With summer right around the corner, cottagers are looking forward to spending time up north. After a long winter, there’s nothing better than sitting in the sun by the lake. But before they can get to lakeside lounging, cottages need to be opened for the spring. With that comes check lists for general maintenance and plumbing – including making sure the water is clean and drinkable!
Plumbers local in cottage country or even those that travel north for customers in the city have great business opportunities once the temperatures start rising. There are a few things to keep in mind for your customers when it comes to water filtration and treatment.
Whether your customers’ water supply comes from wells or the lake, the water quality should be tested before use after the winter. Let your customers know that there is a chance that the water has deteriorated over the winter. Often, unused water becomes a breeding ground for waterborne bacteria. It can also contain living organisms, sediment or iron (hard water). Wildlife or sewer system flaws can cause a risk of germs infiltrating the water system to make their family sick.
There are several cottage plumbing services that you can offer to help keep your customers and their families safe and healthy while vacationing.
Health Canada recommends a multi-barrier approach to ensure safe drinking water including optimized treatment barriers and well-maintained distribution systems. Your customers’ cottage water treatment system should consist of filters and treatment equipment. These fall under two categories: point-of-entry and point-of-use. Depending on the cottage, you can recommend the right system for your customers. Point-of-entry systems treat most of the water entering the cottage or house and are usually installed after the water meter. Point-of-use are systems that treat water in batches, where it will get used. They deliver water to a tap, usually in the kitchen or bathroom, or an auxiliary faucet mounted beside a tap.
Common types of systems include:
Filters remove impurities from water via a physical barrier, chemical and/or biological process.
Shop water filters, including the Novo Aqua Flo, on Wolseley Express here.
Water softeners reduce the hardness of the water. These devices typically use sodium or potassium ions to replace calcium and magnesium ions that cause “hardness”.
You can browse the selection of water softeners on Wolseley Express here, including the Impression Water Softener from Viqua.
In distillation processes, impure water is boiled, and steam is collected and condensed in a separate container, leaving contaminants behind.
This physical or chemical process kills or deactivates pathogenic microorganisms. Disinfection systems can include chlorine or ultra violet (UV) treatment.
A great option for disinfection is the Viqua Pro 10 system. The new Lightwise technology significantly reduces sleeve fouling on top of added energy savings. Shop all purifiers on Wolseley Express here.
Service for cottage customers doesn’t stop at recommending and installing water treatment systems. Regular maintenance for systems is also important.
Talk to your customers about how on-going water system maintenance can keep their families safe and healthy, and save them money in the long-run. Educating your customers on the importance of water treatment and maintenance establishes you as an expert and trusted resource. Plus, it’s a great sales opportunity for maintenance work as well as winterization services after the season is done. Excellent customer service will keep them coming back!
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