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Jennifer Strawn’s cover story “Dealing with Friction Loss” in the May 2012 issue elicited this comment from Michael Keen Sr., MGWC, of Franklin Electric Co. Inc. in Lakeland, Florida.

The truth these gentlemen are speaking should be carefully considered in every water system design. Improperly sized or applied pumps, pressure tanks, power supply wiring, plumbing, control components, etc. always result in an unsatisfactory system. The consequences of not ensuring a well-designed system are many. First is the frustration and fury of the end user, resulting in lost labor cost to the installer while replacing failed components. Next is warranty processing time/cost to the supplier, and finally, warranty cost to the manufacturer when the actual problem is most often not a product defect to begin with. As an installer, consider the fact that while you are at a site doing free-of-labor-cost warranty replacements, you could have been somewhere else on a paying job!

My point is unless a water system is looked at in total, there are probably going to be issues. The driller/pump installer is usually going to take the brunt of it when the pump, motor, or controls fail no matter the real cause of failure. So as the person installing the equipment providing the source water that can be impacted by many variables, is

it wise to engage in conversation with other contractors and/or general contractor concerning system operation and reliability? Should you as the driller/pump installer require contact with plumbers, electricians, geothermal contractors, and so on to ensure everyone is on the same page? I strongly feel you should since you are the one who is going to get the first call when there is no water. But that choice is yours.

In my former life as a contractor, I arrived at a point where if I was not given opportunity to communicate with other contractors—especially on a new construction site—who might impact the operation of my work, I declined the job. Shortly after making what was a hard decision, I found my life much simpler because of fewer complaints and my business more profitable due to a 73% reduction in free warranty product/labor work. Think about this. When I said you could have been somewhere else making money and not spending that 73% out of your pocket? That pre-sents the opportunity for 146% or much more profit at other job sites.

Initially when considering this position, I was concerned over jobs I might lose. In the end though, I found my business sense opened the door for other contractors who also wanted the same communication but were afraid to take the same position. I soon found that through this cross-communication not only did my reputation for installing the most reliable systems grow, but so did that of other contractors I was involved with. By virtue of that recognition, I was able to raise my prices without much concern as to what competitors priced their work at. Another benefit was developing a relationship with other contractors where we frequently referred each other to customers that benefitted all of us greatly. Communication that achieves an efficiently operating water system is a win-win for all involved.

At the end of the day, all everyone is concerned with, from the manufacturer to the end user, is does it work to expectation and for how long. And in a properly designed total system using quality products, it will meet the expectations of all.


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