Living with a plumber is not always easy

It’s essential to have the right PPE when working alone

It is very easy to take the day-to-day work of a Drain Doctor plumbing and drainage technician for granted. Customers see a smartly turned out technician in a uniform wearing overshoes and a carrying a mat to avoid causing problems in their homes.

But what about the times when customers don’t see them, when they are at home? The life and work of a plumber have impacts on those they live with as well as those they work for.

This blogger – who lives with a plumber – has provided a few tips on how to live with a plumber and how to stay healthy once the working day is over.

Related articles

• Pittsburgh Plumber, Mr Rooter, Offers Expert Plumbing Advice On How To Choose The Right Size Drainpipe (prweb.com)

October is ‘Toilet tank repair month’

There are more national and international awareness days than there are days in the year. They range from reminders of worthy causes to the downright bizarre.

The US leads the way. Administrative Professionals Day (21st April) probably has limited appeal but in our industry a mere 24 hours isn’t enough to get the message across. So how about Appreciate Your Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Professionals Week (20th-26th June). ‘We all know the discomfort we experience when our toilet breaks,’ says the promotional blurb. ‘Appreciate Your Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Professionals Week is a chance to acknowledge the great service these professionals provide.’

We also have World Water Day and World Plumbing Day in March.

This month. apparently, it’s toilet tank repair month in the US [http://www.huliq.com/8684/88051/october-national-toilet-tank-repair-month-and-more-october-trivia]. Perhaps we should take a leaf out their book?

In the US 70,000 gallons of water are lost each year through leaky toilet cisterns – one in four of all cisterns across the country. Here in the UK thousands of litres are lost. It is important to ensure that the cistern is maintained.

To repair leaks or replace leaky ball valves why not give your local Drain Doctor a call on 0800 3357 999 to receive dazzling levels of service that should lead to a national awareness day in the UK.

Related articles

• Exploding toilets highlight pressures on power-assisted loos (draindoctor.wordpress.com)

Autumn brings leafy problems for drains and gutters

Autumn Leaves (Photo credit: blmiers2)

Autumn is here and the leaves are providing a kaleidoscope of colour in our parks, gardens and countryside. But soon the leaves will be falling and blocking drains and gutters in homes and businesses up and down the country. The blockages caused by a build up of leaves in the drainage system can cause problems with toilets and kitchen and bathroom sinks and drains inside your property.

Not only that, rainwater overflowing from blocked gutters can cause water to pour down external walls causing potential problems with damp later.

To help you avoid these problems Drain Doctor is offering some tips to prevent drains getting blocked.

• Watch where the leaves are falling. Breezes can cause them to blow around and collect in gutters and drains. Sweep leaves up as they fall, bag them and take them to the compost heap.
• Get covered. You can buy covers for drains and downpipes in guttering systems to prevent fallen leaves getting into the drainage system.
• Arrange a CCTV inspection of your drains with a trained Drain Doctor technician to check for potential problems that can be rectified before they become a serious issue in the winter months.

If you are unable to clear guttering or drains by hand give Drain Doctor a call on 0800 3357 999. A fully trained technician can clear any blockages in gutters and drains to keep everything flowing smoothly.

Related articles

• Don’t Forget Your Gutters This Fall – guest blogger Dave Cobosco (greenjoanrealestate.com)

Survey reveals the oddest things block drains

Drain Doctor advice: Throw peelings in the compost and oil in the bin to avoid blocked drains.

According to this article a recent survey revealed some peculiar items found down drains. They included traffic cones, engine parts, guns and ammunition, bales of cocaine and false teeth. Obviously a bit of a rough neighbourhood.

But it’s simple household items such as baby wipes, cooking oil, potato peelings and paint that careless householders are throwing down the drain along with £87 million – the cost of unblocking them – the survey says.

