The Sprinkler Nerd Show
If you are a Landscape Entrepreneur this show is for you. Andy, a former contestant on the ABC hit television series Shark Tank, irrigation technology expert, and multimillion-dollar eCommerce entrepreneur brings his curiosity & creativity to tease out the secrets of successful landscape influencers and business owners. Discover how to get a leg up on the competition, be the smartest person at the design table, and advance your career in the irrigation and landscape industry at any level. All stones will be unturned as Andy digs into the nerdy details of business, technology, and personal growth here on the Sprinkler Nerd show. To join the community of Sprinkler Nerds transforming the Green Industry visit www.SprinklerNerd.com.
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#183 - For Immediate Release, Patent US3808385
04/11/2025
#183 - For Immediate Release, Patent US3808385
For immediate release—breaking news, kind of. In this solo episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy dives into what seems like a revolutionary product: a mechanical rain sensor that requires no batteries, no Wi-Fi, no firmware updates—just pure, functional design. It shuts off irrigation during rainfall and turns it back on when conditions dry out, all thanks to hygroscopic discs that expand and contract to trigger a simple switch. This device sounds like the newest drop in water-saving technology—until Andy reveals the twist: it's not new at all. In fact, it's based on US Patent 3,808,385, filed in 1972 and granted in 1974. That's over 50 years ago. And the core concept of the mechanical rain sensor hasn’t changed since. Andy breaks down how the device works, why it’s still effective today, and what it says about the pace of innovation in the irrigation industry. He challenges contractors and tech developers alike to ask the big question: why are we still using 1970s technology in 2025? Could we create a smarter, data-driven rain sensor that actually logs rainfall events, provides historical context, and informs better irrigation decisions? If so—why hasn’t anyone built it yet? Key Highlights: Breakdown of how the moisture-responsive switch actuator works Benefits for contractors: simplicity, reliability, zero maintenance Installation and adjustment tips Why the current state of rain sensors is a wake-up call A challenge to the industry: let’s rethink how we track rain and respond to it Andy closes the episode with a call to action for all Sprinkler Nerds: always ask why. Why things work the way they do, why they've stayed the same—and how we can make them better.
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#182 - Approachable 2-Wire with Rain Bird's Steve Barendt
04/04/2025
#182 - Approachable 2-Wire with Rain Bird's Steve Barendt
YouTube Short: Summary In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, host Andy Humphrey sits down with Steve Barendt from Rain Bird to explore the company’s new ESP 2-Wire Controller—a product that’s making 2-wire irrigation systems significantly more approachable for contractors who may have previously avoided them due to complexity. The Origin of the Conversation Andy first encountered Steve at the IA Show, where Steve delivered an impromptu 2-minute elevator pitch on the new controller. That pitch sparked Andy’s interest in Rain Bird’s new approach to two-wire systems, leading to this deeper dive discussion. Steve’s Background Steve brings a decade of experience at Rain Bird, including seven years on the sales team working directly with contractors in the Austin, Texas area. His background in the field informs his work as a product manager, enabling him to better understand real-world customer needs and challenges. Why "Approachable" Matters Historically, two-wire systems have been considered complex, especially around wiring specifications, connector types, and troubleshooting. Rain Bird’s ESP Two-Wire Controller aims to lower the barrier to entry, making it easier for contractors—even those new to two-wire installations—to adopt the technology. The term "approachable two-wire" is intentional. Steve explains that Rain Bird designed this controller to work with standard irrigation wire and connectors, rather than requiring specialized components. As long as the wire is direct burial irrigation wire (down to 18 gauge) and connectors are rated for 600 volts, users can leverage what’s already on their trucks—reducing the learning curve and installation costs. A Big Shift: De-Energized Two-Wire Path A key innovation is that the two-wire path is not constantly energized, as it is in traditional two-wire systems. Instead, it’s only powered when actively running a station or performing diagnostics. This