ShopTalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the biggest hits at this year’s Milwaukee Tool New Product Symposium—from the plumbing department—was the new, self-priming M18 Transfer Pump. The Hub shot a Facebook Live video from the event and received more than 8,000 views within the first couple of hours of seeing a demo for the first time.

Our ProStaffers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on one, so we sent it out to Bob ‘Hot Rod’ Rohr; Andy Mickelson, owner, Mickelson Plumbing & Heating; and the Hub’s Eric Aune, owner, Aune Plumbing LLC, for testing and review.

According to Rohr, the pump is well built and has nice fit and finish. “If weight—7.9 lbs.— equals quality, and the tool is properly used and maintained, this should be a coveted, long-lasting tool,” says Rohr. Aune and Mickelson agree, “The pump is lightweight compared to typical transfer pumps used on the job—cast iron usually,” says Aune.

“The weight is a big plus, as we are frequently packing our equipment though a house. This unit easily fits in a 5-gallon bucket with hoses for transportation,” says Mickelson.

The pump has a nice balance when carrying and using with one hand. Yet, says Aune, while the carry handle protects on/off switch, the handle makes it somewhat difficult to access the button. Rohr’s solution? If you hold the tool with your right hand, index finger towards the battery, “I found you can use the tip of your thumb to activate the switch.  This frees up your left hand, and allows one-handed operation.”

The battery is protected under a hinged, tight fitting cover. Warranty is a generous—5 years. Performance on 5.0 battery, washer hoses, draining 50-gal H2O heater, for instance: 12 minutes—that’s fast, would be faster with larger hoses. Runtime on 9ah battery increases by almost 2x. “When paired with the 9.0 battery I see this being a very versatile tool, providing an exceptional run time for a cordless tool,” says Mickelson.

And, no additional cord to plug in is added value and makes jobs easier/faster.

 

   

Rohr says that he did not see any pump curve information included in the box. The spec sheet indicates 18’ maximum lift and up to 75’ head, or about 35 psi.  (144 gallons per battery charge, about 20 minutes.)

The pump does run much louder when it is pumped dry, indicating it is time to power it down. Milwaukee indicates not over 10 seconds of dry run.  The pump should shut down after 1 minute of dry run, via the battery technology.

Rohr considers the pump a flexible impeller style of pump, a design around since 1800s.  Some refer to this style as a positive displacement-style pump also. Mickelson continues that even with mild system back pressure the pump does not spin backwards when turned off, acting as check valve almost. And Aune says that the impeller is replaceable. If left to run dry, it will need replaced at some point.

What about glycol? The instructions mentions clear water use only—note the 140°F maximum fluid temperature—so check with Milwaukee regarding glycols or GEO fluids. It is rated only for water but Aune Plumbing has pumped straight undiluted glycol and rinsed pump without problem. Mickelson pumped thick cold glycol with the pump and had great results thus far. “Perhaps if the pump is flushed with clear water after use this will be acceptable. Milwaukee mentions flushing with clear water should ‘anything but clear water be accidently pumped.’ For plumbing and HVAC use it needs to be able to handle the typical, clean heat transfer fluid, in my opinion,” says Rohr.

Funky Fittings?

If you want full performance from this pump, I’d suggest a 5/8 or 3/4” hoses, says Rohr. I did need to use a pliers to get a new hose to seal tightly, the threads seem a bit tight, time may wear these in so hand tightening is all that is required. Aune did notice some issues with the connections. “The hose fittings are odd in that some of my hoses will not tighten properly without wrench and effort,” says Aune.

UPDATE:

Since the original posting of this review Milwaukee has taken our concerns about the hose fittings to the product engineering team for a solution. Effective immediately all new transfer pumps have been fitted with hose adapters that work with a wider variety of hose connections.

On the Job

Hot Rod perched it on top of a 6-foot ladder and pumped from an open 5-gallon bucket.  The pump primed instantly, first time out of the box. My first test was with a common washing machine-type hose, about 3/8 actual hose inside diameter. The operation manual does suggest a ¾” ID hose.

It took just under two minutes to empty the bucket, with the restrictive, off-the-shelf wash machine hoses. Pumping straight out of the pump, no hose on the discharge.

He then switched to a hose with a full 5/8” ID and the bucket emptied in 37 seconds! So at 6-ft. lift, wide-open discharge I measured just under 8 gallons per minute flow rate.

His first job was to re-prime a siphon hose that fills a stock watering tank. The inlet end hose plugs with debris from the pond source from time to time. Rohr pumped clean water from a 5-gallon bucket into the siphon line to get the system flowing gain. This is one of the many tasks Rohr sees this cordless pump being used for around the shop.

