Duraclean Journal of Marketing, Management and Technical Topics

No Support of the 5.3L Chevy Engine

Hydramaster Advisory: January 18, 2003

The last Hydramaster advisory included a statement which said "no support for the 5.3L engine in a 2008 Chevy van." More information as follows:

* The 5.3L engine is only available on the 1500 series (1/2 ton) vans. Hydramaster does not support installations of the CDS truckmount into a half ton van regardless of the engine.
* The 5.3L is not available on the 2500 series (3/4 ton) or the 3500 series (1 ton) vans. Those vans will only have available the 4.8L and the 6.0L as engine options.

Labels: Engine Specifications, Equipment, Hydramaster, Technical, Truck Mount

Head detail

Labels: Equipment, Fabricrafter, Sales, Upholstery Foam Tool

Joe Kiss - Colorado Franchisee (1949-2007)

Joe Kiss

Joe Kiss, Duraclean franchisee in Grand Junction, Colorado since 1991 passed away suddenly on October 17th from an aneurysm. Joe was a dedicated Duraclean franchisee and could often be seen participating at many Duraclean functions throughout his 16 years in the system.

Joe served in the United States Navy from 1968-1972 after graduating from West High School in Denver. He was a member of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce and was president of his local homeowners' association. Joe was an avid gardener, fisherman and loving family man. Survivors include his wife, Jane, and daughter, Margaret. A memorial service was held October 22nd.

Any memorial contributions may be made to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 2121 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 81501.

Labels: Announcements, Kiss, Obituary

The 2008 Annual Meeting will be held July 28 - 31 at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The agenda will be full of important topics for your business including: A full day presentation on several aspects of Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Cost Analysis, Understanding Insurance and Creating Invoices, Duct Cleaning, Loose Rug Cleaning and More...

Additional information and registration info will be distributed within the next month.

Don't forget the Sales Contest begins April 1.

If you have any questions, please call or e-mail Danielle.

See you in Vegas.

Labels: 2008 Annual Meeting, Meetings, Registration

Pat Hyland, VP, Rotobrush

"Over 97% of 97,000 homes tested were found to have lower than acceptable levels of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)."
AirAdvice Inc. 2007

In today’s air-tight homes, indoor air quality (IAQ) is a growing concern for many homeowners. That is why more and more carpet cleaning professionals choose to add air duct cleaning to the list of services they provide. You are already your customers’ authority on cleaning carpet and upholstery; why not be their indoor air quality specialist as well? With the proper tools, you can provide your customers a valuable service and generate incremental revenues for your business.

Why Duct Cleaning?

Homeowners have their air ducts cleaned for several reasons:

* Over the years, air duct systems can accumulate dirt and debris, pet dander, pollen, mold and dust mites.

2) To assist you in proper duct cleaning; and

3) To confirm to yourself and your customer that the ducts were properly cleaned.

Rotovision Video Duct Inspection System

When you are in a home cleaning the carpet, pull out your video inspection system to show the homeowners how dirty their air ducts really are. Most people are shocked when they see that the air they breathe travels through dirty air ducts. Once customers see the accumulated dirt and dust hiding in their ducts, they usually schedule a cleaning appointment. The fast and easy video inspection sells the duct cleaning job for you.

The Cleaning Process
Air duct cleaning is actually a very simple process when using the proper tools. After the homeowner agrees to the duct cleaning, the first step would be to remove all of the registers for cleaning. A good degreaser applied to the registers and then rinsed with water does the trick.
Always return each register to its previous location.

Next, clean the entire duct system using professional air duct cleaning equipment.

Rotobrush BENEG Duct Cleaning Cabinet

Start by cleaning the supply runs, beginning with the furthest air duct away from the air
handler/furnace. Work your way back towards the air handler/furnace, cleaning the remaining air ducts. This will allow you to overlap air ducts to ensure complete cleaning.

Insertion of brush attachment with vacuum hose into HVAC opening

Closeup of brush attachment

Brush inside flex ductwork

Side view demonstration of brush in ductwork

Cutaway view demonstration of optional whip agitation system with BENEG cabinet

After you clean the supply duct runs, you are ready to clean the cold air return. Typically, because the return draws air to circulate through the system, it has more dirt and debris than the supply (depending on the location of the filter, or even if a filter was used at all. Because the cold air return ducts are dirtier than the supply ducts, it is a great spot to initially show the homeowner. This is where having an active video inspection system is handy.

