Howard Pykles 100th Birthday!

Here’s a toast to the man I knew, revered and loved as ‘Papa’. This picture of Howard Pykles was taken of him doing one of the things he loved most. Pheasant Hunting. Although he passed 13th years ago at the age of 88, he taught me a thing or two about life, work, honesty, faith and just what it meant to be a good person during the time I was blessed to share with him as a young man. So here’s to the Founder of Pykles Remodeling and Repairs, my Grandpa and my friend. God Bless the good man who was, is and always will be Howard Pykles.

43 Years and still going strong…

Here’s a toast to my Old Man and Mom who have been together now for 43 years of married life today. I know that this is a blog for our business but the way I see it, our family wouldn’t be anything without the example these two have set in sticking things out even when they haven’t been easy. Mom and Dad, we love you and only hope that you continue to find the love and happiness in this life that you both wholeheartedly deserve.

When to Call a Plumber and when to Do It Yourself

Overflowing sink? Leaky Faucet? Broken Toilet? Using the SALT technique, you can quickly assess potential plumbing issues at your home, then determine what type of action is needed.

With this easy to remember system, you’ll know if you need a plumber or if you can make a DIY job out of it!

S – Shut off the water flowing to the appliance. Often, more water will aggravate the plumbing problem. Water valves are typically located just under the appliance. Occasionally, an older home will have just one water valve leading to all appliances. In this case, all water will need to be shut off. If you have a central valve like this, make sure to keep backup drinking water in your home. If you would like to learn more about your home’s specific water system, contact PYKLES REMODELING & REPAIRS.

A – Assess the problem and determine exactly what the problem is. Is just one appliance acting abnormally? Or are several appliances malfunctioning?

L – List all the problems you see and possible tools needed to fix this problem on your own, or tools that you will need. If too much needs to be fixed, or the problem requires an extreme amount of work, it is highly recommended to call an expert so as not to waste your time and hard-earned money.

T – Take action and determine if you can fix the plumbing issue yourself or if you need to call a plumber. Another important decision is to determine if you need to have the problem fixed immediately, or if you can wait until the morning. Are other appliances, such as another toilet, working and available for you to use? Whatever the issue may be, PYKLES REMODELING & REPAIRS is at your service with our super-charged 24-hour emergency services.

Pykles Remodeling & Repairs – 8348 Center Drive Suite A. La Mesa, California 91942 – (619) 463-1600 P – (619) 668-4683 F

 

5 Reasons Why You Need a Tankless Water Heater

Have you ever had a shower unexpectedly turn cold? Pretty unpleasant, isn’t it?  If you have ever ran out of hot water at home here are 5 reasons from Pykles Remodeling and Repairs illustrating why you need a Tankless Water Heater.

1) Continuous Hot Water –> A Tankless Water Heater heats water on demand. That means no storage or shortage of hot water.

2) Energy Savings –> A Tankless Water Heater can be up to 40% more efficient than a 50-gallon tank water heater. This means that our tankless units could save you up to 40% on your hot water energy bill!

3) Longer Lasting –> Tankless water heaters have a typical life of up to 20 years. This can be twice as long as a tank style unit.

4) Clean & Fresh Water –> With tankless you avoid using water that has been stored in a tank with accumulated rust.

5) Space Savings –> Tankless hot water heaters take up significantly less room than traditional water heaters. Mount on a wall or install indoors or outdoors.

With the versatility, longevity, efficiency and size of any tankless water heater, isn’t it time to upgrade? If you’re tired of running out of hot water or know someone who needs a tankless water heater call Pykles Remodeling and Repairs today.

Pykles Remodeling and Repairs — 8348 Center Drive Suite A. — La Mesa, California 91942 — (619) 463-1600 — pyklesremodeling.com

The Elevance Tub by Kohler

This bathtub is incredibly unique in both it’s styling and functionality. It is called the Elevance Tub and it is manufactured by Kohler. The door (or shall we say front wall) of the tub acts like a heavy counter-weighted elevator which has a pneumatic seal that contains water once it is placed in it’s full upright and locked position. But because the door is engineered with internal counter-measures to displace it’s own weight it becomes as light as a feather when any bather attempts to move it up or down.

