Three Compressors, One Eddie, and a Possible Conspiracy

Well, folks, we survived another day of sprinkler blowouts, and I’m pleased to report something that doesn’t happen nearly often enough during this season.

Nobody harassed us today!

No arguments, no unreasonable demands, and nobody apparently determined to make our lives miserable.

I almost feel like we should declare a holiday!

Unfortunately, while we managed to avoid customer harassment, we did encounter another case of an old and familiar condition.

Selective Instruction Blindness Strikes Again!

Yes, folks, SIB is alive and well in the Treasure Valley!

If you’ve been following these blog posts, you already know what I’m talking about.

For those new around here, Selective Instruction Blindness (SIB) is the remarkable ability to navigate our website, sign up for service, and somehow completely overlook the information we’ve gone to considerable trouble to provide.

And today, we encountered a particularly impressive example.

One customer managed to ask all three of the following questions, and I am NOT making this up:

“What calendar?”

“What terms?”

“What blog?”

Yes, folks. All three questions came from the same person!

Now, that’s what I call a textbook case of SIB!

We have a calendar showing our anticipated service schedule, with information explaining how the process works.

We have terms that customers are expected to read when signing up.

And we have this blog, where I publish updates every single day during sprinkler blowout season.

Yet somehow, all three managed to escape detection by the same individual.

At this point, I’m beginning to wonder whether portions of our website are visible only to people possessing a secret decoder ring.

We don’t make individual appointments for sprinkler blowouts. We organize routes geographically, working through neighborhoods and ZIP codes as efficiently as possible.

That’s why we provide the calendar, the terms, and these daily updates.

I’m still searching for a cure for SIB.

So far, the most promising treatment appears to be reading the information that’s already right in front of you.

Of course, that treatment only works if the patient is willing to participate!

But enough about SIB. Today’s real entertainment came courtesy of our equipment.

Three Compressors, One Eddie, and an Ongoing Investigation

Our technician Eddie started the day with Blowzilla, one of our air compressors.

Or at least, he attempted to start the day with Blowzilla.

Unfortunately, Blowzilla had apparently decided it wasn’t interested in working.

Eddie couldn’t get it started. He even tried jumping it, but Blowzilla refused to cooperate.

The likely culprit is a bad battery.

Not exactly how you want to begin a busy day, especially when we’re trying to get through as many sprinkler blowouts as possible before Thanksgiving.

So Eddie switched to Purple Rain.

Problem solved!

Or so we thought.

Purple Rain’s ReelCrap electric hose reel decided to join the rebellion.

Now, for those wondering whether ReelCrap is the manufacturer’s actual name, let’s just say our experiences with these hose reels have inspired a few creative variations.

And believe me, they’ve earned them!

With Blowzilla refusing to start and Purple Rain having reel problems, Eddie headed back to exchange compressors again.

Enter Leroy!

Surely Leroy would save the day.

And for several hours, everything appeared to be going reasonably well.

Then the phone rang.

Eddie reported that Leroy’s electric hose reel had lost power and wouldn’t retract.

I had to stop and think about that for a moment.

THREE COMPRESSORS.

ONE TECHNICIAN.

ONE DAY.

Now, I’m not suggesting Eddie is responsible for any of this.

But I spent enough years investigating things to recognize when a series of events starts looking a little suspicious.

One compressor develops a problem? Unfortunate.

Two compressors develop problems? Bad luck.

Three compressors develop problems while assigned to the same technician?

Well, now we may have a conspiracy on our hands!

Naturally, we’ve opened an entirely unofficial investigation.

Murphy, of Murphy’s Law fame, is currently our leading person of interest.

We’re also considering the possibility that the compressors have formed some sort of mechanical labor union and decided to stage a coordinated work stoppage.

Unfortunately, nobody informed management that negotiations were underway.

The Mechanical Casualty Report

As things stand, Blowzilla likely needs a replacement battery.

Purple Rain needs a replacement electric hose reel. Depending on availability and how the rest of the season progresses, that repair may have to wait until next year.

And Leroy?

The jury is still out.

The problem may be nothing more than a worn push-button switch. Those switches eventually fail, and they have an uncanny ability to choose the most inconvenient moment possible.

I’ll have to inspect it before we know for certain.

In the meantime, Eddie has managed to accomplish something I don’t recall seeing before.

Three different compressors in a single workday.

That’s one record we’d prefer never to break.

And before anyone gets the wrong idea, we’re laughing at the circumstances, not at Eddie. He’s been doing his best to keep working while the equipment seems determined to test everyone’s patience.

Sometimes you just have to laugh, because the alternative isn’t particularly productive.

The Race to Thanksgiving Continues

All of this is happening while we’re trying to finish our sprinkler blowout routes before Thanksgiving.

That’s still our goal, although mechanical problems, changing weather, shorter daylight hours, and the occasional unexpected complication certainly don’t make it any easier.

We continue organizing our routes geographically to make the best use of our technicians’ time and equipment.

That’s also why we ask customers to pay attention to the information we publish.

The calendar provides our anticipated schedule, the terms explain how the process works, and these daily blog posts provide updates as conditions change.

None of those resources is particularly useful if nobody reads them.

And while we’re on that subject, I have a question for anyone who made it this far:

If someone asks me, “What blog?” after reading this blog, does that qualify as an advanced case of Selective Instruction Blindness?

I’m beginning to think we may need to establish a research department.

Final Thoughts

So, let’s review yesterday’s accomplishments.

Nobody harassed us.

We encountered another impressive case of Selective Instruction Blindness.

Blowzilla refused to start.

Purple Rain developed hose reel problems.

Leroy’s hose reel quit retracting.

And Eddie got to experience the unique pleasure of dealing with three compressors in one day.

I’d call that a fairly eventful Tuesday!

Today, we are back at it, hopefully with cooperative equipment and customers who have discovered the calendar, the terms, and the blog.

As for me, I’m going to check our supply of replacement switches and see what else needs attention.

Because apparently, running a sprinkler blowout business requires more than compressors, hoses, fittings, and technicians.

It also requires spare batteries, spare switches, spare hose reels, a healthy sense of humor, and occasionally the patience of a saint.

Three compressors in one day.

I think that’s enough excitement for one week.

Although, knowing how this season has been going, I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.

Thanks for your continued patience and your business!

Today’s Routes

Eddie — Garden City with Leroy

North Sundial Way
West Hill Road Parkway
West Eminence Drive
North Dodgin Avenue
Rooney Avenue
North Misty Cove Avenue
West Steve Street
West Utahna Street
North Fairfax Avenue
West Pocono Street
West Limelight Street
West Gillis Road
West Lamplighter Street
North Brook Place
Marigold Street
West Millstream Way
North Millstone Drive

Jesse — Eagle with Orange Julius (OJ)

South Grandean Way
North Cove Colony Way
North Bursera Avenue
West Cardon Street
West Saguaro Drive
North Stockhelm Way
North Annadale Way
West Frenchglen Drive
North Black Forest Way
North Selvaggio Way
East Stonewater Court
East Rockingham Drive
East Knoll Drive
North Parkforest Way
North Echo Creek Place
East Red Tail Court
South Wooddale Place
North Falling Water Avenue
North Wooddale Avenue