Another great lead from Coogan! A family called me today, and I was able to respond immediately (as soon as I got done sliding around on the ice in the back yard with my 4-year-old daughter). An apparent clogged vent - pretty typical scenario, with plenty of opportunity for improvisation and problem solving.
Showed up to find an awesome cape with natural wood siding and hunter green trim. Inside, wide floor boards and high ceilings with exposed beams greet you. Heading up the stairs to the dryer area, you can't help but notice the space around in this house. Plenty of room and plenty of rooms, especially considering the architectural style. All in quaint Old Mystic, right at the peak of the Mystic River.
Turns out the dryer vent didn't lead to the outside. That's why we couldn't find any convincing hood. So I just put in a new one. Put the old (actually brand new) hole saw against the wall in the crawlspace attic, and made a hole. Screwed the hood on, built a 15-foot vent, caulked it all up, and cleaned the inside of the dryer. A big three-hour-plus job, but well worth it to make a well-working, easy to service dryer vent. They were happy, and so was I.
Oh yeah, and it was all in snow and ice. Fun to carry a ladder across a snow-drifts-turned-to-ice-skating-arena yard. I fell more than once. But it is always good to set up a great ventilation system.
If you are having venting problems, please feel free to email me or call me at 860.324.5213. I am in Mystic, CT and will travel up to an hour to help you.
Showing posts with label Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stories. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Coogan Rocks!
So for those of you who paid attention, Coogan and Gildersleeve is my best referrer. They gave me all my local Dryer Ventilator solo projects. I finally made a step to make good with them today. I brought over a bin of "Two Bite Brownies" (purchased at A&P) to the service desk over there (along with a handfull of cards - they must be about to run out). The dude who took the cards was cool. He actually came to my residence to try to fix my old fridge (it was dead BTW), and he was happy to get the treats and cards. It was cool and easy. Those guys at Coogan are way cool!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thank you Coogan and Gildersleeve!
Another fine referral from Coogan and Gildersleeve! Thanks guys! You rock!
Today I just somehow knew I would get a call for Dryer Ventilator work. I actually came back into the house to get my folder for invoices/receipts for DV before leaving the house. And it turns out I was right. While I was doing my first appointment for Dr. Dryer Vent, I got a call from someone I didn't know in a number I believed to be local to Mystic. And I was right!
It was a guy who needed his vent replaced. It was plastic and the hood wasn't working any more. The hood was an old metal one which was just super dirty. It turned out to be easier to replace it with a nice new plastic white one. I put an elbow, two sections of straight pipe, and a bit of flex to hook up to the dryer. No problem! Plus the inside of the dryer was really dirty.
The people were, of course, really nice. The man of the house was an older retired gentleman, who was there the whole time with me, both chatting and helping out. He even helped me a lot by filing away a little bit around the existing hole he had so it would fit my new hood assembly. Way above and beyond the call of duty for a customer, and it also saved me a ton of time and problems. I actually need one of those coarse files he had! The woman kept pretty quiet, taking care of business upstairs on the phone answering messages and then cleaning a bit, but she was really nice too.
It is always so nice to get to meet new people who are so friendly and genuinely good people.
Today I just somehow knew I would get a call for Dryer Ventilator work. I actually came back into the house to get my folder for invoices/receipts for DV before leaving the house. And it turns out I was right. While I was doing my first appointment for Dr. Dryer Vent, I got a call from someone I didn't know in a number I believed to be local to Mystic. And I was right!
It was a guy who needed his vent replaced. It was plastic and the hood wasn't working any more. The hood was an old metal one which was just super dirty. It turned out to be easier to replace it with a nice new plastic white one. I put an elbow, two sections of straight pipe, and a bit of flex to hook up to the dryer. No problem! Plus the inside of the dryer was really dirty.
The people were, of course, really nice. The man of the house was an older retired gentleman, who was there the whole time with me, both chatting and helping out. He even helped me a lot by filing away a little bit around the existing hole he had so it would fit my new hood assembly. Way above and beyond the call of duty for a customer, and it also saved me a ton of time and problems. I actually need one of those coarse files he had! The woman kept pretty quiet, taking care of business upstairs on the phone answering messages and then cleaning a bit, but she was really nice too.