Mickelson has flushed two tankless water heaters with this pump and he loves the self-prime feature. “The rubber impeller seems to be holding up nicely with the acid solution we use to clean the heaters. It also has shown no ill effects of pumping glycol or acid solutions.”

The techs at Mickelson Plumbing and Heating were able to pressurize a heating system with 33% propylene glycol to roughly 22 PSI with the pump. During this process we had pumped 30 gallons of fluid into the heating system, and purged the air out of the system with the pump for an additional 25 minutes, and the 9.0 battery still had 2 bars left on it!

The verdict

• Rohr: This should be a homerun for Milwaukee Tool. With the versatile M-18 battery pack, this useful pump should find it way on many service trucks.

• Aune: Easily the handiest pump for cleaning/flushing tankless water heaters I’ve ever used. Slam-dunk design and performance for the money. It’s not inexpensive but fits perfectly within the M18 platform, which is very popular in the plumbing/HVAC trades

• Mickelson — This model, less the battery is less money than the current transfer pumps that we use. Will be buying more cordless versions very shortly.

Finally, for the HVAC contractor, Rohr suggests this as a transfer pump for filling or topping off hydronic, geothermal or solar systems. Plumbers may find it ideal for empting water heaters, assuming the drain cock is not plugged. If so add a PEX dip tube from the top of the tank to prevent pulling sediment from the bottom drain valve.

Retail price:

$179.00 for bare tool

$279.00 for kit

 

The Marquis is a high efficiency condensing gas, tankless water heater that has a lot to offer. This unit produces (endless) hot water at a high energy efficiency rating of 97%. The user friendly interface and advanced control system stabilizes temperature with the ability to continuously produce 300 gallons of water at 120 degrees with incoming water temperatures as low as 43 degrees. In addition, the Marquis primary heat exchanger is made of high quality stainless steel (ST 304) for minimized calcium deposits and increased corrosion resistance. To learn more about other features such as the optical flame sensor and negative pressure gas valve visit www.triangletube.com

Watts Dead Level® Trench Drains incorporate a patented frame-anchored design that provides both structural stability and ease of installation.

Self-aligning channels and anchors that tie directly to structural frame enable straight, level installations with little risk of floating. The flanged channel connections create solid joints and ensure proper alignment.

The Dead Level Trench Drains come in standard 4-ft. sections; 1-ft. straight and combination corner/tee sections provide flexibility, completely eliminating the need for cutting in the field. All systems are shipped with plastic construction covers to protect grates and keep the drains free of debris during construction. To simplify specifications and ordering, the drains are priced and shipped by the foot, with all required installation hardware and accessories.

For more information visit Watts.com.

By Siobhan Ashleigh

How many horror stories have you heard about home contractors who didn’t do their job well? Invoice2go, a mobile app that allows small business owners to track work and get paid, recently conducted a study of 803 US homeowners that revealed more than 75% of people have had a negative experience working with contractors for home projects. Such terrible experiences have inspired consumer watchdog websites like Contractors From Hell.

According to the homeowners’ survey, a job badly done was the top reason for dissatisfaction, but not the only concern. For plumbing contractors, even if you do a job well, there’s a lot more to giving your client a positive experience, including communication, accurate billing, and convenient payment methods. Every plumber must establish trust with their clients. How? Ranking 2nd in the survey, a full 30% of homeowners cited lack of communication as a reason for their negative experience. To build trust, good communication is essential. Here are 5 tips to help you stay connected to your clients every step of the way:

Be upfront about the job’s timeline and any potential hurdles

Plumbing contractors aren’t traditional employees, so your client won’t be privy to every aspect of your business. Make sure you have more than a verbal contract and handshake. Prepare a contract that specifies deadlines and contingency plans in case something goes wrong. You can hire a lawyer to do this for you, or use an online template to help you build one, like this on Rocket Lawyer.com.

Be professional, but be yourself

From “How to Build Customer Trust” on Inc.com:  Jerry Acuff, author of The Relationship Edge: The Key to Strategic Influence and Selling Success says “Every meeting should be a conversation, not a sales pitch. Spend at least half of every customer meeting listening. And make certain the conversation is substantive and about real business issues, not just office patter or sports chit-chat.” However, do get to know your clients. Be curious (to a point) about their lives outside of your business relationship. Don’t be afraid to ask, “How are the wife and kids?”

Provide a professional estimate before agreeing to take on the project

When clients are hit with unexpected expenses, chances are they won’t be calling on you again. This means you need to do your homework and be prepared well ahead of time with all expenses. Look beyond your own business – make sure any subcontractors you work with are also upfront about costs so you’re not having to pass on those surprise expenses to your client.

