Our local solar expert, Brian Milholland, stopped by the Approved Home Show to talk about some of the cutting edge technology that Sunpower by Milholland Electric has developed to help you get the most out of solar panel installation on your home. It is a free service that helps estimate how many solar panels you will need and tells you what savings will come from making the switch from electric. Best of all you can do it from your phone or the comfort of your home.

How much water do you use vs. how much are you wasting? Mike Lee, our local plumbing expert from Mr. Rooter, stopped by Approved Home Pros to offer some money saving tips and recommendations to eliminate those high water bills.

Airborne illnesses and viruses has been a prevalent topic lately. Bob Briley, from We Care Heating Plumbing and Air, came in to give his expert advice on what you, as a home owner, can do to improve the indoor air quality of you house.

Our local lumber expert, Tyler Wood from La Mesa Lumber & Hardware, stopped by to offer some tips about custom milling for your home improvement projects. Whether it is restoring a patio or matching existing siding of an old home, most unique jobs can be completed with custom milled pieces from our trusted local professional.

Sometimes you don’t know if you have termites, until it’s too late. That’s why termite inspections are a great way to keep your home safe! Ecola Termite and Pest discusses the benefits of termite inspections.

Details on ‘Termite Inspections’

[Jordan] hi I’m Jordan Frazier and today sue frees the termite lady is here to explain the reality that we face in termites here in Southern California and what it is that you can do about it sue thanks for coming in today

[Sue] thank you for having me I always enjoy coming in and visiting and sharing your mother approved expertise

[Jordan] I really love hearing everything we can learn from you how prevalent is the termite problem here in Southern California

[Sue] well it termites do more damage combined earth than any natural disaster

[Jordan] that’s a lot of damage

[Sue] as a lot of things probably every home is at risk for yes it’s not a matter of if it’s just a matter of when

[Jordan] so when should we get a termite inspection

[Sue] every three years is really a good idea or if you see evidence of okay so if you see evidence of well I wouldn’t

[Jordan] back up real second to you if it’s every three years but also if you can’t remember the last time you’ve had one that means it’s time every time and Ecola will offer you a free service so it’s always good to do it and you’ll just have peace of mind

[Sue] yes

[Jordan] fantastic thanks so let’s talk about those warning signs then if you said if we need an inspection if we see signs what would those signs be

[Sue] multicolored coffee grounds around windows around your garage door is a good shirttail sign that you have a termite problem swarmers is another possibility they are looking for a home and it could be your home and so you definitely want to call us and have us take care of it

[Jordan] yeah absolutely

[Sue] if you see any of those signs you want to take advantage of that free inspection is it always free

[Jordan] is there ever a time it’s a paid inspection

[Sue] if we have to do the certification that follows it’s costing us more to do it and so yes we do charge if you’re doing an escrow refinancing then we would have to charge

[Jordan] so when we’re talking about any kind of real estate transactions that’s very typical to have a fee that goes along with it

[Sue] absolutely

[Jordan]  and then of course Ecola has all of them other approved treatments quickly you can take care of any termite problem no matter what someone’s facing right

[Sue] we have all the tools in our toolbox so no matter what the situation is and no matter what your concerns are we can we can deal with it personally with you and we do an inspection we will tell you what your options are what the cost is and what the pros and cons are so that you can make an educated decision to get the right treatment for your family for your home and make sure it’s fitting with what works for your lifestyle

[Jordan] absolutely they have so much so do not underestimate the importance of a termite inspection get your free inspection from Ecola today

When you remodel your pool, you want to make sure it will stay beautiful and new for as long as possible. Gardner Outdoor & Pool Remodeling discusses tips to avoid scale and algae. Turn in to learn more!

Details on ‘Scale & Algae’

[Sean] After remodeling your pool, it’s important to understand how to maintain it because there’s some issues that can come up if you don’t. Mark from Gardner Outdoor & Pool Remodeling is here to help us understand some major issues. What are those ones that can happen for us?

[Mark] You can develop scale or algae.

[Sean] Let’s dive into each of those. What is scale?

[Mark] Scale is calcium deposits that have attached themselves to the wall or the floor of the pool, or the tile line.

[Sean] And what’s the cause of that?

[Mark] Improper chemical balance, low PH, chlorine or even salt if you have a salt water pool.

[Sean] So letting the pool water get away from you is basically what happens.

[Mark] Yes, exactly. Improper water chemistry can cause all kinds of problems.

[Sean] And that’s a very hard thing to do. When I had a pool I felt like I was riding a bucking broncho trying to keep my pool water in balance.

[Mark] Exactly, that’s why a lot of people hire professionals to take care of their pools. It’s a constant battle.

[Sean] And how long does it take for that to build up?

[Mark] It can happen pretty quickly in weeks and then all of a sudden you’re dealing with a mess.

[Sean] And what’s the solution to this?

[Mark] Well you can sand the pool or there are solutions that you can put into the pool to remove it, depending on how bad it is. You might have to lower your water level and refill it in order to change the chemistry.

[Sean] But it can be handled, it’s not the end of the world. What about algae?

[Mark] Algae is a growth inside of your pool, it’s just like it sounds like. There’s different kinds. There’s black, green, yellow and brown.

[Sean] Is one worse than the other?

[Mark] Black is the worse. Black grows roots so it actually goes through the finish and into the shell of the pool and it attaches itself there so it’s very hard to get rid of.

[Sean] Does it cause damage to the pool wall?

[Mark] Yes, it can. Algae also isn’t good for your health and it looks terrible and it’s ruining your finish.