It is always so nice to get to meet new people who are so friendly and genuinely good people.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Thank you Coogan and Gildersleeve!
I did two of my own jobs last week, both thanks to the good folks at Coogan and Gildersleeve! One in Groton Long Point, and one in Groton. Both were great jobs to do, where I solved real problems for people. And both people were really nice to work for, and in nice places to live.
The first one in GLP was filled with lint, like 20 feet worth of lint in a 6 foot run. Plus the vent turned out to be disconnected midway between the dryer and the tailpipe (where it comes out of the house). I ended up fixing that, cleaning up the vent and dryer thoroughly, and making sure the transition vent (connecting the dryer to the wall) was very well connected.
The second one in Groton was replacing an old, dirty, unsafe plastic vent with good straight metal pipe. It was actually a mobile home, and I was crawling around in the dirt under the home doing the vent. I would say I'd rather be there than up in an attic with scratchy insulation. That lady was really nice, and I was happy to be able to help her out.
It is nice to get paid to help people like this, and to meet all sorts of different and new people that I would otherwise not be likely to meet.
The first one in GLP was filled with lint, like 20 feet worth of lint in a 6 foot run. Plus the vent turned out to be disconnected midway between the dryer and the tailpipe (where it comes out of the house). I ended up fixing that, cleaning up the vent and dryer thoroughly, and making sure the transition vent (connecting the dryer to the wall) was very well connected.
The second one in Groton was replacing an old, dirty, unsafe plastic vent with good straight metal pipe. It was actually a mobile home, and I was crawling around in the dirt under the home doing the vent. I would say I'd rather be there than up in an attic with scratchy insulation. That lady was really nice, and I was happy to be able to help her out.
It is nice to get paid to help people like this, and to meet all sorts of different and new people that I would otherwise not be likely to meet.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Beautiful Colonial Old Wethersfield Connecticut
Thursday's second job (to which I was about two hours late) was in perhaps the coolest all around house I have been in. And that is saying a lot, since I have been in freakin' multi-thousand square foot mansions around Avon, etc.
This was a great old house in Old Wethersfield, CT. It was from like 1740 or something, and it showed. There was also a "new" part of the house, which couldn't have been less than 50 years old. But it was all together awesome, in the truest sense of the word. The old house was perfect. Kitchen was all new features, but old structure. The stairs were incredibly narrow. Original WIDE floors showed in many places. All sorts of crazy closet type spaces. Wak up attic. All so cool. Plus the lady was so chill and nice. It was a great reprise from all the challenges of the week up to that point.
Thus are the ups and downs of the dryer ventilation business. I wonder what's in store for next week?
This was a great old house in Old Wethersfield, CT. It was from like 1740 or something, and it showed. There was also a "new" part of the house, which couldn't have been less than 50 years old. But it was all together awesome, in the truest sense of the word. The old house was perfect. Kitchen was all new features, but old structure. The stairs were incredibly narrow. Original WIDE floors showed in many places. All sorts of crazy closet type spaces. Wak up attic. All so cool. Plus the lady was so chill and nice. It was a great reprise from all the challenges of the week up to that point.
Thus are the ups and downs of the dryer ventilation business. I wonder what's in store for next week?
Tough Week
This past week has been extraordinarily difficult for me as a clothes dryer vent cleaning professional.
I had three jobs that each took me over three hours to complete. Normally, they're like an hour or so.
The first was a replacement where I couldn't get at the vent space because it was behind a ceiling and wall and stuff. But I pulled it off. Or I should say I pushed it in. It was sweet. It seemed like it wouldn't work, but in the end it worked awesome! Replaced plastic vent with straight pipe, and it worked like a charm! Plus the customer was a great joy to hang out with while working on the job.
Second one was a bit less victorious. The vent outlet was shared with at least two other dryer vents, possibly with three bathroom and three stove vents. Really really bad. First I thought the vent outlet would be on the roof. After putting a ladder up to someone else's deck, and up to the roof, I found NOTHING up there. Then the customer pointed out a vent outlet on the side of the building. One vent outlet. His was completely clogged and soggy wet. I had to clean it from the inside, and what a mess. Plus his dryer wasn't working, so I couldn't really verify operation at the end. And it took me about three hours. Of course, the guy was cool... I knew him from high school, where we weren't friends, but we got along great this week. It's just that it is hard to do a good job when the vent is so bad.