Drain Doctor Plumbing and Drainage has some handy precautions that you can take to help keep your home’s plumbing in good working order and save some cash in the process:

• Throw food scraps in the bin and put left over vegetable matter like potato peelings in the compost pile.
• Avoid pouring grease down the drain, because grease hardens when it’s in your pipes and can cause a blockage over time.
• Wipe off greasy plates and pans with a paper towel before washing them.
• Remove small objects from the top of your toilet tank that could fall in causing it to block up.
• Make sure you throw paper towels, napkins, wet wipes or facial tissue in the bin, don’t flush them down the toilet.
• And if you’re expecting a police raid, find somewhere other than the toilet to hide your stash of drugs!

These tips will help keep your plumbing in good working condition. However, if you are unlucky enough to have a plumbing emergency, Drain Doctor is always on call, and there’s never an overtime or call-out charge.

Take Einstein’s advice – be a plumber

English: Albert Einstein Français : Portrait d’Albert Einstein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Back in 1954 in an interview with Reporter Albert Einstein said: “If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber … in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances.”

If he had become a plumber he wouldn’t have been internationally famous – but he would have beaten the economic slump. As recession continues, the economic experiences of the past few years have made increasing numbers of people seek a recession-resistant business opportunity.

The Drain Doctor system is delivering solid financial results for franchisees because, even in a recession, people with a plumbing emergency still need to call a plumber. Because of Drain Doctor’s reputation and levels of service, the plumber they call is increasingly likely to be the local Drain Doctor franchisee.

Starting your own business as a franchisee, rather than totally on your own, provides a considerable level of support and assistance if you choose the right franchise. Buying into a Drain Doctor franchise, which offers a largely recession-resistant business, provides further reassurance that if you are prepared to put in the work you can expect to gain real rewards.

Drain Doctor enables franchisees to be independent operators running their own businesses but with all the back-up that comes with being part of a large national organisation. With some other franchises you are left on your own. Drain Doctor offers great contacts with insurance companies and has a national account network that will help franchisees develop and grow their business.

Drain Doctor franchisees offer a full 24 hour per day seven-day per week service with no call out charges and they give fixed-price, no obligation quotes with a full guarantee on all their work.

Drain Doctor technicians are trained not just with technical skills – including the latest techniques such as closed circuit camera drain surveys and no-dig drain repairs – but in customer care that is reflected in such things as wearing overshoes while in customers’ homes and clearing up carefully after every job.

What’s your best Drain Doctor Plumbing experience?

“Here’s the problem” – a Drain Doctor technician shows a customer what needs fixing.

Mr Rooter Plumbing – which is Drain Doctor’s opposite number in the USA – is celebrating ‘Get to know your customers day’ (no, we didn’t know there was one, either!) with a competition to find the best customer experience with Mr Rooter.

We are not running a competition here in UK but the American idea did inspire us to write this note to ask customers to tell us about their best experience with Drain Doctor Plumbing.

Of course, providing ‘dazzling’ service is the norm for Drain Doctor technicians – but is there a member of the Drain Doctor team who has truly ‘gone the extra mile’, above and beyond even Drain Doctor’s standards, to solve a customer’s problem? If so, we would love to hear about it!

There’s no prize on offer but we would be happy to feature the story here on the Drain Doctoring blog and give the technician involved a public ‘pat on the back’ for outstanding service.

(And, if you want to know more about ‘Get to know your customers day’, let us tell you that it is the third Thursday of every quarter in the USA. The idea is that on this day business executives should get out from behind their desks and instead ‘work on the front line’, meeting real customers.  We haven’t heard of anything similar on this side of the Atlantic. Have you? If so, please let us know.)

Time to look at rain water harvesting

With all the rain around it’s time to seriously consider rainwater harvesting

With all the wet weather we are experiencing at the moment and the recent drought conditions still fresh in the memory it is a good time to consider installing a rainwater harvesting system.

Usually rainwater runs off roofs through the soakaway system and is lost. In properties that have the old combined sewage system, rainwater joins the foul water and flows through the drainage system to the local water treatment plant for cleaning.

Now it is possible for homeowners to collect and use rainwater and re-use ‘grey’ waste water from sinks and baths – helping to save money and the environment in the process. Reduced water consumption can lower bills and help to create a more sustainable built environment.

In addition to its plumbing and drainage services, Drain Doctor provides a complete rainwater harvesting installation service that includes site surveys, planning consultations and building and inspection work.

