Broken Mounting Bolt
I am very active with the local Chamber of Commerce and attend many events. A couple of their monthly meetings are Business and Biscuits and Business After Hours.
It does take a few meetings and conversations to get to know people and after a while, I have found that some local businesses will call me if they have issues with their commercial machines.
In some cases it’s a simple fix like a drain valve or a water valve and I will order the part and repair it for them.
One business I have done a few things for was a local Spa. They have an OPL (On Premise Laundry) machine. Basically, it’s the same as some of my washers except it doesn’t have a coin drop.
The called saying their washer was vibrating very badly and asked if I could take a look. I started it up and sure enough, it was shaking like a human being (my Canadian friends will recognize the Kim Mitchell reference).
A quick investigation found that one of the mounting bolts was broken off of the base.
I called a service tech a couple of hours away and explained the problem to him as this was something I was not comfortable repairing. He said he would have to pass it to his installation team as they had the tools and equipment to move the washer and drill new lag bolts into the concrete.
I sent him a few of the attached pictures so they could see what was required and let the Spa Manager know that they would be coming to repair it.
Although in this case I couldn’t repair it for them and didn’t charge them for the visit it helps to build relationships with other local business owners.
It also helps that they use my Laundromat whenever they have a problem with their machines.
Another time there was an occasion where I received a call from the local Salvation Army shelter that they had problems with their washer. The water fill valve was leaking and spraying water over the machine so they only turned it on during the fill cycle.
I picked up the valve and some new belts at a local supplier and repaired the washer the next day. There was no charge for the parts or labor on that one.
It takes some time and effort but get to know other business owners around you so everyone has somebody to call if they have a question.
Play Safe
Ken
