Pumper’s Favorite Equipment Gives His Company a Boost

Jim’s Septic Service uses a Power Booster to increase income, save time and take it easy on technicians.
Pumper’s Favorite Equipment Gives His Company a Boost
Jim's Septic Service technician Josh Fiske loads the hose back onto the pumping rig after completing a job.

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Though he is relatively new to the pumping business, Jeff Coe has learned a lot since 2008 when he and his wife, Debbie, purchased Jim’s Septic Service in Grants Pass, Oregon. Much of his education came from the pages of Pumper magazine, he says. He not only reads the articles, but he also studies the ads, where he learned about a Power Booster from Pressure Lift Corporation. It’s one of the favorite time-saving and back-saving tools used by his two technicians.

The high-lift head allows air to be pumped into the hose from the truck’s compressor.

“It alleviates the weight of the hose. Instead of having 100 percent sludge in the hose, you’re only pulling half the weight (because it’s half air, half liquid),” he says, noting he carries a Power Booster in both of his vacuum trucks.

“I can see how hard it is for a truck to suck 30 vertical feet with a 200-foot hose. The pump works hard, it’s sometimes smoking, and it takes three times as long. So, to me getting a $1,000 tool was nothing compared to saving a couple hours a day in tough situations,” he says. He purchased the 3-inch model and says it works very well, with the hose neck stepped up to match the tank’s 4-inch inlet.

As it saves time, equipment and employees’ backs, it also brings in extra income.

“We charge $75 extra when we use it,” Coe says, as a way to cover the cost of extra labor for customers who have let their septic tanks go too long. Some haven’t been pumped for decades and the sludge is extra thick. The booster is also necessary for tanks located inconveniently and requiring pumping up a steep rise.

He estimates the booster is used on about 25 percent of the tanks his technicians service. To Coe, the tool is a must-have to run Jim’s Septic Service.

Like a Boy Scout, Coe believes in being well-equipped and prepared. In addition to the Power Booster, each of his trucks carries toolboxes bolted under the full length of the hose trays. They include items for any situation his technicians encounter: flashlight, extension-handle mirror for inspections, camera, safety vests, rubber gloves, gauntlet and leather gloves, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, ear plugs, safety glasses, back braces, rake for stirring sludge, a winch with tripod, ladder, tarp, shovels, various hand tools and new pumps, floats and plumbing parts.

Coe adds that knowledge about the pumping business leads to success.

“I see practical information in Pumper that people should read,” he says. “I like the (Septic System Answer Man column). Jim Anderson gets to the point.”

Pumping is physically demanding, Coe concludes. Being armed with good information in order to make smart equipment investments saves money in the long run, and makes the work for technicians easier on the back — and safer.

For more on Jim’s Septic Service, check out the full profile in the July issue of Pumper.



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