women over age 25
Because while 1-in-30 American women die of breast cancer, more than 1-in-3 die from cardiovascular disease
Because there are 220,000 victims of sudden cardiac arrest occur at work

For more information about National Wear Red Day and heart disease, please visit www.heart.org/HEARTORG

Need a New Year’s Resolution? How About Having Clean Drains?

What better way to start the New Year than with clean drains! Okay…maybe you can think of a few better ways to start off the New Year, but as your plumber, we want to make sure you know about your drain cleaning options. Preventative drain maintenance is a great way to save money and reduce stress. When you schedule a routine drain cleaning, you are greatly reducing the chance that you’ll find yourself in a situation of having an emergency drain problem (like when you’re just about the leave for vacation or having guests over for the weekend!). You have several options to ensure that you get that peace of mind:

Snaking
This is a simple, yet effective way we provide drain cleaning. San Diego residents trust our experienced technicians that use a specialized cable (the snaking technique) which will effectively clear through most two inch and four inch drains to clear the obstructions in your sewer lines. You can also inquire about a whole house drain cleaning package. Packages include snaking of all of your two inch drains within your home, as well as your four inch main line.

Hydro-Jetting
Using the high-pressure water system, hydro-jetting is extremely effective in removing debris (including roots and grease) from your drain lines and providing you with the very best in drain cleaning. San Diego residents know the results of hydro-jetting lasts longer and also carry a longer warranty and that's why we are proud to offer this service. Using hydro-jetting on your 2 inch drain lines, specifically your kitchen drain, is ideal in removing that stubborn grease that builds up in the line over time. Hydro-jetting utilizes specialized nozzles powered by water up to 3,000 PSI to thoroughly clean drain lines. Specialized tools are also used to restore your drain line to its original diameter.

Sewer Camera Inspections
For those stubborn San Diego drain cleaning issues that keep happening to your sewer line, you can schedule a sewer camera inspection to find out exactly what is causing the issue and where that issue is. The sewer camera inspection includes a copy of the DVD, so you too can see what the issue is. We also have the technology to pinpoint exactly where the problem is so that you are also provided with an estimate to repair that issue.

Epoxy Sewer Lining
Also known as “drain-lining” this trenchless technology is the most effective way to make sure your San Diego drain cleaning service works well and your sewer lines do not continue to cause you problems. Using the sewer camera, your San Diego drain cleaning technician will first inspect the line to evaluate the drain system, properly diagnose the problem and offer you options for a permanent solution. After using specialized tools to restore the sewer line, a felt liner which is saturated with an epoxy mixture into the exact location needed to make the pipe repair. The liner (or bladder) is inflated, creating a pipe inside of a pipe. Once the epoxy is cured, the bladder is removed and your new pipe is ready to use.

At Bill Howe, we can also set up a preventative San Diego drain cleaning schedule that works for you. Visit us online at www.billhowe.com or call now to set up your maintenance schedule 1-800-BILL-HOWE (1-800-245-5469).