This particular tub was recently installed by the team here at Pykles Remodeling and Repairs and we must admit that installing it was a new experience that we were happy to have learned from. This tub has given our customer a safer bathing experience by eliminating some of the hazards associated with bathing as we age. Namely entering and exiting the tub more easily by having a larger landing platform to pivot to and from eliminating worries of slipping, tripping or falling.

Beautifully crafted and styled with chrome trim and complete with a hydro-massage system which allows you to really relax, the Elevance sets the standard when it comes to universal design.

As we watch our loved ones age in place we find ourselves thinking differently about life’s routines. We here at Pykles are proud to say that we have made a difference in our customer’s lives by providing a them with a bathtub that has been engineered and designed with their safety in mind. It makes us happy to know that what we do makes a difference in the lives of our customers.

Let’s Talk Crap. Seriously. – Rose George – TED February 2013

This TED talk given by Rose George in Long Beach earlier this year is an insightful look into the value of clean water and waste management. Toilets are incredibly valuable when it comes to protecting the health of families, communities and the world. We hope that you take the time to watch this video in it’s entirety and appreciate the fact that indoor plumbing is indeed a luxury that most on this planet don’t yet enjoy.

The Time to Hesitate is Through

A Message from the Junior Pickle

Howdy!

And Welcome to the Pykles Family! Yes. That’s Right. I said Family. Since you have decided, or are considering doing business with Pykles you can expect a few things from each of us as Family as we move forward in helping improve whatever living space it is you and your Family call ‘Home’.

There’ve been times when I’ve personally called 8′ x 8′ shared rooms of trailers in Alaska home. Those certainly weren’t much of anything more than shelters from -30 degree weather, rain and bears mostly, but they had their own way of becoming ‘Home’ to me. And maybe you’ve had your fair share of ‘Home’ in different places too. But regardless of where or what it is you call ‘Home’, we understand and respect the fact that it holds a special place in your life and heart, and we thank you for inviting us to share in shaping that special place. 

To me, ‘Home’, is wherever I can sleep at night after a hard day’s work. It’s as simple as that being a bachelor. Home is just a place to sleep, eat and plan out what adventure I’d like to pursue next. But one day I hope to have a home that I can share with a Family of my own. And I hope that home will somehow encompass all the feelings and memories of the other homes that I came to love before it.

So again, whatever or wherever it is you call Home today, we thank you for trusting us with it. The Pykles Team knows what it means to be home. We know how your home can and should be for you and your Family, and we hope that we can help make those memories and moments a little sweeter by helping you build the house that you want to call home.

At Pykles we know that Life is good and that Home is where it happens. 

 

Tobias Pykles 

Operations Manager (aka. The Junior Pickle)

Pykles Remodeling and Repairs

8348 Center Drive Suite A. La Mesa, California 91942

(619) 463-1600 P (619) 668-4683 F

 

 

 

 

4 Easy Ways to Fix your own Toilet

We’ve all been there: 1 a.m. and the toilet is misbehaving. No one to call. What to do? You can be your own plumber with these quick tricks!

Few things are more inconvenient or irritating than a non-working toilet. Here are the best ways to deal with the most common toilet problems:

1. Clogs: First, try using a plunger. Make sure there is enough water in the bowl to cover the plunger’s suction cup and fit the cup as tightly as possible to the bottom of the bowl around the outlet. After a few quick, forceful pushes on the plunger. If the clog is still present after several attempts, try an auger (sometimes called a snake).

2. Constant running: Find the float inside the tank and lift its arm. If the water stops running, adjust the float position downward by bending the arm until it floats low enough to stop the fill mechanism on its own. If that doesn’t work, make sure there is no water in the float. If it leaks, it should be repaired or replaced. If the float seems to be working properly, check the flapper—it may be stuck open due to a short chain or an impediment.