Third one was...um... a disaster. Fixed price (low cost) repeat customer with a major issue - water, clog, drywall all wet in the living room...uggh! Plus I made a pricing error on the phone with the owner, and was quickly corrected by the real Dr. Dryer Vent. But it took me HOURS and I was really late to the second appointment (which fortunately was normal).
But three jobs each taking over three hours was demoralizing. Should get better soon. Email me for more details if you are interested in a long sob story.
I had three jobs that each took me over three hours to complete. Normally, they're like an hour or so.
The first was a replacement where I couldn't get at the vent space because it was behind a ceiling and wall and stuff. But I pulled it off. Or I should say I pushed it in. It was sweet. It seemed like it wouldn't work, but in the end it worked awesome! Replaced plastic vent with straight pipe, and it worked like a charm! Plus the customer was a great joy to hang out with while working on the job.
Second one was a bit less victorious. The vent outlet was shared with at least two other dryer vents, possibly with three bathroom and three stove vents. Really really bad. First I thought the vent outlet would be on the roof. After putting a ladder up to someone else's deck, and up to the roof, I found NOTHING up there. Then the customer pointed out a vent outlet on the side of the building. One vent outlet. His was completely clogged and soggy wet. I had to clean it from the inside, and what a mess. Plus his dryer wasn't working, so I couldn't really verify operation at the end. And it took me about three hours. Of course, the guy was cool... I knew him from high school, where we weren't friends, but we got along great this week. It's just that it is hard to do a good job when the vent is so bad.
Third one was...um... a disaster. Fixed price (low cost) repeat customer with a major issue - water, clog, drywall all wet in the living room...uggh! Plus I made a pricing error on the phone with the owner, and was quickly corrected by the real Dr. Dryer Vent. But it took me HOURS and I was really late to the second appointment (which fortunately was normal).
But three jobs each taking over three hours was demoralizing. Should get better soon. Email me for more details if you are interested in a long sob story.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Business Banking...uggh!...I mean YAY!
So my first local customer, my first Dryer Ventilator customer, wrote me a check to Dryer Ventilator. So I had to figure out how to cash that check.
Turns out you need a business banking account to do this. Also turns out you have to go to the secretary of state in CT to get forms to do this. It's not like you just go to the bank and say "hey, I'm Dryer Ventilator" and then they give you a business bank account and let you cash a check.
All in all, I visited three different branches, and went to SOTS twice, but I now have my fancy business banking setup. Plus Bank of America gave me a sweet line of credit. Now I can go get that F-350 work truck I NEED.
So after all the pain, it is so worth it to have the business bank account. It makes me feel so important and cool to have this.
Turns out you need a business banking account to do this. Also turns out you have to go to the secretary of state in CT to get forms to do this. It's not like you just go to the bank and say "hey, I'm Dryer Ventilator" and then they give you a business bank account and let you cash a check.
All in all, I visited three different branches, and went to SOTS twice, but I now have my fancy business banking setup. Plus Bank of America gave me a sweet line of credit. Now I can go get that F-350 work truck I NEED.
So after all the pain, it is so worth it to have the business bank account. It makes me feel so important and cool to have this.
Local Customer!
A few weeks ago was a memorable moment I really should have posted right away, but you know how it goes...
Anyway, I got my first LOCAL CUSTOMER! Coogan and Gildersleeve referred me to a great woman living in Noank Connecticut. Turns out she was the owner of a two-family and her tenant was having problems. She lives in the other half, and also wanted me to clean out her vent while I was there.
It was actually a really challenging couple of vents. For the tenant, I had to do a replacement of a completely clogged plastic vent. There was a bird's next in the vent. It actually had eggs (old dried out ones) and everything. The vent inside from the bird's nest was all wet and really not safe. But by the time I was done with it, everything was awesome! Hard straight pipes and elbows - all perfectly clean.