More Than Cleaning
Air duct cleaning involves more than cleaning the ductwork. The entire air conveyance system needs to be cleaned, so the next step would be to clean the air handling /furnace unit. Some states require an HVAC license for accessing the ductwork, so always check with your local authorities.

After you clean the air handler/furnace, you can offer your customer the option to fog the duct system with a deodorizer/bacteriostat. Fogging is a great add-on service to offer your customers and they love the pleasant smell left in their home.

The final step is to once again use your video inspection system to show the customer the results. Video inspection is an important tool in air duct cleaning because it lets the customer know the job was done right, increasing referrals and decreasing callbacks.

Add-on Sales
IAQ services are a natural extension of the HVAC, carpet, floor care, chimney cleaning, janitorial and restoration services that are currently offered. Air duct cleaning is a popular choice because of the public’s growing awareness and concern over indoor air quality, which makes it an easy add-on service. Most people are shocked when they see that the air they breathe travels through dirty air ducts.

Taking the Next Step
Rotobrush International LLC, based in Grapevine Texas, has over two decades of experience in the indoor air quality industry. Rotobrush provides air duct and dryer vent cleaning business start-up opportunities and training and manufactures portable air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning equipment, parts and accessories, electrostatic filters and video inspection systems. You can check them out on the web at http://www.rotobrush.com/.

Labels: Duct Cleaning, HVAC, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, Marketing, Rotobrush

New Employee Safety Orientation
What Your Training Should Include

To train new employees in safety, your orientation presentation should lay out their role in creating a safe workplace, as well as safety steps to take.
span>
Safety “Pop Quiz”
Here’s a “pop quiz” to give you an idea of how important safety training is for new employees.

How likely is it that new hires will be injured on the job, as compared to experienced workers?
a) twice as likely
b) four times as likely
c) five times as likely
d) no more likely

If you answered c), you're correct. The main reason for this startling statistic is a dangerous combination of supervisors thinking “newbies” know more than they really do, and newcomers are often afraid to ask questions, thinking that someone else will think them less than capable. As common sense would dictate, if one doesn't explain the hazards, and the other doesn't ask about them, then that's a recipe for trouble.

Safety Training Suggestions
What's the remedy?
Safety experts recommend making safety training part of every worker's orientation by, for example, including a copy of your safety policy in the new hire document pack and by stressing safety features at your facility while doing the usual new hire walk-through.

Here are some suggestions (keeping in mind that trainees learn more when you use both sight and sound to teach them). These are provided by BLR (Business and Legal Reports) who offer the most comprehensive safety information and training available in our industry.

* Lay out the objectives. Your presentation should make the point that every worker can make (and is expected to make) an important contribution to organizational safety by identifying and fixing or reporting hazards and near-misses and by responding appropriately to emergencies and evacuations.

* Note specific learning. Tell workers that they'll be learning the basics of several different areas of safety.

* Warn against horseplay. Those new to the job may be tempted to "fool around" with equipment they've never used before. Such antics can be deadly.

* Explain the worker's role in security. Newcomers may take a narrow view of safety as primarily accident prevention, but they need to understand that keeping unauthorized persons out of the workplace is also a safety measure and that it's done through vigilance and careful handling of identification systems such as badges and codes.

* List safety information sources. It's vital that workers know where to find the knowledge they need to be safe, including the location of safety bulletin boards and the names of safety supervisors or members of the facility's safety committee.

* Give detailed safety information. Include topics on (1) housekeeping, (2) fire hazards and response (including extinguisher use and technique), (3) ergonomic cautions, (4) safe lifting and materials handling, (5) PPE types and use, (6) electrical hazards and protective measures and (7) hazardous chemicals.

* Provide information specific to your facility. Include (1) a map of your facility, (2) hazards to avoid and (3) location of MSDSs.

* Ask for questions.

