Retail Blues
Not really a bad day, just an exhausting day.
It's funny how, in a high-order retail outlet, the customers seem to come in waves - or, as the boss puts it, coach loads! And of course the last coach load turns up at 4:15.
I had an idiot on the phone this morning wanting 12' of twin wall flue pipe with an external diameter of 5". Anyone with any knowledge of engineering should know that this would give in internal diameter of 3". This is illegal under the UK building regulations and is not manufactured. We then proceeded to do a merry dance of phone call after phone call with him trying to find an alternative. It turns out he has a 6" diameter flue pipe coming off a stove in a mobile home (!!!!!) which he had somehow reduced to a 5" pipe to go through a hole in the roof. That is contrary to building regs right there: you should never reduce the flue size. Never mind going through the roof of a timber structure with single wall pipe. Major fire risk. (Set aside the fact that we would never install a stove in a mobile home to start with, due to the fire risk involved!).
I sort of gathered that his stove had been condemned by a building inspector and he had been told to put in a twin-wall flue.
Seriously, in a situation like this, it is a case of caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware. We will not give any advice, we will supply exactly what we are asked for, nothing more, nothing less. That way, if anything goes wrong it is not our problem! The situation was further complicated by the boss having taken the first call from this guy and estimating him a price that was far too low, and my not checking it - I simply assumed the boss was right!
The final result was that he asked to pay cash, I said I couldn't order the parts without payment so he is going to come in on Friday. I shall try my damnedest to be busy...
The rest of the day alternated between answering silly questions on the phone and dealing with customers who really just wanted to look but had no idea what they were looking at!
Like the guy who phoned up in response to a message we left him asking for his final balance, to say he was happy to pay it but had a problem with his stove. Every time he lit it, for the first fifteen minutes smoke would leak out into the room. This is a common problem in cold damp weather and is caused by a "plug" of cold, dense air in the flue pipe that the light warm smoke cannot force its way past. The smoke cools rapidly and falls back into the stove. As the whole thing works on suction caused by the draw of the flue, of course it isn't going to work.
Simple solution: pre warm the flue with a hair drier or blow torch!
Had a couple come into the shop to ask the same question yesterday.
Or the couple who came in today complaining that the gas fire we'd installed for them a few years ago was setting off their CO alarm. That is serious, so it was worth investigating a little. I started asking questions. When was it last serviced? Late last year by the guy we recommend. Is there an air vent? No. I did suggest that they could call the manufacturer but pointed out that they would probably say the same thing as I did. See, the problem started when they had double glazing fitted, and if they open a window a crack it goes away. Obviously the fire isn't getting enough air. Solution: put an air vent into the wall as close to the fire as possible!
My day ended on a high note, selling £2000+ worth of marble surround, granite back panel, granite hearth and gas fire to a really nice couple who took their time choosing but made a good choice. The surround they chose was actually in our January Sale too!
I guess that's it really. I've drunk a bottle of pear cider (perry) and dinner is now ready.
Have fun all!
It's funny how, in a high-order retail outlet, the customers seem to come in waves - or, as the boss puts it, coach loads! And of course the last coach load turns up at 4:15.
I had an idiot on the phone this morning wanting 12' of twin wall flue pipe with an external diameter of 5". Anyone with any knowledge of engineering should know that this would give in internal diameter of 3". This is illegal under the UK building regulations and is not manufactured. We then proceeded to do a merry dance of phone call after phone call with him trying to find an alternative. It turns out he has a 6" diameter flue pipe coming off a stove in a mobile home (!!!!!) which he had somehow reduced to a 5" pipe to go through a hole in the roof. That is contrary to building regs right there: you should never reduce the flue size. Never mind going through the roof of a timber structure with single wall pipe. Major fire risk. (Set aside the fact that we would never install a stove in a mobile home to start with, due to the fire risk involved!).
I sort of gathered that his stove had been condemned by a building inspector and he had been told to put in a twin-wall flue.
Seriously, in a situation like this, it is a case of caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware. We will not give any advice, we will supply exactly what we are asked for, nothing more, nothing less. That way, if anything goes wrong it is not our problem! The situation was further complicated by the boss having taken the first call from this guy and estimating him a price that was far too low, and my not checking it - I simply assumed the boss was right!
The final result was that he asked to pay cash, I said I couldn't order the parts without payment so he is going to come in on Friday. I shall try my damnedest to be busy...
The rest of the day alternated between answering silly questions on the phone and dealing with customers who really just wanted to look but had no idea what they were looking at!
Like the guy who phoned up in response to a message we left him asking for his final balance, to say he was happy to pay it but had a problem with his stove. Every time he lit it, for the first fifteen minutes smoke would leak out into the room. This is a common problem in cold damp weather and is caused by a "plug" of cold, dense air in the flue pipe that the light warm smoke cannot force its way past. The smoke cools rapidly and falls back into the stove. As the whole thing works on suction caused by the draw of the flue, of course it isn't going to work.
Simple solution: pre warm the flue with a hair drier or blow torch!
Had a couple come into the shop to ask the same question yesterday.
Or the couple who came in today complaining that the gas fire we'd installed for them a few years ago was setting off their CO alarm. That is serious, so it was worth investigating a little. I started asking questions. When was it last serviced? Late last year by the guy we recommend. Is there an air vent? No. I did suggest that they could call the manufacturer but pointed out that they would probably say the same thing as I did. See, the problem started when they had double glazing fitted, and if they open a window a crack it goes away. Obviously the fire isn't getting enough air. Solution: put an air vent into the wall as close to the fire as possible!
My day ended on a high note, selling £2000+ worth of marble surround, granite back panel, granite hearth and gas fire to a really nice couple who took their time choosing but made a good choice. The surround they chose was actually in our January Sale too!
I guess that's it really. I've drunk a bottle of pear cider (perry) and dinner is now ready.
Have fun all!