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These Tanks Were Made For Walkin'
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by Ali Cybulski
Any technician knows that watering plants is not an easy job. In fact, lugging around heavy buckets of water every day can be tiring and cause back stress or muscle strain.
Curtailing such injuries was one of Lynne Haines' goals when she set out to design a watering machine that would make life easier for technicians. Haines, who then operated Lisa Plant Foliage Decor in Spokane, Wash., also wanted a machine that would reduce labor costs and increase profits. Her solution was Tanks-A-Lot - a watering machine on wheels.
A novice inventor but an experienced plant technician, Haines hired engineers to help her select the appropriate materials for the machines, which she began selling in 1991. Ultimately, they decided to use plastic tanks instead of steel tanks because plastic tanks help to keep water flow rates steady, speeding up the watering process, Haines explained.
"Steel tanks with rubber bladders may experience decreasing flow rates as they empty, but a Tanks-A-Lot doesn't because of its air cell design," she said.
Basic Use Guidelines
- Read the instructions and use the machine as directed.
- Tip to maximize all-terrain capacity.
- Do not store in freezing temperatures.
- Store in locked or supervised area.
- Empty air cell before transporting in airplanes.
- Keep the hose away from heated or sharp surfaces.
Other key labor-reducing features are the machine's mobility and light weight - the results of balancing its weight over the axle, said Haines, adding that this design helps technicians reduce injuries. Machines are also designed to move in any direction, to spin 360 degrees and to be tipped when moved.
The machine's full range of motion helps technicians do their jobs quickly and also helps owners cut labor costs - as much as 50 to 80 percent, according to methods and standards analyses, Haines said. "Also, less time spent watering with a heavy machine means more time to observe and care for the plants and the clients," she added.
Seth Hardy, vice president, Rentokil Tropical Plant Services, Raleigh, N.C., said his labor costs have dropped 30 to 40 percent since he began using the machines three years ago. "We had 36 technicians when we started and we have 22 now, and the business grew about $500,000," Hardy said, further explaining the savings. "The tanks fill up easier, which allows technicians to spend less time watering. The time saved on watering gives them more time to do other services on the accounts."
Another advantage of the machine is that it can help companies convey a professional image, Hardy noted. "We used to use large trash cans on wheels," he said. "Now we can go into a building and look like we're not just some fly-by-night plant company."
Such a professional image will be further enhanced as clients observe technicians using other labor-saving tools for the machine, like attachments, according to Haines.
Her latest invention is a flexible watering wand. "I remember having to feel the soil in Topsiders and hanging planters, and I was just tall enough to feel the soil but not to get water to it," she said. "The flexible wand bends into a 180-degree shepherd's hook for better access."
While most technicians can learn to use the watering machine and accessories fairly quickly, mistakes do happen, Haines noted. "The most common mistake technicians make is they don't read the instructions, so they aren't aware that the machines are designed to be tipped," she said, adding that instructions and photographs are now available online at www.tanks-a-lot.net
Hardy said that learning how to use the machines can be a challenge, at first, for technicians. He trains them how to use the different models, which have subtle differences because of their frame styles. However, his company's basic training covers all the bases.
"Our training is about four weeks - and it's not so much the tank but what kind of plants you are using it on," he said. "You have to know how much each plant needs, and learning is a process of trial and error."
Once technicians are trained, some ongoing maintenance may be needed, Hardy said. "We have a tank cleaning day where everyone brings them in, we wipe them down, check their pressure and make sure everything is OK," he said.
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