reduces heat at the connectors and decreases corrosion risks, allowing the use of standard connectors and simplifying troubleshooting. Positioning: Who’s It For? The ESP Two-Wire Controller isn’t designed to replace all two-wire systems. Instead, it’s aimed at light commercial and large residential projects with about 12 to 30 stations—an area where contractors often debate between traditional wiring and larger two-wire systems. Key highlights: 50-station capacity (though ideal use is around 12–30 stations) Cost break-even point starts around 12 stations, lower than the 30+ typical for traditional two-wire setups Two solenoids can operate simultaneously Compatible with a standard flow sensor (hardwired) By offering a lower break-even point and simpler installation, this controller fills a gap between traditional modular controllers like the ESP ME3 and higher-end commercial platforms like LX IVM. Troubleshooting Tools and Diagnostics Rain Bird has invested heavily in diagnostics features that make this controller easier to troubleshoot: LED Feedback on Decoders: Each decoder includes red, green, and blue LEDs that indicate operational status, short circuits, and open circuits. Short Finding Mode: Allows energizing the path for diagnostics with a clamp meter. Power-Measure Mode: Helps track power issues in the field. These features empower contractors to isolate and resolve issues faster without needing advanced tools or specialized knowledge. Auto-Addressing Decoders Perhaps the most contractor-friendly feature is the auto-address functionality. Rain Bird decoders come in numbered order, and if installed sequentially, the controller will auto-scan and assign decoder addresses to stations with no manual input. This drastically reduces setup time and minimizes human error. While other systems may require manual address entry or use specialized software, Rain Bird’s solution is faster and simpler—especially when paired with the mobile app. No Field Grounding Required Another simplification: unlike other two-wire systems, no field grounding is required for this controller. Though contractors can choose to ground the system if they wish, it's not necessary for functionality or warranty compliance. Connectivity and Software Integration The controller is WiFi-enabled via Rain Bird’s LNK2 module. It currently connects to Rain Bird’s legacy mobile app, but a transition to Rain Bird’s 2.0 app and IQ 4 web platform is planned for 2025, which will bring expanded access and remote management options. Simplified SKUs and Installation Rain Bird is offering this platform with just two SKUs: the controller and a single-station decoder. That’s a major advantage for distributors and contractors, who won’t need to manage complex inventories of sensor decoders, grounding kits, or multi-station decoders. Behind the Scenes: Product Development Steve shared insights into the 2–3 year development timeline, which included field testing, focus groups, and engineering across multiple departments. The goal: simplify, streamline, and make two-wire technology accessible to more contractors. Multiple patents were filed as part of the innovation process, particularly around the auto-addressing and system architecture. Final Thoughts This controller isn’t for every project—but that’s the point. Steve emphasized the importance of positioning the right tool for the right job. When used in the right context—light commercial sites, fast food chains, hotels, and medium-size properties—Rain Bird’s ESP Two-Wire Controller can offer a compelling mix of ease-of-use, cost savings, and performance. Contractors interested in learning more are encouraged to reach out to their local Rain Bird representatives via their distributor or visit the Rain Bird website for product videos and specs. Key Takeaways Designed for simplicity and approachability Compatible with standard wire and connectors De-energized two-wire path reduces risk and simplifies install Auto-addressing decoders streamline setup Troubleshooting tools built-in (LEDs, short find mode, power measure) Ideal for 12–30 zone projects Connects via WiFi and will be fully app- and web-integrated in 2025 No field grounding required Just two SKUs for the system
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#181 - Ohio Goes Wireless
03/16/2025
#181 - Ohio Goes Wireless
Andy introducing wireless sensor technology to Ohio and riffs about the "RHYTHM" of the landscape.
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#180 - Behind The Scenes - Making LoRaWAN Soil Moisture Sensors
03/02/2025
#180 - Behind The Scenes - Making LoRaWAN Soil Moisture Sensors
In this episode, Andy shares his process for manufacturing LoRaWAN wireless soil moisture sensors.
