Interesting conversation

Steve Ebels

Just had an interesting chat with a local plumber/hydronician. He stopped by to ask how to add an air handler to an exsisting system. That wasn't the interesting part though. What did make my radar switch to full alert mode was the fact that he told me he was leaving the area and moving to Washington state. He's from Toledo and moved here a couple years ago to start his own business. When he moved here I remember him asking me about what to charge for his work. Long story short is that he thought $38.00 per hour was plenty good for his labor rate. Turns out he owes about every distributor in the area and is going to start over by moving somewhere that it doesn't cost as much to be in business. (Don't know how he arrived at the state of Washington???)
Go figure!!! Just gets my blood boiling because all those distributors now have to raise my prices and everyone elses to cover their losses with him and likely dozens more like him.

Another topic in the same discussion... He asked what would make a house overheat all the time. Reading between the lines, I knew that he had a problem he didn't know how to solve. He told me that a local distributor, in fact the one that probably supplies most of the infloor equipment and tubing around here, designed the system. Seven pumped zones, all off a common header, seven thermostatic mix valves, boiler at 180* constant to provide heat for indirect DHW, no reset, T-87's controlling the pumps and NO FLOW CHECKS!!!. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He asked if I would go see a "couple" customers and take care of them "after I'm gone". I told him I'd be glad to.

Funny how there's never money to do it right, or hire the right guy, or buy the right system....... but there's always money to do it over. again and again and agian and aga..............

Steamhead

But you'll get to be the hero

when you fix all these systems- at YOUR price!

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kevin_5

I hear opportunity knocking!

(they say opportunity only knocks once, (but if it came disguised as temptation, one knock would usually be enough!) Go get 'em! Kevin

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John R. Hall

Sounds like

Washington's loss is Michigan's gain, eh?