[Sean] So, it’s lessening the length of the life of that finish. What’s the solution to algae? Just keeping your water in proper balance?

[Mark] So black algae you really have to cut out that spot and dig into it as far as it goes. And try to remove it. Some people will use a pipe and put chlorine directly on it, but really the best thing is to remove it. But the other kinds, you can actually shock the pools. Which is a lot of chlorine and that can help.

[Sean] Thanks Mark! So there are solutions. Call Gardner Outdoor and Pool Remodeling to

help you today.

Everyone wants to give their furry friends the best. Dreamgardens is here to help with their artificial turf that is pet friendly! Discover why you and your furry friend will love this turf.

Details on ‘Perfect Turf for Pets’

[Sean] it’s a common misconception to think that turf is not a great fit for household pets with the right products and installation it can be a perfect fit that’s why sergio from Dreamgardens is here to explain all about it a little spoiler alert I have turf and pets and I think the two go together perfectly and they do they do definitely yeah I I’ve never had any odor issues and I’ve never had any better time not wiping up mud being crepe taped into my house it’s soft all those issues but what are the keys to making sure that there are no odor issues

[Sergio] first well first of all we have to choose soprano than is right for pets usually smaller pile products works better easier to clean but once we go past that selection the next step is to decide what type of infield are we gonna use for for your turf and the number one product that we recommend that we use it’s called zeofill which is a natural product that it’s supplied on top of the turf if you pour it on and then work it in

[Sean] so it doesn’t stay on top

[Sergio] correct it does it is supplied on top of it to have like this and the amount of seal feel that we apply depends on the size of the dogs what does it do so this is going to act like a magnet to attract those ammonia gases which is what we smell in urine so those are going to be trapping this product once it rains and we have sodium ions those sodium ions are going to release the gases and refresh your turf so every time it rains you get a whole refresh system basically and the zeofill lasts for very long times and lasts forever

[Sean] yes are there other concerns that people have with turf and pets heat around there other clauses a concern I’ve heard of times heat there can be a source of concern but I don’t think it’s a problem

[Sergio] most dogs don’t have a problem with heat especially my dog just loves to lay down and he loves the warmth of the product

[Sean] that was exactly what I found they love to go out there and lay in it was where their favorite environment so the main thing I think is to have the right consultation with the right company that can guide you to how to have that insulation what you need for your pets

[Sergio] correct you need to have a good conversation with your sales consultant he’s can explain the options on the product and on the info how much infield needs to go depending on the size of your pants and it is our artificial turf is a great solution for pets take it for me

[Sean] I just love it I know dream Gardens will steer you the right way to get your perfect pet turf with zeofill from dream Gardens call them at six one nine five hundred seven four one four or find them at approved home proz.com

Like any lawn, you want to maintain it and make sure it’s clean. Dreamgardens provides a quick, easy tip on how to keep your artificial turf clean.

Details on ‘How to Keep Turf Clean’

[Sergio] hi my name is Sergio del Rio I’m with Dreamgardens and my quick tip of the day is how to keep your turf looking great year long one of the things that we recommend is power blooming your turf and that’s something you can do twice a year you can give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide that service for you or you can also do it yourself and that’s a great way of giving life to your turf

Showrooms are a great way to really get a feel for a product before making the decision to install it in your home. Best Value Glass has a beautiful, newly finished showroom with countless window and custom glass options. Tune in to learn more!

Details on ‘Window and Custom Glass Showroom’

[Jordan] when you’re taking on a home-improvement a showroom can be a really great way to get hands-on with the products that you’re gonna put in your home when it comes to windows doors and anything glass related best-value glass is the place to go and they just finished their brand new showroom so I’m here with Steve Walsh the owner where we’re looking at all the windows and doors available right now including this beautiful massive like wide-open door that we can have

[Steve] yeah we have everything that you can want in vinyl aluminum fiberglass and wood we have this multi slide door we also have lock cantina doors that will open up your home so we have a lot of customs options colors energy-efficient options screen options and those go from everything from your regular size window all the way to those multi sliding doors yes and we different brands that we can choose from as well we have a lot of different brands

[Jordan] and you can choose what’s right for your home so you want to come around the showroom check out the different colors styles see how they operate because these are fully installed windows it makes such a difference when you come out and look around and operate the windows

[Steve] we have you know in this room there’s a lot but we also have around the show around the business we have windows that worked and the staff is ready to help you figure out what colors styles and meet those energy efficiency codes that you need yes

[Jordan] best value glass also has everything you need for custom glass work whether it’s in your shower or a glass door throughout your house tell me about this half of the showroom

[Steve] so this is our mostly our shower door part of the showroom but we also have a lot of different things in here a lot of options on glass choices and different options for your shower also different hardware colors we can do so we can do a certain to handle and the color you want and we can show you pretty much anything you want in a shower door in this room

[Jordan] yeah and then I mean so there’s some end on display here but that’s just really a small offering of what’s possible because everything when it comes to showers is completely customizable

[Steve] we can customize just about anything we make sure it’s safe and then we can do pretty much whatever you want

[Jordan] yeah you’ll see examples from regular traditional slider doors to those beautiful barn style door and then all the different hardware’s to match and how does this value glass help everyone just decide what’s great for them

[Steve] it’s a consultation process so somebody can come in and either give us a picture or a little drawing or an idea what they want I want you know a lot of glass I want you know a steam shower whatever the whatever it is you want and then we can show you what it’ll look like

[Jordan] and they’ll work with you so you want to head down to the best eyeglass showroom today they’re in Lakeside open Monday through Friday call them to make an appointment or just head on down