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#179 - Project Harmony Advisory Team
02/22/2025
#179 - Project Harmony Advisory Team
What does the future hold for your landscape business? Well, if you ask nine experts, you’ll get 10 different answers. Some say we’re heading for a lush, thriving growing season; others predict drought conditions. Some insist we’ll get just enough rain this year—and someone else insists it’s never enough. Let’s be honest, nobody really knows... But now...there is one surefire way to future-proof your business and how you manage high asset value crops: Harmony Analytica. Harmony is the FIRST sensor analytics platform made for plant-focused professionals. It is currently used by leading institutions, managers, and contractors from Agricultural, to HOA, to Green Infrastructure everywhere.. But what does Harmony Analytica actually do? It brings all of your water consumption data, irrigation schedules, localized rainfall, soil moisture levels, environmental data, and plant health metrics together into one. single. platform. That means you have a single source of truth to manage your landscape assets. No more cobbling together spreadsheets or running multiple apps, or exporting for water use, from multiple software platforms—only to end up with a “dashboard” that’s outdated the moment you finish assembling it. Do you juggle endless logins for systems like Rain Bird, Toro, Hunter, Baseline, WeatherTrack, RainMaster, Calsense, Weathermatic, Smart Rain…the list is fucking long, yeah? With Harmony Analytica you can affordably add sensors for one centralized command center, saving you time, simplifying your workflow, and giving you unparalleled insight into every aspect of your irrigation strategy -without spending thousands of dollars changing our controllers. Harmony Analytica knows exactly what you need: Real-Time Insights – to track water consumption, water pressure, soil moisture, local rainfall, evapotranspiration, and more. Accurate Planning – so you can schedule irrigation and manage your resources based on data, not guesswork. Visibility & Control – to make quick, informed decisions about your landscapes in one user-friendly dashboard. Think of this as the instrument panel of your horticultural fighter jet. You want all that data to be spot on and easily accessible—so your maintenance strategy is efficient, your plants are thriving, and your business is operating sustainably. Start with one sensor, grow with many. Harmony's modular platform ensures that no matter how small your business is today, or how large your landscape operations become, Harmony Analytica is designed to scale seamlessly right alongside you. There is no minimum to get started. In short: you need Harmony Analytica. It’s an amazing opportunity to revolutionize how you manage landscapes. And speaking of opportunity, do yourself a favor: Apply Now, to join the Harmony Analytica Advisory Team, where you can become a part of the development team and help shape the future of the company. In this top-secret, private group, we will break down how to leverage cutting-edge tech to keep your landscapes greener—and your bottom line stronger. Signup today: Harmony , , .
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#178 - Bespoke or A.I.
02/01/2025
#178 - Bespoke or A.I.
In this episode of The Sprinkler Nerd Show, host Andy Humphrey starts off with an unapologetically bold greeting to illustrate the power of authenticity and grab listeners’ attention. He gives a personal shout-out to friends, mentors, and colleagues he connected with during the week—highlighting the importance of real human relationships in an increasingly AI-dominated world. From there, Andy explores the rapid growth of AI and how it’s poised to deliver personalized, mass-produced podcast content—comparing it to Walmart’s ability to provide inexpensive, standardized groceries. But just as many people still prefer organic, home-cooked meals, Andy argues that listeners will continue to value authentic, human-created content. He emphasizes that AI, while a remarkable tool, simply can’t capture the spontaneous quirks and genuine emotion inherent in a show crafted by a real person. Ultimately, Andy encourages creators (and listeners) to lean into their unique perspectives and passions. By embracing technology where it’s helpful but maintaining the “handcrafted” essence of podcasting, we can build deeper connections and a vibrant community that values the human touch—something no AI can replicate.
