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Archive for Saving Money

Don’t build over your sump pit

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Because of the type of work we do, we run into things that we know can come back to haunt you as a home owner. If you are considering finishing off the basement, which is great because of the extra space you will have, there will be one thing that you will not want to do. Please, do not build something above your sump pit. If you do you will lose access to it. If the pump needs to be replaced it will make it very difficult to get to. I always recommend to build a closet around it. That way you will have access to the pit, pump and piping should anything need to be worked on. If you do build a cabinet around it make the lid low enough so you can work on the pit while you are on your knees.  We have been to plenty of houses where the customer ended up tearing the cabinet apart to change out a pump during a storm because the were not able to work in the space they had created.

Crunch Time

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I can get someone Cheaper to do the same job

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Today I received a call from an Realty agent. He said the buyers had requested our company by name. I said, “great, that’s what keeps us in business.” He then said if it were up to him he would have someone else do it because he knows he could have it done cheaper. I agreed with him, you could have it done cheaper, as a matter of fact I could do it cheaper, but I won’t. I am reminded of a man who came into a tire store I was managing years ago. He was in the market to buy a set of tires for his daughters car, so he just needed the cheap ones. I responded with, I will sell you what you want, but do you really want the cheapest tires on your daughters car? Tires are extremely important when it comes to braking, handling, driving in the rain/snow. They are where the car meets the road. I told him that Michelin’s are the best, and also the most expensive. I then showed him a few sets that were less, but still good quality. I explained why the Michelin’s were more expensive and why I have them on all my vehicles. I even walked him outside to prove to him I had them on my car. Well, he changed his mind and bought the Michelin’s. When it comes to Radon we might be the most expensive  company. But why is that? I could lower my price by not putting fire collars on the pipe in the garage, there’s $50 savings. I could use a cheap, flimsy lid to seal sump pits, another $25 savings. I could not have proper insurance on my company, installers and vehicles, more savings. I could not have my Radon monitors  calibrated on a regular basis, more savings. I could use a cheaper pipe, instead of schedule 40 PVC. I could skip the clamps and J-hooks to support the pipe like we have been seeing on systems. I could do the electrical wrong and save some money. A big savings would be to buy the plastic sump pumps when they are on sale, a savings of at least $75. But would it be right? No. When we seal a sump pit, we install a high quality sump pump with an alarm system. My cost is $150, and that’s what I charge for them. Retail would be $225 with the controller we install. Do you want the cheapest sump pump or a high quality one when the pit is sealed? Fire collars are code, not installing them is wrong. Bottom line is when it comes to your families safety and health, do you want the cheapest system or the best one that will last forever? If your buying a home, don’t settle for what the seller is willing to pay for or with a system from a company that was willing to do it wrong. Demand the best for your family.

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Categories : Saving Money

Happy New Year!

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Happy new year everyone. Thank you for your business in 2011. We finished the year with 781 Radon systems install and almost 700 Radon tests conducted. We get most of our work by word of mouth, so again, thank you to everyone who helped us in 2011.

A few costs are going up on our side of  the business this year, but we hope to keep system pricing the same. I am looking for ways to save money with advertising, mortgage and vehicle use. We can not cut back on what it takes to install the system as far as materials or fans. The quality of the systems is the most important thing.

As always we welcome questions and hope you have a great year. Lets hope the economy starts to bounce back. We could all use that.

 

 

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Radon Systems

Friday, October 7th, 2011

I just want to thank everyone who has used our services. I truly believe that by being involved in this business that we are helping to save lives. To date we have installed over 6000 Radon systems. If 8 out of a thousand get lung cancer from Radon then we saved 48 lives, in theory. I have had so many people lately thank me for our services. From the neatness of our installs, cleaning up when we are finished, our polite installers and standing behind our work. Yes, sometimes we have to go back because something was missed or something happened to our system. A large percent of our call backs are do to something else affecting our system, not our workmanship.  We try to go back when we are in the area to avoid any more costs to the customer. With the economy being slow I feel lucky to still be in a service oriented business. Other companies are giving away systems, and unfortunately quality along with the price. Because we have refused to lower our standards we are still getting the majority of the jobs. Integrity, caring about what we do, quality of work and a fair price will keep us ahead of our competition. Thanks again, and I hope the next year will be even better for everyone.

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The answer is, depends. When we give a quote  the price includes installing all the necessary components of a Radon system. One of the biggest things I see being left off Radon systems is Fire Collars. When routing a pipe through a fire wall, such as the wall between the home and garage that is attached you need to install a fire barrier material, wrapped in a metal sleeve. (this could save your home if there were a fire in the garage)  Fire caulk will not collapse a 3″ PVC pipe. So, on a Radon system fire caulk will not be sufficient. If the garage has a finished drywall ceiling, that also may be a firewall, so it too may need a fire collar. The biggest thing that companies are doing out there (not just for Radon) is installing electrical work, without a licensed electrician. It is illegal to install, for hire, any electrical work if you are not licensed. Most municipalities also require a permit, which needs to be acquired by the electrical company. Not using an electrician or getting a permit can save a company $100 to $150 on the cost of installing the system, so they will show a lower cost. Anyone who says you don’t need an electrician for a simple outlet is not being truthful, and is taking a risk if they get caught in paying hundreds of dollars in fines. We will match anyone’s price, but their proposal/system needs to match ours. A wise man once said, “getting the cheapest job done is like getting the cheapest set of tires put on your car. They may be round & black, but you won’t like them once you go down the road.”

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