There are two types of water harvesting system. By installing a collection tank in the garden, rainwater runoff from the roof can be collected and used to fill a water butt or supply a garden tap by use of a pump.

Rainwater is harvested for non-drinking water applications and can also be pumped back into the house for use in flushing toilets and filling washing machines.

The second type of water harvesting involves collecting grey water from sinks, washing machines and dishwashers and using it to flush the toilets. With this system household water is used twice which has an immediate payback on the water meter.

Drain Doctor franchisees offering the service will project manage the whole installation from start to finish. We will liaise with planners and complete the work using selected highly trained subcontractors, tailoring each solution to the customer’s requirements. The customer will have one point of contact from the start to final completion of the project.

For more information on rainwater harvesting or any other Drain Doctor service call us on 0800 33 57 999 or visit our website www.draindoctor.co.uk

Related articles

• Rainwater Harvesting (evonnesmulders.wordpress.com)
• What’s the best way to store rainwater? (bbc.co.uk)
• Every Drop Counts- Reusing Rainwater Saves Money and is Better for Plants (tammore.wordpress.com)

Dundee Drain Doctor scoops national award

Trevor and Alison Muir collect their award from Freddie Mitman (centre).

The Dundee franchise business of Drain Doctor Plumbing, which covers the city and surrounding areas, has crowned another successful year by being presented with an award at the national group’s annual awards ceremony.

The award is given to franchisees who have generated outstanding turnover related to the population of the area they serve.

Group founder and chairman Freddie Mitman presented franchisee Trevor Muir with his trophy at a gala awards night at the Crown Plaza Hotel in the historic Belgian city of Bruges during Drain Doctor’s 18th annual convention.

Freddie Mitman said: “This award  recognises special achievements in the franchise network. Winning proves that sustained growth can be achieved despite size and that it’s the franchisee who ‘makes it happen’”.

Trevor has had his franchise since 2005. Since then he has grown the business to include a number of additional services including contract guttering replacement. In fact, it was a wholesale guttering replacement at Dundee FC’s Dens Park stadium that contributed to his growth in 2011.

The job was the franchise’s largest contract of this kind to date. Much of the guttering around the stands was brought down during heavy snow in February. Drain Doctor was called in to replace it. So much of it had come down that Trevor had to renew the whole guttering system.

Trevor said: “Guttering is just one of the services offered by Drain Doctor. I aim to continue to give businesses and householders in Dundee and the surrounding area the same ‘dazzling’ level of service in plumbing and drainage which Drain Doctor provides across the rest of the UK. Experience has taught me the importance of delivering a premium service on time every time and this has been borne out by this recognition.

“Joining Drain Doctor Plumbing was most definitely the best thing I have done. I investigated several franchise options when I decided to launch a new business and was impressed by Drain Doctor Plumbing’s professionalism. It allows me to be my own boss and introduce innovative new ideas but with all the support of a national organisation, a fact that is reflected in the winning of this award.”

Congratulations to Trevor and the team for a great year and best wishes for continued success.

Related articles

• Cambridge Drain Doctor Rewarded for Sustained Growth (your-story.org)
• Drain Doctor welcomes ex-Yell men to Chester, Wirral and North Wales (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Recession Busting Preston Drain Doctors’ Double Celebration (your-story.org)
• The Dwyer Group ‘s Seven Brands Named 2012 Military Friendly Franchises by G.I. Jobs Magazine (prweb.com)

Recession busting Leeds Drain Doctors celebrate national award

Drain Doctor Plumbing chairman Freddie Mitman (centre) presents John and Helen Rushforth with their Franchise of the Year award.

Leeds-based Drain Doctor Plumbing, which covers the city and surrounding towns and villages, has crowned another successful year by being presented with the Franchise of the Year award at the national group’s annual awards ceremony.

Group founder and chairman Freddie Mitman presented Leeds franchise owners John and Helen Rushforth with their trophy at a gala awards night at the Crown Plaza Hotel in the historic Belgian city of Bruges.

The award is given to those franchisees who have not only generated outstanding financial results related to the population of the area they serve but have developed good customer relationships, are good Drain Doctor ‘team players’ and follow the Drain Doctor ‘system’ to provide dazzling levels of customer service.