Sources for Training
Go to Duraclean’s Franchise website in the “Downloads” section for Safety Compliance files. There are numerous quizzes, checklists and forms for your immediate use.

Labels: management, New Employee, Safety Compliance, Training

Thinking About a New Truck?

HydraMaster Advisory: January 3, 2008

Ford CDS installations will increase in difficulty and time… and in cost! Ford is going through a parts change at this time. The crankshaft dampener pulley does not have threaded holes for the screws. While parts are available that will provide the correct substitute, the pulley is difficult to remove and the replacement requires a complex torque sequence. This change is reported as of Ford’s 10/07 production.

HydraMaster is working through these issues but it may take some time… and hopefully there will be some improvements that will make the installation easier.

HydraMaster is currently unable to support CDS installations for any 2008 Chevy with a 5.3L engine. The 5.3L is a new flex fuel engine and the CDS throttle controller does not support that engine yet. The controller vendor is working on a resolution and HydraMaster hopes to remove this advisory shortly.

ONCE A SOLUTION IS DEVELOPED FOR EITHER OF THESE ISSUES THEY WILL ISSUE A CANCELLATION TO THIS ADVISORY.

Labels: Equipment, Hydramaster, Technical, Truck Mount, Van Specifications

Irl H. Marshall, Jr.




Irl H. Marshall, Jr. aged 78, of Northbrook, Illinois and Carefree, Arizona died December 20, 2007 at his Northbrook home of 56 years. Born February 28, 1929 in Evanston, Illinois, he spent his early years in Racine, Wisconsin, moved to Deerfield, Illinois and attended Highland Park High School.

Irl went to Dartmouth College in June 1945, was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity, majored in Chemistry and graduated in 1949 at age 20. He received an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1968 and a degree in Franchising from Louisiana State University in 1991.

Irl had a long and successful career with Duraclean International, Inc.

Irl held managerial positions for Montgomery Ward from 1961-1977, a major Chicago area retailer, returning to Duraclean in 1977 to become President and CEO and served in those roles until his retirement in 1998. He spearheaded efforts that moved the franchise system from the handscraftsmanship of the Foamovator to the mechanized cleaning of the Extractovator carpet cleaning machine and the Fabricrafter upholstery and drapery cleaning machine. Duraclean received patents related to both pieces of equipment.

He was one of the founders of the International Franchise Association (IFA) and was an integral part of the team that drafted its original Code of Ethics. He was a board member from 1981-1990, elected President in 1985 and served as Chairman from 1985-1986. He received the Hall of Fame Award from the Association in 2002 and created the Irl Marshall IFA Certified Franchising Executive Scholarship.

Irl’s interests outside of work included director of the Continental Illinois Bank of Deerfield, director of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) of Chicago, a member of the Chicago Crime Commission, director and treasurer of the Highland Park Hospital Board, president of the Cliff Dwellers and member of Exmoor Country Club, The University Club of Chicago and Kiwanis International. Irl and his wife Barbara had a long involvement with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival. He also enjoyed fishing and the sport of curling.

Irl is survived by his wife of 58 years Barbara, a daughter Alice (David) Vogler of Duxbury, Massachusetts, a son Irl H. III (Tracy) Marshall of Westcliffe, Colorado, a daughter Carol (Chris) Allen of Duxbury, Massachusetts, grandchildren Bill Vogler, Laura Allen and Jack Allen and sisters Marjorie (Robert) McCarthy of Santa Fe, New Mexico and Katharine Marshall of Fort Collins, Colorado. Irl was preceded in death by a daughter, Susan Jean Marshall (Dartmouth ’80).

A Memorial Service was held at The Village Presbyterian Church of Northbrook, Illinois on Thursday, December 27th followed by a reception at the Marshall home.

Memorial contributions should be made to the Irl H. Marshall, Jr. 1949 Scholarship Fund at 6066 Development Office, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-3555 or ENH Hospice, 1003 University Place, Evanston, Illinois 60201.

Labels: Announcements, Marshall, Obituary

Labels: Abatement, AFD, Air Filtration Device, Containment, Equipment, Mold, Negative Air Machine, Sales

Labels: Equipment, Sales, Stair Tools