Societal divisions don’t only happen in the virtual world. The construction trades have seen the middle ground give way to high-end plumbing/heating applications and low-bid, low-skilled jobs. Tom Soukup has some ideas as to why that happened.

Communicating effectively, highlighting potential issues and providing options demonstrates your expertise to your customers and sets you apart from the lowest bidder. And when unforeseen circumstances arise, you’ll not bear the financial burden. 

Keep an open mind when approaching potential boiler replacement projects. You do your customers a disservice when you don’t offer the premium option, only the low-cost one. Not every customer is willing or able to invest in the absolute best solution, but none will if you don’t offer it.

The versatility of hydronic systems is well-known by hydronic contractors, but how about building owners or homeowners? The industry must do a better job of educating the public on the comfort and efficiency that hydronic heating and cooling systems provide.

When discussing how to add quality workers to your plumbing and heating business, look outside those trades. Tom Soukup says to start with people with the right attitude and mindset, which is crucial to the home services business; the technical side can be taught. 

Your dream may be to own a plumbing or hydronics contracting business. If so, have plans ready for company growth and succession. After a few years, you may throw an existing plan out entirely; don’t be afraid of change when growing. 

Now is a great time to reach out to customers and be proactive about ensuring their heating systems are running as efficiently, reliably and safely as possible. Be sure to prioritize repairs or replacements so customers can budget for costly items.

Whether you believe the polar ice caps are melting as a result of fossil fuel emissions or not, I think we can all agree that reducing air pollution is a good thing for the globe. 

Many people are staying in their homes and adding premium features, such as snowmelt systems. You can melt snow and ice in driveways and sidewalks by tying into an existing hydronic space-heating system. Tom Soukup provides tips on how to install the system properly.