Wisler Plumbing and Air

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What It’s like to Be a Technician at Wisler Plumbing & Air

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Right now, we’re really focusing on bringing on apprentices onto our team. We do hire people with no experience in all areas of the field, whether that be water treatment, plumbing, HVAC, HVAC/plumbing installation, or HVAC techs. Although someone might not have any experience or have absolutely no idea what they’re getting into, we can put them through a training program specifically suited for what they’ll be doing. One thing every technician within our company is definitely going to experience is a lot of training. It’s centered around the technical aspects of the job, but it also covers soft skills like how to communicate important details to our clients in an effective manner. The training process will take a different amount of time for everybody, but it generally takes around 6 to 8 months for someone starting at a very low skill level.

 

People coming from factory or assembly line work regularly tell us that they were tired of doing monotonous tasks. Some people just don’t thrive in an environment where they do the same thing over and over, every day. Fortunately, a tech’s day-to-day activities are very diverse. Our technicians visit one or more homes on a daily basis. The job could involve a shower faucet one day, then a toilet or a water heater on the next. The customer’s needs always keep things interesting and fresh.

 

Almost every aspect of a homeowner’s life is tied to relying on working plumbing (like running water, a working toilet, a working kitchen sink, etc.). Sometimes they can be upset about a problem or fearful about what it might cost to have it repaired. When we repair one of those fixtures to make them functional again, or even when we upgrade them to work much better, the job that we’re doing is extremely fulfilling. This is truly a customer service industry, and we sometimes say that we’re here to repair the client. I think we have the opportunity to really impact people and build relationships while we fix their plumbing problem.

 

One of our main values is family. (You can use the word team here whenever it’s in a professional setting). Whenever I think about family, what comes to mind is the people who have my back, those who I can count on, and those who I can be open with. But the idea of family also comes with expectations, tension, challenging times, and tough conversations. Those things exist in healthy families, and they are imperative for growth. I think it is very rewarding to be part of a family/team with all these qualities. If you get stumped on a plumbing problem as a technician, you can call another technician or manager for guidance and support. Our service managers have technical ability because they’ve been in the field themselves. I think that’s what brings the family atmosphere together.

 

For anybody interested in learning more about joining the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air and perhaps becoming an apprentice technician, visit WislerJobs.com. Once you apply online, Maryanne will field the application and start you through our process.

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The structure at our company brings a lot of value to our clients and employees, but sometimes structure can snub out some of the fun. It’s incredibly important for our employees to really enjoy coming to work every single day. That’s why we’ve recently been focusing on cultivating a welcoming and family-friendly culture.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve been taking a short amount of time every morning to have breakfast together during what we call a morning huddle. During some of these huddles we might do trivia or play other short games that only take a few minutes. In one of our recent huddles we played Minute to Win It: Face the Cookie. (The goal is for the player to move a cookie from their forehead to mouth in a minute or less without using their hands.) Sometimes we all need to have these kinds of fun little activities to lighten up the environment. They definitely allow us to build closer relationships with the people we work alongside every day.

 

During our morning huddles we also take time to recognize both professional and personal accomplishments. We like to read out loud any positive feedback a client gives to one of our team members and give them some well-deserved kudos. It’s definitely something that should be shared, because this person worked very hard to serve the client and meet their expectations. Overall, our morning huddles are a lighthearted time we use each day to rally everyone together, have a little bit of fun, and lighten the overall mood.

We do water events in the summer, which gives us a chance to bring family members along to help take part in the fun. We also go to Rail Yard Dawgs hockey games each year (usually in February), which is a really fun time for our organization. The whole family can go watch the game, and we also get to serve the community. Just recently we had a company dinner at Center in the Square in Roanoke. Parents could drop off the kids at the Kids Square to enjoy some fun activities for a few hours. We also had an arcade and pinball for the adults, so this was a very fun event for everyone.

 

Every summer we try to do a cookout with lots of fun food-related things to do. We eat breakfast together and several of our team members make different kinds of dishes that show off their barbecuing and cooking skills. At the end of the day, it’s really about building support and camaraderie with each other. There are times when it’s not always fun, but that’s just real life. Then there are the times when you have to be intentional about making a fun environment to build deeper connections and relationships.

 

There were a few occasions when I’ve had service personnel in my home who were negative from the moment they came in the door. They were complaining and had an unfavorable attitude, which was just not fun for me as a homeowner. The bottom line is, our attitude—whether negative or positive—will carry through to others. We think it makes the most sense to have a solid, happy family who cares about making a positive impact on the people around them.