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#177 - Canada & Project Harmony Update
01/25/2025
#177 - Canada & Project Harmony Update
Hello, friends! I wanted to take a moment to share a quick update on what’s happening this week. I’ll be traveling to Calgary and Edmonton, Canada, for the SiteOne Landscape Supply One Stop events. On Tuesday, I’ll be at the Calgary event, and then on Thursday, I’ll attend the Edmonton event. After that, I’ll head back to the airport Thursday night and fly home on Friday. I had to adjust my travel plans a bit, departing from Grand Rapids instead of my usual airport because, upon my return, I’ll be meeting up with my daughter. We’re headed straight to a volleyball tournament in LaPorte, Indiana—an exciting way to wrap up the week! If you’re in the Calgary or Edmonton area, I’d love for you to stop by the SiteOne events. Please make it a point to say hello! It’s always a pleasure meeting industry professionals, and I’d love to hear what’s happening in your world. An Update on Project Harmony For those of you following my journey to bring affordable wireless soil moisture sensors to market, I wanted to share some exciting news. We’ve successfully deployed a few hundred beta sensors—yes, handcrafted by yours truly! The beta launch has been a huge success, and if you’d like to learn more about Project Harmony, visit . If you’re interested in participating in the beta program, you can receive a sensor and Wi-Fi hub for just $100. Simply visit to sign up. I’m also looking for industry professionals who want to integrate wireless sensors into their business. I’m even considering launching a private group for beta users. In this group, I’d share everything I’ve learned on this journey, and together, we could build the next generation of water analytics and landscape insights. Behind the Scenes of Sensor Development What’s fascinating about bringing sensors to market is that the biggest challenge hasn’t been the measurements—it’s been the manufacturing process. I’ve learned so much about 3D printing, epoxies, potting materials, and even things like glue types and vapor smoothing chambers. Right now, it’s a 2-to-1 process—for every two sensors I manufacture, only one makes it to the field. Many work perfectly but have small cosmetic blemishes, making them unsellable based on current standards. This is one idea I’m considering for the beta group: offering these fully functional but slightly imperfect devices at no charge for testing and learning. If you’re curious about how wireless sensors work, how they can add value to your business, and how we can revolutionize the industry together, I’d love to connect with you. Let’s create the next wave of innovation outside of the traditional wholesale landscape manufacturers. That’s my week ahead! I look forward to meeting any of you who are in Western Canada at the Calgary or Edmonton SiteOne One Stop events. Stop by and say hi—I’d love to connect. Thanks for listening, and let’s keep innovating!
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#176 - Let's Go Out To Dinner And See a Forecast
01/17/2025
#176 - Let's Go Out To Dinner And See a Forecast
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#175 - Apple’s Forgotten Founder: Ronald Wayne’s Secret to Tomorrow’s Money
01/11/2025
#175 - Apple’s Forgotten Founder: Ronald Wayne’s Secret to Tomorrow’s Money
In this episode, we uncover a remarkable story hidden in plain sight: Ronald Wayne, the often-overlooked third co-founder of Apple. While Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak achieved legendary status, Wayne’s name is hardly mentioned in the tech world—even though he helped draft Apple’s original partnership agreement and designed its first logo. After just twelve days, he chose to walk away from his 10% stake in Apple for a mere $800, a decision that would come to symbolize both the enormity of risk and the unpredictability of life. I share how my son, Drew, and I stumbled upon Wayne at an afterparty during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This unexpected meeting led to an eye-opening conversation about everything from historical shifts in monetary policy to Wayne’s current passion for investing in silver. Drawing on Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, he argues that today’s fiat currencies are on shaky ground and sees silver as a tangible asset that may protect wealth when paper money loses its luster. Throughout our chat, Wayne’s calm conviction and life experiences shine through. He exemplifies the power of informed decision-making, a willingness to pivot when necessary, and an unwavering commitment to charting one’s own course. Despite leaving behind what could have been billions, he found fulfillment in engineering pursuits and personal independence. Tune in to hear my reflections on Wayne’s journey and the lessons we can all draw from his story. If you’re curious about his detailed thoughts on the future of money, stick around for the recorded audio of our conversation with Ronald Wayne himself. It may be a bit difficult to hear at times, but it’s worth the listen if you want to glean insights from one of Apple’s most intriguing figures.
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#174 - The Sandbox Adventure
12/31/2024
#174 - The Sandbox Adventure
Today, I’m sharing the story of my six-month recharge. Six months that pulled me out of my comfort zone and into a world of new challenges, new skills, and new possibilities. This wasn’t a vacation—it was six months of diving into the sandbox, experimenting, and solving problems I’d never faced before. And here’s the thing: If I can do this, you can too. So, join me on this creative adventure as we look ahead to 2025 and all the possibilities waiting for us. This is the story of my six-month recharge —-- six months that transformed how I think, work, and approach challenges. This wasn’t a break or a vacation. It was six months of diving into the sandbox—learning, experimenting, and tackling problems I’d never faced before. I stepped out of irrigation and into the fast-moving world of IoT. The Sandbox Adventure Here’s what happened: I invented new IoT products. I developed a wireless cloud solution to connect industrial weigh scales to the cloud—something that hadn’t been done before. I learned to set up a Raspberry Pi. This opened the door to new technical possibilities. I dove into LoRa. I explored how this long-range wireless technology is shaping IoT. I attended the largest LoRa conference in Amsterdam. It gave me a front-row seat to the next big technology curve. In six months, I gained more skills than in the last six years. Why the Sandbox Matters This wasn’t just about learning new skills—it was about embracing the unknown. The sandbox is where you play, experiment, and solve problems without fear of failure. It’s where you push boundaries and ask, What if? These six months pulled me away from irrigation and into the broader IoT world, where the future is being built. Here’s what I want you to take away from this: Growth happens in the sandbox. It’s where you take risks, build, and learn about yourself. You don’t need to know everything or have a perfect plan. You just need to step in, get your hands dirty, and start creating. If I can do this, you can too. 2025 is your year to play in your own sandbox, to learn, grow, and build something extraordinary. So, let’s do this together. Join me on this creative adventure. The sandbox is waiting, and the best part? You’re already holding the tools.