For the owner, I couldn't reach all the way up to her vent, and it turns out my wife's Volvo XC70 doesn't have a ladder-capable rack on it (it is missing bars across, and even if they were there, it might have been questionable). Fortunately, I could reach the vent from the bedroom window. Of course, this was its own challenge. But the best part was when the brush got all bound up in the vent. Turns out the main vent was just basically pushed together in the middle, and that came apart under the power of the brush, and the brush got all tangled up in it, and it was chaos. Even better, the main vent was virtually completely concealed, mostly behind the fridge which had like an inch of clearance on all three sides. I had to pull out the fridge with my bare hands and get behind it to repair the vent issue there. I was just praying that the electric cord was long enough (I figured they installed it, so there must be enough cord length) and that the water lines were long enough (again the "if they installed it..." thought).
In the end everything turned out great, and both vents were totally cleaned and in perfect shape. I was really proud of the job I did. It's great to know that you leave someone so much safer and better off than when you came.
Anyway, I got my first LOCAL CUSTOMER! Coogan and Gildersleeve referred me to a great woman living in Noank Connecticut. Turns out she was the owner of a two-family and her tenant was having problems. She lives in the other half, and also wanted me to clean out her vent while I was there.
It was actually a really challenging couple of vents. For the tenant, I had to do a replacement of a completely clogged plastic vent. There was a bird's next in the vent. It actually had eggs (old dried out ones) and everything. The vent inside from the bird's nest was all wet and really not safe. But by the time I was done with it, everything was awesome! Hard straight pipes and elbows - all perfectly clean.
For the owner, I couldn't reach all the way up to her vent, and it turns out my wife's Volvo XC70 doesn't have a ladder-capable rack on it (it is missing bars across, and even if they were there, it might have been questionable). Fortunately, I could reach the vent from the bedroom window. Of course, this was its own challenge. But the best part was when the brush got all bound up in the vent. Turns out the main vent was just basically pushed together in the middle, and that came apart under the power of the brush, and the brush got all tangled up in it, and it was chaos. Even better, the main vent was virtually completely concealed, mostly behind the fridge which had like an inch of clearance on all three sides. I had to pull out the fridge with my bare hands and get behind it to repair the vent issue there. I was just praying that the electric cord was long enough (I figured they installed it, so there must be enough cord length) and that the water lines were long enough (again the "if they installed it..." thought).
In the end everything turned out great, and both vents were totally cleaned and in perfect shape. I was really proud of the job I did. It's great to know that you leave someone so much safer and better off than when you came.
Friday, August 31, 2007
28 foot ladders
One of the jobs I did today was a sweet house in East Hampton (Connecticut). It was really tucked out of the way, but yet still close to main roads. My old map book didn't even have the roads to lead to it!
Anyway, their laundry room was up on the bedroom floor (which I wish mine was). But as a cleaner, what a pain in the a$$! That means the vent outlet to outside is also up on the second floor. My Little Giant 16 footer wasn't big enough. Fortunately, the homeowner had a HUGE 28 footer (ladder, that is) that she let me use. She even helped me carry it! What a nice person. Of course, they were blithely drinking Miller Chill while I slaved away, but that's a different story.
In the end, it was a tough job. I had to go up on a big laddder. I had to not use the shop vac (the 10-month old baby was just asleep (as a parent of very young children, I would NEVER intentionally disrupt the sleep of an infant). I also had to pull out the dryer and replace the transition vent (that's jargon for the pipe that goes from the dryer to the wall). Oh yeah, plus the f***ing wind changed direction while I was up on the ladder cleaning the ventilation system from the outside, which proceeded to cover me all over with dryer vent junk - arms, face, etc. YUCK!
But by the end, I was feeling pretty good about my laddering skills (if you've never done a big ladder, you are scratching your head, but if you have, then you are nodding), and I set them up with a nice safe, well done dryer ventilation system (plus I got p-a-i-d) so I overall was feeling good about the good deed I had done.
Anyway, their laundry room was up on the bedroom floor (which I wish mine was). But as a cleaner, what a pain in the a$$! That means the vent outlet to outside is also up on the second floor. My Little Giant 16 footer wasn't big enough. Fortunately, the homeowner had a HUGE 28 footer (ladder, that is) that she let me use. She even helped me carry it! What a nice person. Of course, they were blithely drinking Miller Chill while I slaved away, but that's a different story.