Freddie Mitman said: “John and Helen are among our longest serving franchisees and are very much a part of the solid backbone of Drain Doctor Plumbing. The company wouldn’t be the same without them.

“Since they joined us John and Helen have grown their business every year. It is a husband and wife team which has shown itself to be committed, loyal, ambitious and knowledgeable. They are a wonderful model for other franchises to follow.

“They have demonstrated the strength of the Drain Doctor system in delighting customers with first-class plumbing and drainage services and they are now reaping the rewards. Winning the Franchise of the Year award is testament to this.”

John added: “The Franchise of the Year award is recognition of the hard work the team has put in to provide people throughout our operational area with dazzling plumbing and drainage service.

“This would not have been possible without us all working together and I am proud to have such a dedicated and loyal team. Drain Doctor Plumbing rewards dedication, enthusiasm and customer care and we are delighted to have picked up this award.

“Success is the product of a national identity coupled with a proven system and the ongoing training and motivation of our technicians. Despite the current recession my new and returning customer base is increasing and we have expanded accordingly.”

 

 

Related articles

• New Telford and Shrewsbury Drain Doctor likes the business so much – be bought two (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Drain Doctor welcomes ex-Yell men to Chester, Wirral and North Wales (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Drain Doctor prevention is better than cure for national pub chain (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Flooding despite the drought (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Drain Doctor welcomes new Oxfordshire franchisees (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Drain Doctor’s advice for DIY plumbers in tough times (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• Drain Doctor Simon plunges into Moroccan desert for Help for Heroes (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• UK drought leads to hosepipe ban – Drain Doctor offers water-saving tips (draindoctor.wordpress.com)
• The Dwyer Group Joins Boost a Hero Program, Supporting Veteran Entrepreneurship (prweb.com)
• Drain Doctor tips on coping with hosepipe ban as drought area widens (draindoctor.wordpress.com)

New Telford and Shrewsbury Drain Doctor likes the business so much – he bought two

When recruitment consultant Nick Moran decided to change careers, he made a complete switch. He decided to take on a Drain Doctor franchise – and ended up buying two!

Nick has been running his own London-based recruitment consultancy, head-hunting high-flying personnel to work for the firms that keep the technology of the world’s financial centres running smoothly.

Commenting on his decision to change careers Nick said: “After my experience in the volatile financial services industry I wanted something that was more down-to-earth and recession-proof. Drain Doctor meets that need.”

He is so impressed with the Drain Doctor business model that he has bought two adjacent franchise areas and will now be running a business that provides emergency drainage and plumbing services to people in and around Telford, Shrewsbury and Hereford as well as across a large part of mid Wales.

He said: “I have plans to considerably expand the business. Within a reasonable space of time I hope to have a staff of eight or ten qualified plumbers and drainage technicians on call in vans fully equipped to deal with most plumbing and drainage problems

“Taking on a single franchise area would be a good start, perhaps, but it does not have enough potential for growth. There is no guarantee that when we reach the maximum size that a single franchise area will support, there will be another area nearby into which we can expand.

“So I have made a bigger financial commitment – although I prefer to think of it as an investment! – and taken on two areas.”

Nick intends to work ‘on the vans’ himself for two or three months to get some practical experience before moving back into a more sales-oriented role that will focus on growing the business over the medium term.

In the meantime he is demonstrating further commitment to his new enterprise by moving to Shrewsbury to be more accessible to his customers.

He said: “Drain Doctor has a proven system that offers a largely recession-proof opportunity where I can still be an independent operator running my own business but with all the back-up that comes with being part of a large national organisation.

“I looked at other plumbing/drainage franchises but you don’t get the same support that you do with a Drain Doctor franchise.

“With some other franchises you are left on your own. Drain Doctor offers great contacts with insurance companies and has a national account network that will help me to develop and grow the business.”

Related articles

• Drain Doctor Signs New Plumber for East Cornwall (your-story.org)
• The Dwyer Group Joins Boost a Hero Program, Supporting Veteran Entrepreneurship (prweb.com)