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#173 - Field Capacity from Orlando Florida
06/21/2024
#173 - Field Capacity from Orlando Florida
Andy Humphrey kicks off the episode with "Little Silver Ring" by The Samples and shares insights from his trip to Orlando for volleyball Nationals, highlighting its economic impact. He then revisits a past episode on field capacity, discussing soil moisture sensors, practical analogies, and their importance in irrigation systems. (0:00) Andy Humphrey introduces the morning song of the day (1:31) Andy Humphrey reveals the song: "little silver ring" by The Samples (1:44) Podcast introduction and target audience (2:20) Andy Humphrey talks about being in Orlando for volleyball Nationals (3:47) Discussion on the economic impact of the volleyball tournament (7:36) Transition back to the Sprinkler Nerd Show (8:15) Replaying a past episode titled "field capacity, my ass" (9:40) Experiment with multiple soil moisture sensors (12:21) Shout out to Juanita and replay of the April 2023 episode (12:58) Defining field capacity (14:23) Using a sponge as an analogy for field capacity (17:09) Comparing field capacity to a percolation test (19:16) Field capacity as the baseline for soil moisture (22:10) Explanation of how to measure and apply field capacity (27:20) The art of setting soil moisture sensors (32:40) Analogies for understanding tank size and soil moisture (33:14) Importance of field capacity in irrigation systems (34:16) The future impact of soil sensors in the industry (35:15) Closing remarks and wrap-up And so I'm gonna play that for you today. Here because I don't have time to record a full episode with brand new content, but it did get me thinking about just soil moisture sensing and field capacity and understanding the numbers, and you're gonna hear all that on this episode, this replay episode. But I wanted to share a new concept that actually it's not completely new, but a concept that I have running, in ex in an experiment right now. And that is a concept of taking multiple soil moisture sensors, let's say, within one zone, and averaging them together to creating new soil moisture or that you might think of as a synthetic value. So there's always the angel question of, you know, how is this one spot where the soil moisture sensor is buried. How how is that relative to the rest of either the site or the zone I'm not gonna get into all of those details. We'll save this for another episode. And and the and that is that is a valid question. And the only real way around causing a mistake is to actually just locate the sensor in in a really good area. But then what would happen? What would it look like if instead of putting one soil moisture sensor in a zone? Or one soil moisture sensor in every zone, we put 3 soil moisture sensors in one zone and use that one zone as the baseline zone for the rest of the site. And it's not actually possible today to do this with any control system. Even a baseline control system. You cannot install you can install 3 soil moisture sensors in a zone, but they're all going to be independent, and only one of them can actually control the zone. But what if you could take those 3 soil moisture sensors buried in the one zone, average them together to create a new synthetic, you know, synthetic value and use that average value to control the zone. What would that look like? That can't be done today, but I'm doing it. I'm actually I'm actually running this experiment. We have a a project that has I should know this number off the top of my head, but I don't. Let's say if it has 8, it has 8 soil moisture sensors. And each soil moisture sensor is actually buried in in its own zone, 8 slow moisture sensors, 8 zones, but then I'm taking all of those 8 slow moisture sensors averaging them together and creating a new value that says here's the average soil moisture across the entire site. And what's interesting about that is, well, first, it it hasn't been done before. But second, it might make up for potential errors in location, formity, etcetera, etcetera, if multiple sensors are installed within one zone average together to create a new value So that's just one experiment that I'm running right now. It's going really well. And, maybe maybe a manufacturer that might be listed into this podcast, we'll take that into consideration as they develop the platform. And, we'll just we'll just see how it goes. But Wanted to give a special shout out to Juanita. Thank you for being an active podcast listener. Appreciate hearing from you. And, with your recommendation, I'm gonna replay the episode from April, I think April 28th 2023 called field capacity, my ass. It is great content. I highly encourage you to listen to the entire episode. And if you don't have time today, bookmark it, listen to it again, and I'm, excited to talk about field capacity more in the future because it's more relevant than it ever has been. So thank you so much for listening. Appreciate all of you. And, we'll just roll the intro here and