As the year comes to a close, we take a look at some of the most popular stories on www.plumbermag.com. If you missed any of these, now is your chance to catch up.
10. Texas Plumbing Company Takes On John Oliver’s Challenge to Craft Movie Parody Commercial
Radiant Plumbing & Air Conditioning, featured in the magazine in 2022, has become known in its Austin, Texas, community for its various pun-heavy and satirical marketing materials, from radio spots to window displays. A main attraction, though, is its 30-second TV ads, which are typically movie-themed. They caught the attention of comedian John Oliver back in March as he dedicated a segment of his HBO show to praising the company’s clever cinema-based marketing. Then he issued a challenge of a seemingly difficult movie to spoof and Radiant Plumbing responded.
9. The Ins and Outs of Pipe Patching
Pipe patching can be a great addition to your service offerings to cover instances where a pipe only needs a repair on a small section. Alex Meyer, a product manager for RIDGID, provided some tips in this article.
8. Responding to Customers Quickly is Imperative
In this article, Michael Williams, owner of Just Drains LLC in Philadelphia, provided his thoughts about an important aspect of customer relations. He calls it the 10-minute window. That's the time you have to respond to a phone call from a customer to ensure you don’t lose them. That doesn’t mean you have to service them immediately. But you should at least give them a response, he argues.
7. Starting a New Business? You Need the Big 4
Having a good idea for a new business and actually executing on that idea are two different things. This article took a look at the nuts and bolts of what you need to do to get a new business started, which includes the Big 4: an accountant, insurance agent, attorney and banker.
6. ‘The Transformer’ Super Truck Is More Than Meets the Eye
For years, Raymond Gray contemplated a big idea for what might be called a sewer truck on steroids. He envisioned a vehicle that would reflect the name of his Los Angeles-based company, A-1 Total Service Plumbing: a do-it-all truck capable of inspecting, waterjetting and robotically milling, repairing and coating pipelines. Gray’s vision became a reality in 2020 when he took delivery of his rolling Swiss Army knife, which readers enjoyed learning more about in this article.
5. Overcoming Number Phobia: A Guide for Business Owners
Every month Carter Harkins and Taylor Hill of Spark Marketer provide an article exploring some sort of business-related matter. In this article from August, they looked at why it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of the financial numbers and other data for your business and what they mean, and how you don’t need an accounting degree to do so.
4. International Code Council Unveils 2024 International Plumbing Code
In September, the International Code Council announced new editions to the International Plumbing Code and the International Mechanical Code in the upcoming 2024 editions of the International Codes. The 2024 versions provide the most substantial format changes in 25 years, an effort to improve user experience and better pair print and digital offerings.
3. Determining Whether a Job Is a Simple Repair of Full Repipe
The decision on whether to repair a failed section of pipe or recommend a full repipe isn’t always an easy one. Homeowners may balk at the expense of a repipe, but if problems are systemic, it could save them from additional failures and expensive damage down the line. On the other hand, there may not be a reason to repipe a home if the cause of the failure is isolated. The challenge for plumbers, then, is to accurately determine the cause of the failures and diagnose which are isolated and which are likely to lead to future problems. This article from June looked at three questions that can guide you through that process.
2. Moving Heavy Water Heater Tanks
Replacing a cumbersome commercial water heater isn’t as straightforward as a residential unit. Regular contributor Anthony Pacilla provided insights about it in this article from September.
1. 10 Key Products to Keep in Your Van for Emergencies
What do you take with you when responding to an emergency call? You never know where a call will lead you, and you might have to provide only a quick fix before getting a full set of tools from the local supply house to finish the job. The most-read article of 2023, by Sean Comerford, technical applications manager at Oatey, provided a list of 10 key products to always keep on hand in your service vehicle for those emergency calls.