 

If you’d like to work with the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air, request an appointment, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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There are definitely both pros and cons for one-truck plumbers and larger plumbing companies. At one point in time, I was a one-truck company as well. (Everyone has to get started somewhere.) I think most people initially consider how much it will cost to hire a one-truck plumber versus a larger plumbing company. It is true that larger plumbing companies have higher overhead. Therefore, their rates are going to be higher than a one-truck company. But what does that overhead cover, and what does it provide to homeowners? That will come into play as we review the differences between these two company types.

Availability

First, and foremost, is availability to provide service. When homeowners have a plumbing problem, they usually want it to get taken care of very quickly. Unfortunately, a one-truck company’s lack of resources means they can only be one place at any given time. Although their rates might be lower, it could take them weeks to make the visit. That’s something you might want to consider if you’re thinking about who to choose.

Training

Another difference I think worth mentioning is whether the employees receive ongoing training. A company with one to three employees is often going to be tied up with taking care of daily work. Since they have to wear multiple different hats, they aren’t going to be able to focus on perfecting their craft or keeping current with the times as new products come out. It can be very challenging for a smaller company to have the resources to train on installing, diagnosing, or repairing newly released products. This doesn’t have to be the case with a larger company. We’re very committed to continuing education for all of our technicians. My brother, Brian’s full-time job is to train incoming technicians as well as tenure technicians.

Options

When a technician from a one-truck plumber visits someone’s home—even if they’ve been in the plumbing trade for many years—they might not be trained on how to work with something like a new tankless water heater. If you wanted a tankless system put in your home, they wouldn’t know how to size it properly or install it properly without that training. They probably wouldn’t even suggest it to you as a potential option. Instead, they might say something like, “Well, tankless water heaters don’t work well and they aren’t worth the money,” when that may not actually be the case. (Of course, there are situations where tankless heaters aren’t the best solution, but sometimes they’re a no-brainer.)

Warranty and Service

Another thing to consider is that smaller one-truck operations tend to be priced more economically because they usually base their prices on the volume of work they need to do in a week or a month. (This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s usually how one-truck companies operate.) Therefore, they really don’t have the availability to go back for a return visit that won’t pay them any money—after all, they have bills to pay. If you pay an economical price, you’re probably not going to get a warranty, and if you do call the company, it’s probably not going to go well. Everyone should be aware of this added risk as a consumer. Although the price might be less expensive up front, what’s the total cost moving forward?

We’re priced to make a profit so that we can stay in business. That’s important for the security of our employees, but most importantly, it allows us to give warranties for every water heater, faucet, or toilet we put in a client’s home. Clients know they can call us back 8 years in the future if anything goes wrong. It’s well-known that most small businesses fail within the first 5 years, so if a company doesn’t properly set their prices to sustain them well into the future, they might not be around to service the product they installed. The cheapest price isn’t always the best in the long run.

We aren’t everyone’s plumber, and we obviously aren’t the largest plumbing company either. If someone can find a one-truck company that works really well with them, I tip my hat and wish them good luck. Regardless of your choice of a one-truck company or a larger company, it’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons to choose the best option for your needs.

 

If you want to find out whether Wisler Plumbing & Air is the right fit for your home, contact us today or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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We recently got together as a team and talked about trust and integrity. These two words are fundamental to our culture and all the team members who make up our organization. How we act as an employer along with how we act as a company to our clients and to the community at large is very important. When we build relationships with our clients and our fellow team members, those relationships are centered around trust. In my opinion, it’s the foundation of any relationship.

 

Being trustworthy is made up of two important components: first, honoring your commitments and doing what you say you’re going to do. The second is owning up to your mistakes and acknowledging when you dropped the ball. After all, we’re not perfect—we all have times when we didn’t follow through on something important. Trust is not built from a single service visit or one month of being employed on our team. It’s built over a much longer period of time. The more we’re consistent across many service visits or month after month of employment, the more trust we build within our relationships.

 

Our clients place their trust in us when we go into their homes, maybe to provide a product or service that they know next to nothing about. They trust that we are fulfilling our responsibility to do the due diligence necessary to offer a fair price. I group all that into just doing business honestly. Rarely does the work cost less than what we thought it would be—it usually costs more, but the important thing here is that clients can place their trust in our organization and can be confident we’re doing fair business.

