News

Now that we are in the freeze of winter, let’s talk regulator freeze ups. One of the primary causes of regulator freeze ups is a blocked vent. Many people think the vent is only for relief, but that isn’t accurate. In order to operate correctly, a regulator needs to be able to breathe. Think of the vent as the regulator’s nose. It uses atmospheric pressure in its normal operation, which is what actually allows the diaphragm to flex.

One of the biggest culprits of a blocked vent is freezing rain, snow, and ice accumulation. Of course, all three of these events occur when you are at your busiest. Some of these calls could be prevented with proper installation. It is imperative that the regulator is either protected from the elements or always installed with the vent pointing downward.

For your first stage or two-stage integral regulator, you will typically have a protective hood or tank dome to protect

New year, new you? It’s a good idea to sit down once a year and review your business model and make sure it lines up with your goals. When was the last time you reflected upon your business offerings? Do you just set tanks and deliver propane? Or, do you consider yourself a service provider, or better yet, a full service provider?

Unless you are satisfied with the status quo, you should be looking for ways to provide value to your customers. Some quick ideas of items to review at least once per year: your pricing model, service offerings, fleet age and set up, plant location(s), showroom offerings, stock/showroom appliance ages, employee benefits, business structure, and staffing levels.

To further explain what I mean by the above statement:

If you have a lot of walk-in customers, then you should make sure your office is inviting and up-to-date with current appliances and/or accessories. For those that fill customers grill cylinders, make sure everyone is

As we dive into the season of giving, it's a great time to remember the propane industry can not only keep us cozy at home but can also light up the spirit of generosity in our communities. I have already seen lots of posts on social media about propane companies stepping up with food drives, charity events, and donations to local shelters. These kinds of efforts really show how our industry isn’t just about heating and cooking; it’s also about bringing people together and giving back.

This is great to read about and encouraging to see! Of course, the holiday season comes along with colder weather and last minute gas emergencies, so it can be a very fast-paced and stressful time for the professionals in our industry. Don’t forget about your employees and coworkers during this season! Take the time to check-in with them and see how they are handling the festive seasonal stress on top of the daily, regular demands of the job. Pause a second and remember to be kind to each other. Just

There’s more than one way to skin a cat! While preparing for this month’s newsletter, I did far too much research on the origin of this cliche...you see, I was thinking of all the options you have to choose from as a gas line installer and that phrase came to mind. Followed by the thought: where the heck did that saying come from? It turns out, no one seems to really know anything about it’s origins other than that it is centuries old and there are a lot of old cliches that deal with harming our little animal friends. There is evidence from 1832 that there was a debate on whether or not skinning a cat should be done while they are still alive or not, so that could be the beginning of this unusual  adage.

Now that I have gone way off-topic, and satisfied your new curiosity, let’s reel this back in. When you do a job, you may choose a certain material, while the next person may choose something totally different. The most important piece of any job

Here we go y’all! It’s about time to start ramping up business and hoping for cooler weather. I am probably a little late with this newsletter, but if you haven’t already been getting the pilot light calls yet, they are coming! My question to you is: do you wait for these calls to come in every year, or are you proactive about getting ahead of it? Do you offer any type of maintenance service or plan to keep you busy over the summer?

I highly suggest you consider offering service plans on appliances. We are always looking for ways to stay busy and make money through the summer months. Why not offer a service customers must utilize from April to September? Develop a calling/scheduling program that begins in March to capture this business.

Most appliances require maintenance of some variety you can turn into a package. The way to make it successful is to market it the correct way to the correct audience and make it affordable. I am not saying lose

In light of the flooding from recent storms that rolled through the Southeast region, now is a good time to review tank securement. I have had to deal with my fair share of flooding incidents, including floods in my own bulk plant. It is stressful for not only you and your staff, but your customer as well. Just like anything, a little extra time and preparation ahead of these situations goes a long way to reduce your exposure to negative customer experiences and liability.

It is extremely important to do your due diligence when preparing for a new tank installation. There are a lot of places where you find out about flood plains in the permit process, but many simple tank installs don’t require a permit. You need to know your risks ahead of that install. If you find yourself in a flood plain or in an area that poses a geographical risk and you have no other choice in tank location, spend the extra time and effort to make sure your asset remains in place.

When my wife and I got married in Tampa, FL back in 2009, we immediately decided on a 5-year plan to vacate the state. I conveniently forgot about that plan until 4 years and 10 months into our marriage when she kindly reminded me. Sure enough by Valentine’s Day of 2014, weeks after our 5th anniversary, we were in a moving truck heading to Asheville, NC. Do you know why we had the plan to get out of FL? It was the heat and humidity. We thought we would beat the heat by getting out of there, turns out it is just hot everywhere. You can take several steps to make the best of any situation. This month I am keeping it simple and covering some tips and tricks to stay cool. These are pretty basic and probably common sense, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the simple things and not over-think so much!

Planning and prep work are key

If you ever get the chance to visit Fisher’s Global Pressure Control Headquarters in McKinney, TX, I highly recommend taking advantage of it. Earlier this year, I attended their LP Gas Distributor Sales School and was amazed by the facility. The classroom experience and training they provide are top notch. I spent the week in a mix of classroom learning and hands on breakout sessions. We had a full class of about 20 students from all over the country and Canada, all from various distributors. I attended with our SC Territory Manager, Ray Carver. Every day we had various instructors, different methods of teaching comprised of PowerPoints, videos, demonstrations, group exercises, hands-on exercises, quizzes, and tests. As well, we had open forum discussions and feedback sessions.

During this time, they gave us a tour of the R&D building where Fisher does all of its design and testing. We walked through the Flow Lab, which was an amazing site to see

I have worked with many different personalities over the years and I have concluded there are two very different schools of thought into which most everyone falls. One is that the way we have always done it is the only way it is supposed to be done. 

The other embraces, supports, and encourages change and adaptation. I fall more into the latter, but I fully respect and accept that there is usually nothing wrong with the way things have been done in the past. However, I believe that, as an industry, we didn’t keep up with trends and technology for a while. From what I see now though, we are catching up and looking for ways to adapt. Before I get too caught up in other conversations, let me get to the point of this month’s