Spa tech this one's for you,

[spahappy]

and everyone else who works on spas.

The story I’m about to tell you is true, only the job titles have been changed to protect customer service. My name is Spahappy and I sell spas. I’m not a spa tech nor do I play one on TV.

I had a spa customer 80 miles from here who called last Monday to report one of the pumps in her spa had quit working. She normally would have been taken care of within two to three days at the most. This however was not the case last week because of the three day blizzard and complete shut down we experienced the week before. We’ve been playing catch up and we’re also one tech short. In the name of customer service, and because I knew she’d be really mad and yell at me if she had to wait one more week, I volunteered for the mission. Really, how hard could it be?

I had a quick and complete two minute spa tech training lesson over the phone on how to replace a pump. It went something like this. You’ll need a 7/16 wrench, a screw gun, a standard screwdriver, and a something whatever something pipe wrench. Which after he described it to me I was delighted to know I already had that in my tool arsenal. He went on to instruct me to shut the breaker off, duhh, take the panel off, unhook the ground, and the rest I didn’t catch. I was too preoccupied looking through my tool arsenal for a 7/16 wrench. After he hung up I realized I had the tools but wasn’t too clear on the actual procedure. As crabby as Steve (our overworked shorthanded spa tech ) has been these days, I decided against calling him back. I mean really how hard could it be.

I ended up working late Saturday and didn’t hit the road until nearly 4:00pm. I loaded up my fully charged screw gun, and the rest of my tool arsenal. I felt armed and confident that I’d get to my destination and complete the procedure with plenty of daylight to spare. After all how long could this take.

Now before I tell the rest of the story I would like to explain something, this spa was only manufactured by Coleman for two years. It was small, 3 to 4 person, overpowered, 46 jets two 3.0 HP pumps, and all the plumbing that goes with those jets. It was a powerhouse of a spa to sell, and it was expensive. But what a nightmare to work on with so little room and all that plumbing and equipment stuffed into such a little tight cabinet.

I’ll fast forward, the side panel is opened up, the pump is unplugged from the control box, now what did he say about the ground thingy on the pump, and what was I supposed to remember to do before I unscrewed the plumbing connections at the pump. That must have been the part I missed when I was looking for my 7/16 wrench. Oh well couldn’t have been too important or he would have repeated himself with much sarcasm, like he always does when he thinks I’m not listening. Well after a few twists on the plumbing connection and a quick but forceful shower, I remembered him saying something about gate valves.

These pumps must weigh 70 pounds. It took me 45 minutes to wrestle that pump around and out of that spa. I sweated so much I looked like I’d been to aerobics, my mascara was running down my cheeks, I was soaked with stinky spa water, the ground I’m kneeling on is wet, it’s getting dark, I don’t have a flashlight in my tool arsenal. Thankfully the spa owner had a floodlight.

Installing the new pump was equally as challenging because of the weight of the pump and the angle I had to lift it while trying to push it into the right position. This was difficult because my arms felt like rubber after the workout getting the old one out, and being a woman a certain part of my anatomy was getting in my line of site while I was lifting the pump and trying to line the feet mounting brackets.

I don’t have a long fingernail left on either hand, my muscles feel I just hired a personal trainer to whip me in shape, I broke my watch, but I fixed the spa in a record time of  2 hours.

Just so everyone knows, a trained certified spa tech would have been able to complete this repair in a fraction of the time it took me. This was a good experience and I have a much greater respect for the techs that are out there in the elements. They crunch knuckles. Get sore knees, fight off dogs, and encounter other things out there I don’t even want to know about.

So hug a spa tech today and tell them how much you appreciate them.

[Tman122]

hehehehehe....................I wonder how many of those techs get there junk in the way!!

But you forgot to also include us plumbers. Ever clean out the drain on a 100 year old house cause , as the lady on the phone says, the water won't go down!!

[leisure]

OK  Spahappy, here's mine......

    It was mid June everyone is working 6-7 days a week 10 hour days, my payroll gave me nightmares and my guys were all flying on fast mode. My tech comes in to the store, there was two shaft seals on a couple of moters to change and a spa pack to replace some relays. So thought i would help my tech. Now I"m wearing a white summer dress, the lady in the office. thought i would help him. By the time he brought in his own SPECIAL tools.( no they were just like the ones i have on the service bench)  I had the seal changed and was putting the plate back on....  

NOw i would like to see him do my quarterly taxes a well as i changed that seal...
                           

     

[spahappy]

You go girl! I bet you had supper cooking in the crockpot too...

I've decided my usefulness is better served back at the nice warm fireplace/spa store where I work, selling not fixing.

I've made a list of things that I'll never again say to the service techs like, I can't believe you didn't have time to do that last one, or how hard can that be, or I can't believe you are never in your van when I call, and I can't believe they sent the wrong part. ect. ect.

[Buckee]

I sense the opportunity for a photo calendar here - pretty girls, white summer dresses, sweat & wrenches - what's not to like?

Way to go on the pump service call, great story - having replaced the starter UNDER the engine on the boat in July, was a killer even without "upper appendages" in the way ... Buckee

[spahappy]

I sense the opportunity for a photo calendar here - pretty girls, white summer dresses, sweat & wrenches - what's not to like?

Way to go on the pump service call, great story - having replaced the starter UNDER the engine on the boat in July, was a killer even without "upper appendages" in the way ... Buckee

Thanks Buckee, but I thought I was describing a hideous situation with poor working conditions resulting in compromized personal hygene. With the strenuous working conditions and loss of personal property (my watch)  I'm surprized, you intrepreted that as girly calender material LOL.

I'm blown away, and flattered, that you somehow found that sexy LOL

[spaman--]

It was only made for a couple years ,let me guess it was a Savanna?

[tonyp]

poor working conditions resulting in compromized personal hygene.

I'll have to reread the story but I thought you took a "shower "on the job

[stuart]

Oh but for a picture.....

[Spatech_tuo]

So hug a spa tech today and tell them how much you appreciate them.

That's what I keep telling my wife!

Great story BTW. I've had the oppurtunity to deal with multiple aspects of the spa machine and it's nice to get a "global" feel for each others job functions. Major props to you for rolling up your sleeves, I just hope you heal quickly.

[East_TX_Spa]

Spahappy, you're a better tech than I!  I know how to replace filters and pillows.
And rotary jets!

Terminator

[Lori]

I have an added respect for you, Spahappy!!  Way to go, girl!!  I'm impressed!  I'm useless with tools, well...unless it I'm helping to build a set or something!  I haven't done that since college, ugh, and your story brought back vivid memories!  LOL!  

I think I need a soak after reading that!  

[Spa_Tech]

Oh thanks for the Kudos...

Its pretty easy to overlook some aspects of the trade- most often because the service people make things seem so easy. Special skills, understanding of product nuances, tricks of the trade, even tools make a difference.

Nice to have it recognized...  

[Phil]

Does the owner of your company knows what he has?

With only one overworked tech on hand, does the owner not step to the plate?

Tman knows what I am talkin about!