3. Weak or partial flush: If the water level in the tank is below the fill line, adjust the float position upward by bending the arm until the tank fills all the way. If the water level is adequate, the check the flapper to make sure nothing is preventing it from opening all the way, such as a short chain to the flush handle.

4. Water outside the tank and bowl: Pour a small amount of food coloring into the tank and watch to see where the water is escaping. It could be caused by cracks in the fixture, loose fittings or malfunctioning seals. If no water escapes, the tank could be sweating due to humidity.

Pykles Remodeling and Repairs are your local experts for anything plumbing. If these quick fixes do not solve the problem, do not hesitate to call us to fix your plumbing emergencies!

(619) 463-1600

Why We Matter

        This is a picture of My Dad, Craig Pykles, outside of his Dad’s shop at 4611 University Avenue in San Diego back in 1952. My Dad was probably 7 years old in this picture and every time I see it, or any of the other pictures of our family business from back then, it gets me thinking. How have we been able to be in business for as long as we have?

       I don’t believe that our business has been around since 1946 simply because my grandpa was a shrewd businessman who wanted to make a dollar and a cent in the plumbing business with his brother-in-law. He wasn’t that kind of man and neither is my father. And having spent 16 years of my life around Howard Pykles and 29 years now around his son I’m pretty confident that we don’t do what we do because we love plumbing in San Diego.

      We don’t work in this business just because we want to plumb and remodel homes. So why is it that we have been able to do what we do, in the place that we’ve been able to do it, for so long? What makes us special, different, unique and valuable? Do we really care that much about plumbing, drains, faucets and drywall? Are we obsessed with keeping water heaters efficient and water from being wasted by leaks? What is it all about? Why are we even around?

       As I’ve asked myself these questions and spent a good amount of time now working in and around with my Dad, I’ve come to some conclusions of my own. Our business is about our customers. Not their wallets. Not their drains. And definitely Not their stopped up toilets. Those are gross. There has never been a time that I have honestly found myself or anyone I work with looking forward to doing half of the dirty grime jobs that we do. But we do them. Day in and day out, we DO them. Why? For an honest dollar? For the love of the job? Because we love snaking drains and clearing sewage out of pipes? No. It’s because we care about our customers and we care about each other because WE are Family. And as a Family, we treat everyone who works for us and with us as a part of that as well.

       From what I’ve learned it doesn’t take much to maintain a happy family. We treat each other with respect, celebrate each others accomplishments, learn from each others faults and have as much fun there is to have in working honest and hard in a business that is generally overlooked as a highly valuable service in society. We take pride in protecting the health of our customers who come to know us as family and we know that the services we provide may not cure people from health problems they may experience in life, but they surely work toward preventing those problems.

      This is why we are important. This is why we matter. I’ve come to see that We are important to our Family. Our Community, our State and our World depend on us to be there because we make a difference in the lives of those we are asked to serve. Sure what we do may not be stopping wars in Africa or be the cure for cancer, but I believe that what we are doing is just as important, because when we do our job we allow others to pursue the lives that they want as far as their passions and pursuits allow. This is why I love my family (both blood related and not) and why I love what we do. We Plumb. We Remodel. And We Serve. We are the Working Class American Heroes of Pykles Remodeling and Repairs and we will be around serving our community and Family as long as we are needed.

Our Founders

Luke Russell and Howard Pykles outside our original location at 4611 University Avenue circa 1952. Luke and Howard were not only business partners but brother-in laws as well. Luke married Howard’s youngest sister Mim who still lives in La Mesa today. Our business may have changed a bit over the years, but the thing that holds true is the fact that we are Family owned and operated. Today Luke and Howard’s sons, Steve Russell and Craig Pykles continue to serve their community as faithful La Mesa plumbers and contractors.