Use visuals

Most clients are tech savvy nowadays, so attach photos to emails to show your progress on the project. Use a receipts capture app to attach photos to all receipts. Be ready to break down all costs (materials, time, overhead, etc.) to clearly show what your client’s money is going toward.

Love what you do                                                                                                                               Former MLB player and manager Tommy Lasorda said, “If you love your job, you haven’t worked a day in your life.” If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing as a plumbing contractor, then why are you doing it? Sure, you’re going to have bad days. But overall, you should feel good about what you’re offering. When you value what you do, clients will pick up on your commitment and passion. It will further open your mind to meeting exactly what they need.

As a plumbing contractor, you must work at establishing trust right off the bat with each client you serve. Good communication is vital for this to happen. When you’re honest and open about every step of the project, clients won’t be left in the dark, wondering if you were their best option. Leave them with no doubts and no reason to not contact you again!

Do sweat the small stuff

Plumbing contractors don’t have a well-known company name behind them to help gain a client’s trust. When you work for yourself, you are the face and brand behind the company. So it’s all on you to ensure clients that you have what it takes to get the job done right.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “The devil is in the details.” That’s especially true for a plumbing contractor. Even the smallest of details can mean the difference between gaining or losing a loyal customer. According to a recent survey of 803 US homeowners, the top behaviors that positively reflect the credibility of a service provider are small things we might take for granted:

• Cleaning up after a job – 85%
• Showing up on time – 84%
• Presenting a professional estimate – 78%
• Collecting and providing receipts – 61%

You might be thinking this should be common sense, but when your schedule is full and you’re juggling family, budgeting, recordkeeping, and all the other nuances of your work/life balance, it’s easy to let some of these things slide. How can you ensure these simple things are rarely (if never) overlooked? Here are some tips.

1. Clean up (and work) smarter, not harder – Before you begin a job, designate a specific place for all your tools and equipment so they’re not scattered all over the job site. This goes for tech-based jobs too. Laptops, headsets, thumb drives, CDs, etc. – keep them within reach so you don’t have to be up and down looking for them, which wastes time and adds needless frustration. For more physical jobs, clean up as you go if at all possible. Also, make sure you have the proper equipment to clean with. Think ergonomic, dependable equipment that doesn’t require a lot of fuss. This article from Dan MacLeod shares ten important principles when it comes to ergonomics on the job.
2. Being prompt is not old-school – There’s no such thing as being fashionably late when it comes to a small business owner’s work. Woody Allen is credited with saying, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Make it a point to always be on time. Be careful with scheduling jobs in the first place so you’re not overbooking yourself. It’s better to have a little down time between jobs than to have so much work you can’t make the client’s deadline. Use calendar apps on your mobile devices to set alerts ahead of start time so you’re not caught off guard and have plenty of time to prepare and travel if necessary.
3. The power of a good-looking estimate – In the old days, handwritten estimates on carbon-copy paper were adequate. Not so much anymore. In the digital age, you need to be prepared to send estimates that are not only accurate, but look professional. Apps like Invoice2go allow you to do just that. You can add your company’s logo and email (or print) your estimate and send it to your client. Even better, this video shows how you can easily convert estimates to invoices with the same app so you don’t have to do everything twice.
4. Don’t toss the receipts – For most of us, our first impulse is to toss receipts into a purse or wallet, where we plan to fetch them later, but lo and behold, they’re often lost to the ages. Designate a spot to store paper receipts for your job, like a zip pouch or other secure container and put in your receipts the moment you get them. If you just hate dealing with paper, use receipt capturing apps on your mobile devices to take digital photos of them. Either way, you’ll always know where they are so you can easily show the client where their money is going. Remember, transparency with billing is crucial to gaining a client’s trust.
5. Don’t forget the legal stuff – In a perfect world, we could work and handle everything in our own bubble, but that doesn’t provide you any legal protection should you need it. Make absolutely certain your business is legit on paper – your business name is registered with the state, you’ve got a tax ID number and any necessary licenses and permits. That way, you’ve got some security should you ever come to a legal dispute with a client. The Small Business Administration has some great advice about these legal necessities.

While a job well done is the most important goal, don’t neglect the little details. Just one lost receipt or late deadline can keep you from securing more work. So, pay attention to the small stuff to establish more credibility, and the big stuff will be that much easier.

About Invoice2go

• Invoice2go is a mobile app that makes it easy for small business owners to track work and get paid.
• It’s the number one grossing business app in more than 50 countries
• Used by more than 200,000 customers to send $1 billion in invoicing every month
• Customers: Used by every type of business owner. (Contractors from landscapers, plumbers, electricians, and construction workers, to independent businesses like dog walkers, makeup artists, DJs and caterers, etc.)
• Available in 11 languages
• Website: https://invoice.2go.com