get right into the episode on field capacity. Okay. So in order to understand field capacity and talk about field I first think we should define field capacity. Field capacity refers to the maximum amount of water that a soil can hold against the force of gravity. Alright? It's kind of the point at which the soil is fully absorbed I won't say saturated, fully absorbed with water, and then the excess water has drained away. K? After that excess water has drained away. That's field capacity. At field capacity, the soil is sort of holding as much water as it possibly can and any additional that we add to the soil will actually drain away due to that force of gravity. One great way to illustrate this, maybe this would create a mental picture in your mind, is to think taking a sponge in your kitchen sink. K? If the sink is full of water, you put the sponge into the water, you let the water soak into the sponge, fully, then you lift the sponge out of the sink, it starts to drip, drip, drip, drip, That's saturation as soon as the water stops dripping out of the sponge. That's field capacity. K? That's the point at which the water can hold the the the moisture after gravitational drainage. K. So the sponge is a great way to describe this. Great way to understand it. Great way for you to describe this to your customers, your clients. And seeing this on a graph is awesome as well. So typically, I like to see this on a graph. So historically, working with baseline controllers, I would pull up a soil moisture graph report. I would look at this, on the graph to understand the concept and teach people about it. Okay. So the way that it looks on the graph. And again, I think probably the best way for you to visualize this is that sponge because we can all picture a sponge dripping. Okay. And what that looks like on the graph is a spike. When when the soil is full of water and it is dripping, it it's not holding water. The water is actually draining out of that soil. So you see this spike wet. Boom. It spikes up. And it's draining quickly. Right? The water is dripping out of that sponge. So you get this needle tipped tall spike. And then as the drop start to slow down out of the sponge, that's that's kind of like a curve. It represents a curve, a dry down curve on the graph. And and that curve, which is sometimes called, like, the shoulder, the shoulder of that curve, that illustrates where field capacity is. Okay. And you can kinda measure it. So if we're looking this looking at this on a graph, you could take your cursor, you could hover over the line, and you could get a a numeric value for field capacity. Okay? So more on that in just a moment. The other way that we can describe field capacity instead of using that term, which is very scientific, but it's important for us to understand it, but the average person may not. So One way to describe another way to describe that to the average person is just using the term wet. Sounds easy, silly, but it but it's true. It's wet. Not too wet, not too dry, just right. It's the goldilocks of wet. It's perfectly wet, not too wet, not too dry, just right. It's the goldilocks of wet. K? And again, you can measure this. It's a scientific value. Feel capacity is scientific. How much you allow that to deplete is the art. You can you can deplete it as much or as little as your plants can sustain. But every soil has a field capacity value that can be measured. Alright? Let's go with another way to think about this. I'm gonna give you a few examples because maybe one will stick more than another, and these are just analogies that I've used over the years to help describe the concept. A third way to describe this is a lot like a percolation test. Okay. And a lot of landscapers know this and home builders understand this because if you have a well for your water supply. Actually, not a well. What am I saying? If you have a septic, system, A lot of wells also have septic systems versus city water. But if you have a septic system, typically, you have to do a percolation test to see how the water drains through that soil to see whether that soil can even house or hold a septic tank. Okay. So typically a percolation test, you dig a hole You fill it up with water. You watch it drain over time. And then that would determine if you would be allowed to get a permit from your town to put in the drain field. Okay. So the faster a soil drains the more sand there's going to be in the soil. And the slower it drains, the more clay we're gonna have in the soil. Or, like, based on that drainage rate, it can also describe, you know, kind of the compaction and the structure because the soil type is only one variable. Right? So if we say I have Sandy Lom, well, that does just because you have Sandy Lom or you think you have Sandy Lom or you sent your soil test to a lab, and they said you have sandy loam, it doesn't mean the soil actually behaves like you have sandy loam because there is compaction and there's structure in the soil. They can also affect how water moves