Bob Baker isn’t shy about telling potential clients that if they are looking for the least expensive plumbing option in town, then they should look elsewhere. But if they are looking for a company that will provide quality work and stand behind the work they do, then they’ve come to the right place.
Baker is the third-generation owner of Baker Plumbing, Heating and Gasfitting, founded in 1956 in Calgary, Alberta. When it comes to drain cleaning, the company’s work is primarily commercial and includes hotels, warehouses, restaurants and small businesses in industrial parks — all businesses that demand quick response times and fast blockage resolution.
“When they call, they need you there five minutes ago and want to know you can provide a solution as quickly as possible,” Baker says. “I risk losing the contract if I don’t have a machine that can accomplish the work quickly.”
That’s where RIDGID tools come in.
“Honestly, there isn’t anyone who makes a better tool,” says Baker, who owns a variety of RIDGID tools, including drain cleaning, locating, pipe inspection and pressing tools. Two tools he’s recently added to his arsenal are the K-5208 sectional machine and FlexShaft drain cleaning machine.
Baker was introduced to the K-5208 while working to clear a restaurant’s drainline. After about 10 hours of effort, his drum machine cable broke. Unable to get a replacement immediately, his RIDGID rep suggested he try the K-5208. He was skeptical, but he gave it a shot and has been sold since.
“With the K-5208, guys can be in and out of a job in 30 minutes,” he says, describing how the machine paid for itself on the first day and has helped to increase job revenue on average by 30%.
Baker purchased the FlexShaft machine specifically for urinal drain cleaning (his least favorite job) to hopefully extend the time between service calls — a benefit not only to him and his team, but also as a money-saver for his clients, who sometimes call him back monthly to reclean a line.
Baker has already seen other benefits of the FlexShaft: By eliminating the need for chemicals he’d typically use when he only used his auger, he’s achieved a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution. He uses his auger and then runs his FlexShaft with only water in the line. Plus, he’s able to run a camera right behind the FlexShaft to see the work he and his team are doing, eliminating the step of cleaning the line, then going back into the drainline with a camera.
“(Locating and inspection) help minimize risk and ensure accuracy in eliminating blockages,” says Baker, who bought his first RIDGID camera in 2004.
Whatever the job, Baker has seen value in his RIDGID tools for helping him deliver on his company’s promise of providing quality work. “They [RIDGID tools] helped us do our job and do it better,” Baker says. “We love our tools.”
RIDGID, a leading manufacturer of innovative tools for the professional trades, offers reliable and durable equipment to get jobs done right the first time. All RIDGID FlexShaft machines come backed by the RIDGID Full Lifetime Warranty. To purchase or learn more about FlexShaft machines, contact your local distributor, visit the RIDGID website or call toll-free.
800-769-7743 | ridgidinfo@emerson.com | www.ridgid.com
