Technological Advances

[Deano]

What is available to duct cleaners today that was not around 15 or 20 years ago that has made the biggest impact for duct cleaners. I am talking about something specifically used in our industry.

What do think will be the next big think we can look forward to?


In a more broad sense I think the GPS has had a huge impact on any business that travels to a different location every day.

[John Bently]

While not exclusive to our industry, I think cameras and lighting have made a big difference. We use to use Polaroid cameras to try and get images "now" and regular film was never a sure thing. You took two dozen pictures and maybe half were usable. Being able to shoot stills and video and see it now saves time and money. Flying drones at low cost could help inspect duct work and do quality control, if you see dust blowing around with lift fans going you're not done. The ability to put a camera on them, or almost anything is a big advancement.

The LED lights available today give good battery life and bright light. As LED's become more prevalent the technology and energy use should improve. It's a lot easier to do a job if you can see what you are doing.

GPS is also a handy thing to have especially for a service vehicle. They are incredibly helpful in areas where you are not familiar with the roads. One problem I have found is they decrease our "Map Aptitude" our ability to use maps and knowing the most efficient way to get around. On any typical day I can cut miles off the route the GPS has chosen. That being said many have "fastest or shortest" settings which can help them work for you better. Doesn't it always seem the day you need it to work, you find yourself staring at a farm field or a river and she is telling you to turn right in 500 feet. Mask and snorkel must be optional.

John

[gcuete]

For me it has been small tools such as John's DCS new Micro-line (I think that's the name), it's a green line with a single whip that is thin enough for us to send the it though the registers when it is not convenient to remove them. We work in a lot of very old homes In our area. These homes have been trough a few multimillion dollars renovations over the years and a lot of times the grills have been sealed by dozens of paint layers or permanently caulked. This tool prevents damage to the walls which usually leads to a not so happy customer.
The spinning skipper ball lines are a dryer vent cleaning workhorse.
Cameras are nicer and cheaper but but in my opinion none beats the Woehler which cost too much. I still wish someone can built a cheaper version of the Woehler cameras specifically for duct cleaners.
On the other hand, the popularity of portable vacuums made the industry more competitive and in a bad way, equally for the good duct cleaners and for the customers who nowadays think duct cleaning is quick and easy job and don't understand why it is so expensive. I have actually gotten bad reviews for taken spending too much time in a job lol. And I don't blame the customers, it is not their job to understand our industry.
I think the industry needs a lot more variety and competition in the truck mount manufacturing, it is time for cheaper, more efficient and easier to maintain trucks that could popularize the vac trucks again.

Giuliano

[Ron]

The biggest game changer is the variety of tools now available to safely clean all types of material.

Future

1. Lightweight powerful truck mounts that will fit on a 1/2 ton 4 wheel drive chassis.

2. Inspection cameras that work in conjunction with pneumatic cleaning tools.

3. An edit button.

4. Something that saves a draft prior to this site asking you to log in again.

5. Something that ID's everyone who is viewing the board at any given time.

6. Equipment reviews.