Scott Secor

On this job, I was reminded of how this “cutting edge” system that was installed fifty years ago is now considered "old school."

Approximately twenty years ago, we got a call from someone who owned three identical apartment buildings in a nearby town. His name was Leonard. He recently visited an annual building-owners trade show and heard that we knew how to fix and properly adjust outdoor reset controls. Leonard called us, and we made an appointment.

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We almost never charge for “add-ons” when doing large contract jobs. We are very thorough when we do estimates, and try to include everything we can think of. As a matter of fact, we have bid and won over a dozen jobs that specifically excluded “change orders.”

On large jobs, we sometimes hire subcontractors to help us out. Other times, we will do all of the work in house. Often, we rent tools that make the job easier.

A plumber recently asked us to inspect a home with issues related to radiant heating. The homeowner, Ronny, runs a company that builds commercial office buildings, and the plumber handles the plumbing work.

I suspect manufacturers have had annual price increases since they began producing the items we need. So far this week we have been informed by one of our suppliers that the condensing boiler we use most often is going up by six percent.

This has been busier than normal heating season. I suppose this winter was colder than most in the last decade. For the first time in years, we had to make numerous repairs to frozen pipes. There were many late nights and weekends that required me or my men to work extra hours. I’m sure we were not alone.

A few weeks back, I received a call from an acquaintance named Jack, whom I hadn't talked to in a while. He mentioned a job opportunity and mentioned the radiators in the house have burst. We discussed the details and arranged for me to visit the location.

An emergency call led a team to a school with a leaking boiler, which was shut down due to safety concerns. After clarifying the need for urgent repairs, the executive director approved the work. Complications arose from snow and transport challenges, but a friend connected them with a group of young workers willing to help, easing manpower concerns.