Video: Differentiating Backflow Devices

Video: Strategic Solar Panel Placement

When it comes to installing solar panels on your roof, strategic placement can provide some added functional advantages. Today, we're in Canoga Park with Diamond Certified expert contributor, Top Ami Ty of NRG Clean Power, to learn more.

So, a lot of people are not aware, but the solar panels are actually not going directly on the roof. Usually, there is about a five to six inch gap from the panels to the roof, and usually the panels will go on the hottest part of the roof. I'm so, especially on a hot area, our houses that are second story. By doing that, you also create in another installation there because the Sun won't hit directly the roof, and there is also a lot of airflow underneath. So, usually on hot areas, it's also helping to cool down the temperature in the house a lot during the hot summer days.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.DiamondCertified.org.

Video: Troubleshooting Your Thermostat


If your thermostat stops working, there's one way to tell whether it's an easy fix or a more in-depth problem. Today we're in Sausalito with diamond certified expert contributor Jake Newman, junior of Burke health plumbing, to learn more. When dealing with your residential at-home thermostat, if you are not getting a call for heat or getting any sort of response out of it, one before you call your local technician, you might want to check to see if your thermostat has batteries in it, either in the back of the stat or sometimes along the wall where it's mounted. If you can't seem to get it to turn on, one easy thing: make sure your batteries are good, make sure there's no buildup, and make sure it's powered up. If you're good with the batteries, you can always take a gator clip like us technicians used to bypass and jump devices or even an at-home piece of wire, kind of like the thermostats have. You can put this across the R and W terminals which makes a call for heat without using the thermostat. If you get a response, then you know you have a bad thermostat or bad batteries. If you don't, then it seems more internal with the furnace, and then you should call your local technician. Save a few bucks, though, check your batteries, check the system before you call us out to fix it.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our diamond certified expert reports at experts.diamondcertified.org. 


Video: Dental Implants



Whether you need to replace a missing tooth or support a denture, dental implants can be a practical solution. Today, we're in San Leandro with Diamond Certified expert contributor, Dr. William Hummer, to learn more.

One of the latest innovations in dentistry that people often have questions about is an implant. The implant can be used to either replace a missing tooth, replace several missing teeth, or support a partial or denture. It was discovered as a treatment to fix broken bones, and we found that it fused to the bone and became an excellent dental tooth replacement. It can be used in many ways to help and can vary greatly in cost as to how involved you get in implant dentistry.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.diamondcertified.org. 



Video: Flossing Hack

 So today, we're going to talk about a flossing tip that I give out to a lot of my patients. For those of you that have that one spot where something always seems to get stuck in between the teeth, or occasionally you get something wedged in there and you can't seem to get it out with floss, or you go through with your dental floss and it just seems to move it from one side to the other.

A simple way to have a chance to get that out of there without having to come in and have us remove it for you is to take a piece of dental floss, and you want to tie a knot in it so you go around a couple of times. What this is going to do for us is make a wider piece of floss so that when you go through and in between the teeth, you can take that and go back and forth. 

This knot here will grab on to the piece of food or what debris, whatever stuck in between the teeth and remove it. I hope that helps you out today and anytime you have something gets stuck in between your teeth just remember this.  tip.

Video: Conservative Dentistry



Despite the possibilities afforded by modern dental technology, a conservative approach to treatment is usually best. Today, we're in San Leandro with Diamond Certified expert contributor, Dr. William Hummer, to learn more. Hi, this is your expert tip on conservative dentistry. It's nice to have minimally invasive dentistry that does not remove too much tooth. It's much nicer for a patient to have a small filling than a large filling, and to do that, you need to catch things early. Understand why we would be fixing it and perhaps even see a photograph of a before and after. I think it's good to take care of dentistry before it gets too advanced and you need to remove too much. Too more is not always better.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.diamondcertified.org. 

Video: Oral Cancer Prevention

 Oral cancer claims thousands of lives every year. Today, we're in San Leandro with Diamond's certified expert contributor, Dr. William Hummer of William our Hummer DDS, to learn one crucial preventive strategy. Today's health care environment, it's more important than ever to be or have a good advocate, someone who watches out for you, and no one can do it as well as you can do it for yourself. Cancer is one of the great challenges of our health care, and early detection is the single most important factor, you know, the successful outcome and the treatment of cancer. You are the single most important factor in finding that early detection. When you're looking at oral cancer, you'd like to watch for a lump, a change in texture, contour, form, color, something that just doesn't look normal to you, something that is not the way your mouth was, it's changed but it's been there at least 12 days, something that's there for no reason, there isn't a sharp corner or any trauma that caused it, something that might bleed spontaneously, or grow rapidly, something that's not the same on the left or right side of your mouth, something that is never drinking in size. If you see something like that, ask your dentist or physician, "What is that?" and have them look into it for you. I wish you the best. To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.diamondcertified.org. 

William R. Hummer, DDS

Short video showcasing William R. Hummer, DDS, a Diamond Certified Company. William R. Hummer, DDS is a general dentist practicing in San Leandro who offers a wide range of procedures to patients of all ages.

William R. Hummer, DDS - Diamond Certified Company Story

William R. Hummer, DDS is a general dentist practicing in San Leandro who offers a wide range of procedures to patients of all ages. The practice recent...

William R. Hummer, DDS - Diamond Certified Video Profile



Hi, I'm Dr. William Hummer in the practice of general dentistry. We focus a lot on implants, Invisalign, conservative dentistry, microabrasion. Which means most of the time with that, you don't need to be numb, and taking good care of patients who want as gentle care as possible. We have experts on our team, both in insurance, in chair-side, in orthodontic retainer fabrication. 

We are part of a Mole's coaching orthodontic plan. We take good care of working with Triple O orthodontic lab. We are well trained in hyacinth implant. We have an entire area of the office devoted exclusively to implants with an extra four or five hundred parts. So, we always have the right thing at the right time for whatever your need is. 

We moved here in 1985. We've expanded several times. There are three doctors in the practice now and three hygienists. We are happy to have many long-term care patients, people who have been with us for 10, 20, 30 years. I came to see Dr. Hummer because I was in a car accident and I lost my front tooth, and he created a bridge in my front teeth. 

And my teeth now look better than they have ever, even with having all of my real teeth back when I was in eighth and ninth grade. And I'm so happy, and I will forever continue to see Dr. Hummer. 

We're one of only ten percent of offices that have a Delta Premier status, which means the insurance company would give us more funds toward care that gives you more benefit toward quality of care and time with the doctor. Each evening, I try to reach each patient by phone and find out how the treatment went and to make sure that each person is comfortable in the office in the way they want to be cared for. 

We talk about risks, benefits, alternatives, and we discuss them to the point where they feel like they know what it is. They can see a picture of what's wrong and why it needs to be fixed, and they can make an important, informed decision on what they would like to do, and we'll take good care of you.

William R. Hummer, DDS

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