WHAT OTHER SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?

safeclean

New member
I follow this bbs regularly,but rarely post,enjoy all the great information shared,and the occasional flare ups,which are usually settled in a friendly way.I was wondering what else you offered your customers,I realize some of you are licensed fire supression system contractors,and some install hoods,filter exchange etc.But what other services do you offer to your exhaust cleaning customers that you think is a good additional service.Some of the things I was thinking about were.
1.awning cleaning and sealing.
2.flat work(sidewalks,dumpster pad etc.)
3.tile and grout cleaning and sealing.
4.air duct cleaning and sanitizing(I know it is a whole other
field but I know some offer it and I just bought a duct
system from atlantic engineering,and was wondering who
else offers this)
5.acoustical ceiling tile cleaning.
6.grease trap maintenance.
7.roof top maintenance(other than cleaning the exhaust
fan,degreasing ac units cooling fins etc.)
Just some of the services I have been thinking about and buying equipment for over the last couple of years.
I know some of you are probably thinking this list is a little much,but I like the idea of adding maximum revenue per customer visit (like a greasers Walmart concept!I know when I go in there for a few things I come out a few hundred lighter in my wallet,and a full cart or two).Just was wondering what your thoughts or experiences were with any of these services.
JIM
 
Hi Jim,

Besides hood and duct, we do awnings, flatwork and kitchen equipment. Also trash chutes, one of which is 22 stories!

Karen
 
General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon offer all services in fire protection, prevention, & suppression;
1. portable fire extinguishers, sales service
2. suppression systems, T& I,installs and service for kitchens and industrial
3. Sprinkler service, T & I,repairs, modifications
4. Fire, burg , nurse call and phone lines T & I , installs and repair
5. fire hydrant testing and inspections
6. Exhaust system cleaning, installs and repairs
7. Minor appliance repairs, gas only
8. Gas piping installs and repair
9. Emergency light T & I , repair and installs

If we don't do it, we know who does.

Douglas Hicks
General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc
 
Hi
Thanks for the replys.
Dave-I have followed your posts for a few years,I really like all your custom made equipment,and great reply's to questions,and your first class operation. Is you air duct cleaning equipment portable or truckmount equipment and do you market it separately.

Karen-Wow! that 22 story chute must be challenging.I remember you posting about special licensing that you need in Vegas,I was wondering if that helps alot with the fly by night companies,and low ballers.

Douglas- I have followed your posts regularly ,and find your answers very professional and intelligent.It seems you focus all your efforts in the fire prevention field,and I guess that is why you are successful.Focus seems to be a problem for me since I am always looking at different opportunities for increasing revenue.I have toyed with the idea of learning fire suppresion installation and inspection,but that is something I would have to devote fulltime attention to learning and pursueing and find my plate a little too full currently to even attempt entering that field.

THANKS AGAIN!
JIM
 
Hello Jim,

Thanks for your kind words.

Our air duct cleaning equipment is portable. Here is a picture of it at work. 5000 cfm, HEPA filtered.

Dave Olson
 

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Hi Dave
Your welcome!I like your nikro negative air vac.I have seen them before and like the modular nature,also the impressive appearance for a portable.I just recently bought an atlantic engineering ultraliteII,that is also Hepa filtered with similiar specs,it is also a portable.I was wondering if you marketed the air duct cleaning seperate from pressure washing,or primarily market as an add on to pressure washing,and what has been your success marketing air duct cleaning to restaurants.
Take Care
JIM
 
Hello dodsonish,

They call them "Blow n Go Guys"!

Not much different from the folks that only do part of a kitchen exhaust system!

Dave Olson
 
Hi Josh
Some of the ones you see are bait and switch companies using that price to get in the door,but everything else to do a proper job
is"extra" .A normal residential duct cleaning is in the $300 to $500 dollar range give or take.Commercial a lot more depending on the size of the system,sometimes into the many thousands of dollars for large facilities.
JIM
 
I do both hood cleaning and filter service.I also service belts in the fans.I bought an assortment from Grainger they cost about 3-4 bucks each.When I'm at a place doing a hood I offer to replace belts at 30.00 for 1 or 2 for 50.00.For service calls I have gotten as much as 125.00.The repair takes 5 minutes.
I stocked up by ordering 3 of each from al200 thru al380.

Great way to make a few hundred extra a month and the customers love it.

John
 
That's a good idea John,I know a few guys who add that into their price and include it "free" as a marketing tool.
JIM
 
Offer a free check, but the belt costs you time and money. It would cost them much more for a service call to replace the belt. Most people don't mind paying the $30-$50 bucks at the time of cleaning for the replacement. You do have some that have their HVAC guys do belt replacements.

Another thing to offer is rooftop grease containment. There are several different options for this, I'm sure everyone on here has their preference in those. I recommend Grease Gutter. They are not cheap, but they do their job.

greasegutter.com
 
John,

Thanks for sharing your approach. It definitely gives you an economy of scale (you are already at the site) while increasing revenues as well as your value to the client. One word of caution - you may want to check sales license requirements. In some locales (my area, for instance) you must obtain a permit and submit regular anticipatory sales tax deposits and reports if you sell anything at all. For this reason we charge for 'service' only and omit any charge for sales of any items at all.

I see the Dodster is still supporting the Rams. Some guys just ain't never gonna learn!

Richard
 
How about more info on the ceiling tile cleaning? I see lots of dirty tile.

How do you clean a nasty grease trap. I smelled one last week that smelled like a thousand coyote assholes.

Douglas Hicks
General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc
 
Douglas
I bought a von schrader ceiling tile system off of ebay.I have not used it yet,but it is pretty straight forward.It has extension poles with a solution line that sprays their proprietary chemical with a fine mist and another person comes behind you with the other extension pole and wipes behind you,if you do a search there are other companies that have similiar systems some that you don't have to wipe afterwards,and you charge by the square foot.As far as grease traps there are some companies that pump out the large ones,I have never dealt with a larger style grease trap.I have worked in restaurants as a kid and have owned two over the last 6 years,a pizza place and a chicken,rib and seafood place,and the grease trap was always the nastiest job.After you pry the top off,you have to scoop the nasty,smelly ,rotten orange and brown grease out with a scoop of some sort,then we flushed it with hot water and poured deodorizer in it.If the grease trap clogs and backs up your screwed,it starts flowing out onto the floor and you sometimes need a sewer service to come out to root it out depending onwhere the clog is.I had this happen to my chicken and rib place in NJ,on a very busy friday night and had to wait two hours for my plumber,what a nightmare!
The reason I started this thread is to get some feedback on somethings I have been thinking about.As I stated before I have worked in,and owned restaurants in the past(and probably will again in the future)and one of the biggest problems is turnover and finding good people and even the good people really do not want to clean.It is hard enough to find people to cook and work the front never mind tell some 17 year old you want him to clean ,and when they do it's a hassle ,kids today think it is beneath them,that is why you see so many places with mexicans or other immigrants working in the back of restaurants,they are just happy to have the job,but getting many cleaning tasks done are a hassle for a manager or owner.I figure the more services you offer,the more valuable you become,and set yourself apart from your competition.I think if you look at the whole restaurant or establishment you are servicing,and think outside the box ,there are many ways to add more services,and more value to yourself,in your customers eyes,than just that necessary nuisance every six months to get the hood sticker,you will become "their guy", or "girl" (Karen)taking care of things that they don't have to ,since they are usually in a state of chaos handling the other tasks of running a restaurant.
Jim
 
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