In the end, it was a tough job. I had to go up on a big laddder. I had to not use the shop vac (the 10-month old baby was just asleep (as a parent of very young children, I would NEVER intentionally disrupt the sleep of an infant). I also had to pull out the dryer and replace the transition vent (that's jargon for the pipe that goes from the dryer to the wall). Oh yeah, plus the f***ing wind changed direction while I was up on the ladder cleaning the ventilation system from the outside, which proceeded to cover me all over with dryer vent junk - arms, face, etc. YUCK!
But by the end, I was feeling pretty good about my laddering skills (if you've never done a big ladder, you are scratching your head, but if you have, then you are nodding), and I set them up with a nice safe, well done dryer ventilation system (plus I got p-a-i-d) so I overall was feeling good about the good deed I had done.
The Real World
So I have been out of those condos in South Windsor for a few weeks. And life is different in the real world! The jobs are a lot more...um...involved...and different every time. In a way it is awesome, but in a way, I miss the old simple world.
For example, earlier this week, I was in a mansion, like 10K square feet at least with lots of little three and four steps up and downs in the house, and probably a half dozen unused rooms (just the ones that I could see) and appliances of a brand I didn't know. Fancy ones. They had two laundry rooms. But their cars were just fairly normal - a big Lexus SUV (LX450 or something like that) and a medium sized GMC SUV (didn't notice the model). Anyway - the dryers. Well it was hard - attic, blower, tape, screen, roof, high up...just a bunch of tricks. Plus I spilled the drinking water they gave me all over their fancy real wood floor in their guest suite which was larger than my entire house (not quite, but it was BIG, with its own climate control, bathroom, TV, and two beds and high ceilings - did I mention this house was beautiful?)
So I will once again reiterate that the best part about this business is seeing everyone's great homes and meeting a lot of cool people. Oh yeah, did I mention the money. Money is good. But so are the people.
For example, earlier this week, I was in a mansion, like 10K square feet at least with lots of little three and four steps up and downs in the house, and probably a half dozen unused rooms (just the ones that I could see) and appliances of a brand I didn't know. Fancy ones. They had two laundry rooms. But their cars were just fairly normal - a big Lexus SUV (LX450 or something like that) and a medium sized GMC SUV (didn't notice the model). Anyway - the dryers. Well it was hard - attic, blower, tape, screen, roof, high up...just a bunch of tricks. Plus I spilled the drinking water they gave me all over their fancy real wood floor in their guest suite which was larger than my entire house (not quite, but it was BIG, with its own climate control, bathroom, TV, and two beds and high ceilings - did I mention this house was beautiful?)
So I will once again reiterate that the best part about this business is seeing everyone's great homes and meeting a lot of cool people. Oh yeah, did I mention the money. Money is good. But so are the people.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Great neighbors
I am doing a set of condos in South Windsor the past few and next few weeks, with Dr. Dryer Vent. He is the premier dryer vent service professional in Hartford County, and maybe in all of Connecticut. He also has taught me everything that I know about dryer vent cleaning. With ten years in business, he has seen just about everything a dryer vent service person could run into. Plus he's a really great guy that's great to work for and with.
Anyway. The main thing that has struck me about these condos is the sense of community. They are separated into sixteen buildings, each with twelve units, six on each side of the building: three upstairs and three down. A wonderful part of this has been talking with all the different people that live in these condos. Almost every building has had one or more people who seemed to know all the other residents. Today was no exception.
One woman let me into her own place plus two others. She even called some of the other residents to let them know that I was around, and that I'd be over there later in the day. Without her, I might have been stuck doing only two or three dryers today, but thanks to her, I was able to complete eight dryers! It is just amazing to me the closeness that so many of these residents share.
Anyway. The main thing that has struck me about these condos is the sense of community. They are separated into sixteen buildings, each with twelve units, six on each side of the building: three upstairs and three down. A wonderful part of this has been talking with all the different people that live in these condos. Almost every building has had one or more people who seemed to know all the other residents. Today was no exception.
One woman let me into her own place plus two others. She even called some of the other residents to let them know that I was around, and that I'd be over there later in the day. Without her, I might have been stuck doing only two or three dryers today, but thanks to her, I was able to complete eight dryers! It is just amazing to me the closeness that so many of these residents share.
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