Stormy business

Mad Dog

to say he wouldn't make it in....when I saw that we had 18 inches on the ground I postponed all work till tomorrow and told the Journeyman not to come in...I'll be handling any real bad emergencies. By the time i got all the property snowblown it was 10 am....good day to do some paperwork and get my gear ready for the coming activation of my State Guard unit...its supposed to all "hit the fan" at the end of the month. God Bless our troops and God bless America..."There is no substitute for Victory!!!!" Mad Dog

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John R. Hall

When do you shut it down?

The big winter storms in the East are shutting down a lot of commerce. I'm curious as to what "breaking point" do HVACR contractors stop and shut things down? Roads are hard to manuever and even when they are, homes and businesses are hard to get to because snow hasn't been shoveled or icy sidewalks and streets make for treacherous conditions.

I used to deliver furniture in my younger days and we would tell customers that they had to have their driveways and entrances to their homes shoveled and salted if they wanted us to deliver furniture. I'm wondering if any similar rules exist with contractors and if snow storms can virutally shut them down. Do any of you have rules for your customers?

Dave Yates (PAH)

open for business!

John,

We're open & I'm here at the shop. Driving was an adventure, to say the least. When the weather turns this ugly, we accept only pre-existing customer emergencies. Had one no heat call from a guy living waaaaaayyyy out in the country this morning. We can't get to his place until the roads get plowed.

No routine calls will be serviced today. Strictly emergencies for no-heat or broken pipes causing a flood. Call dispatching will be based on who lives closest and which 4-wheel drive truck is available. A neighbor of mine has snow mobiles, so if push came to shove we can borrow one.

Biggest problem we'll likely be seeing is snow being sucked into combustion air intake lines. Even in much more moderate snow storms, we often get a call or two to unpack snow-filled combustion chambers.

That 12" clearance suddenly doesn't look too good! We're past the 2' mark & another 4-8" is expected.

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STRATOS

TALK TO THE ANSERING MACHINE DAY.

NO SERVICE FOR US TOO,IT START TO GETTING WORST TODAY GREETING'S FROM GREECE .

Steamhead

Staying home today

no point in even trying to get out. Couldn't get my Ranger ten feet down my street if I did try. Mayor says residential areas won't be plowed till the snow stops- they're only keeping main streets open for now.

But I did talk my brother-in-law thru restarting his Bryant sealed-combustion furnasty. Seems some snow got in thru the air intake- sound familiar, Dave? And thanks to whoever it was who posted about turning the thermostat down for five minutes to reset the electronic control unit.

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Dave Yates (PAH)

snow sucking

We've had numerous calls for sucked snow in furnace & boiler combustion chambers. Plays hell with carbide ignitors! We're getting there, but it's a slow go. Talked to News 27 a few minutes ago. They called asking what they should be telling their viewers.

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Steamhead

I'd tell them

this is why you do annual maintenance- so the unit shouldn't break down during a blizzard!

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Dave Yates (PAH)

the forgotten maintenance....

was forgetting to shovel away the snow from the intake! Ever look in a combustion chamber's peep sight & see ants shooshing the slopes? Ever shower with a naked...... Oops, wrong picture!

Lots of furnaces and boilers weren't installed with their vents high enough above grade for this kind of blizzard. Sometimes those vents just happen to be adjacent to the driveway and get covered when it's plowed.

First parts supply house (hooray for REM) opens in a few minutes.

Blizzard busters! That's the award I got when I was 12 for delivering papers to everyone on my route after we had a snow like this one. Shoulda gone to Dad though, he's the one who drove me around that morning.

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ScottMP

Shut down

John ,

I use to try and stay open as lomg as possible to give as much service as we could to our customers. Now I tend to send the guys packing when the driving gets tough. No reason for the trucks to get stuck in the snow, get inot fender benders, or spend an hour just getting to a door. Not worth it !!

I have a four wheel ranger if I need to go out for an emergency. Like PAH, I try to limit it to regular customers. Problem is, I can be a sucker for a person with a problem. I am trying to get better, there's only so much you can do.

Stay warm

Scott

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B. Tice

Snow? yawn.........

Here in New York State, it pretty much snows daily in a winter like this. I am giggling a little at the "southerners" talking about four wheel drive. (sorry guys) We all just drive regular vans around here, and it is quite hilly. If you can't get out with studded snows, you should'nt be in there anyway. I've never not gone on a call due to weather with the exception of a major ice storm with the roads covered with trees , poles and live wires. I do cancel regular optional work when a major snowstorm is on or during extreme cold like last week. Too cold to shut down a unit for elective work.Being from New Jersey originally I just can't imagine what it's like down there today. I remember that 6" would be Red Alert time ! Let alone this.