 

Other ways we build trust with our clients is the fair and consistent pricing and the warranty we offer.  We ensure our prices don’t fluctuate so that each homeowner pays the same amount for the same service.  In addition, when a customer needs a service or replacement on a large appliance, the customer may feel vulnerable.  When a company offers a warranty on their products/services, there’s less risk for the customer.

 

We stand behind our warranty with our 100% satisfaction guarantee.  That means if there is a problem, the homeowner can pick up the phone and give us a call so we can take care of the issue.

 

If you have any questions or need our services, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air today. You can request an appointment online, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

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The old adage that nothing lasts forever is true with so many things in our home, and a furnace is no exception. Furnaces have a finite lifespan of around 10 to 15 years on average, depending on multiple variables. Sometimes it might be advantageous to replace an old furnace even if it’s still working. Newer products/equipment are often much more efficient, which is especially important considering that the heating & air system is the #1 contributor to utility costs in your home. With that in mind, we recommend some steps to try to lengthen the lifespan of a furnace and make it last as long as possible.

Fixing Existing Issues

One of the things we see frequently is poor installation of the unit. It could have the wrong sizing of ductwork or the wrong size of unit put into the house. These factors lead to increased pressure and can cause the system to starve for air, which is very problematic. A furnace will experience premature failure very quickly if the unit has to work hard to get air out of the ductwork and into the living space. By resolving issues around incorrect installations, you can really extend the life of the furnace.

You aren’t stuck with the consequences of a poor installation for the lifetime of the system—there are some things you can do. For instance, you can make sure any air leaks in the ductwork are addressed. Sealing the ductwork and making it more airtight will help increase the efficiency of the system. Some pieces of the ductwork could also be replaced with more directional fittings. These are a couple of potential factors outside of the furnace itself that influence the system’s overall lifespan.

Maintenance

If the furnace is correctly installed, the easiest way to maximize its lifespan (which is probably overlooked more than anything else) is to simply change the air filters. Every heating and air conditioning system has a filter. Some systems have the filter located right behind the return grill, some have the filter at the unit itself, and some bigger whole-house filtration systems have the filter located somewhere near but not right at the unit. It’s easy to forget about the filter, so we recommend signing up for one of the many online programs that send filters to your house at a regular interval. It’s money well spent because once a filter gets clogged up, airflow going into the unit becomes obstructed.

Another thing you can do is get your system checked by a professional on a semiannual basis. Dirty air can run into the unit if the filter isn’t clean or if/when the filter is taken out. That dust, debris, and lint actually gets stopped up inside the unit’s coil. While maintaining the equipment, we clean the cabinet and the coil, allowing airflow to move much more effectively. (This is a maintenance item that must be done by a qualified professional.)

Remember, it really starts with homeowners making sure to keep up with changing the filters. From there, it’s about making sure the system is checked on a semiannual basis. If you have any questions, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air today. Request an appointment online, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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Most people don’t think about their water heater and how it needs maintenance, but it’s just like any other piece of equipment. Our car, house, and even our own bodies need maintenance. If we don’t exercise and eat healthy, we’re probably not going to last as long. If we don’t change the oil in our car, it won’t last as long, either. Maintenance is just a good idea, but it can also be a way to save money.

Most people don’t realize that buildup occurs in the water heater, especially if there’s hardness in the water. Calcium is dissolved in hard water, but as it is heated, the calcium solidifies and accumulates either on the element of an electric heater or on the bottom of a gas water heater. The layer of calcium buildup acts as an insulation barrier, which means the water heater has to work harder to do the same job. Therefore, it will cause over-payment on your electric or gas bill. To help reduce buildup, we will flush the water heater.

The tank that holds the water is kind of like a settling tank. If there’s debris, sediment, or calcium, it’s going to settle to the bottom of the heater. The tank will corrode very quickly if it’s got a bunch of sediment and gunk at the bottom. That’s going to cause premature failure, and we solve that by flushing the tank as well.

We also check the anode rod when we maintain a water heater. (The owner’s manual says this should be done as part of proper maintenance.) The anode rod is there to protect the metal that makes up the tank itself. Once the anode rod is completely depleted, there is no protection left. If we replace the anode rod when it depletes, we can add a couple of years to the life of the water heater (which saves you money).

If it’s been a while since you had your water heater checked and maintained, just reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

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