through the soil. So What we're really chasing is that field capacity and we want to measure it and we measure it with the soil moisture sensor. Okay. Got it. Am I tracking with you, right? Picture the sponge, picture the, the perk test digging the hole, watching the water drain through the soil, we can measure those, measure the rate, and determine the soil type or actually more. We can determine that field capacity, which tells us about the soil type with the soil moisture sensor. Alright? So back to field capacity, feel capacity being perfectly wet, so Goldilocks wet. Alright? Now that's where things start to get really fun because if you can understand that concept, you can now understand how everything else about soil moisture works. It's all relative to field capacity. And I think this is where most current manufacturers, if not all current manufacturers have missed the mark. I'm gonna tell you why here in just a minute. Again, this is my opinion that most of them have missed the mark because they focus on volumetric soil moisture. They focus on the the data coming out, the actual reading of the soil at any moment, but one reading alone is not enough. Alright? So I'm gonna tell you what that means here in a minute. But I wanna also mention that typically, you know, engineers of soil moisture sensors, either just probes, control systems, engineers, know, like, what we're talking about. They know what this means. They know exactly what the readings are, how to set the sensors And from my personal experience, teaching and training on the subject matter for, god, it's crazy, almost 20 years. I know how to set the sensors, but I also know that the average knuckle dragger has no idea. And the first question that they always ask me, like, every time, how do I set the sensor? Andy, I put the sensor in. How do I set it? And so that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about and provide you with some understanding of field capacity allowable depletion, permanent wilting point, all that shit can be so confusing that what we really wanna focus on is field capacity. Alright? And here's my tip If field capacity equals wet and wet equals full, k? Think of this like a tank, a tank of soil, full is 100%. So I like to take the volumetric moisture percentage and fine field capacity and set that to be full, because this makes the most sense to the average person. Is my soil full? Is my soil empty or where in between those values is it, but the actual volumetric soil moisture percentage doesn't matter so much after we understand field capacity. Because we're gonna set field capacity equal to 100% and then the tank size is going to be determined from that. Alright? And that's where I think most manufacturers miss the mark because they should set their calibration relative to field capacity and set a new tank size. Okay? So we're gonna get I mean, I'll give you a few examples here. In in a moment, but I want you to think about that concept. K? If field capacity is wet and wet is full in full must equal 100%. So field capacity equals 100%. K? Then we wanna know what is 50% full and what is empty. And that's really the skill that we should be thinking about, k, because if we take one reading, and which is actually something that people typically ask me. So let me give you let me give you that example. Oftentimes after someone installs a slow moisture sensor system, I would get a call. Right? And the the client says, Andy, you know, something like this. My moisture sensor is reading 28.5 percent What does that mean? How do I set the sensor? K. The question is, literally, most of the time, just like that. My moisture sensor is reading 28.5, or it's reading, it's reading some number, and they wanna know what does it mean? How do I set the sensor? And the funny thing is that my response is usually like, I have no freaking idea. K? How could how could I after with 20 years of slow moisture sensory experience, not know what 28.5% means. It's actually that I do know what it means. It means 28.5%. But I don't know what what that means in terms of wet or dry. K? Because I need more information. 28.5 percent or the the value that you're taking at any moment does not mean anything all by itself. It has to be made in relationship to field capacity. Right? Is that making sense? If we took a reading of 20 percent or 25 percent or 30 percent, one number all by itself doesn't mean anything. It only means something when compared to field capacity. And I made a couple notes here. Wanna give you an example. So this is one piece actually. I'm actually cheating here. Not reading word for word, but I I made some notes. So let's say for instance, we measure field capacity at 26%. Okay? If field capacity is 26%, And the client asks me, what does 28.5 percent mean? I I know right away, shit. That's higher than field capacity. That means your soil's freaking wet. Saturated and saturation because I can compare 28.5 percent to the known field capacity of 26. K? But maybe what if field capacity was 32? And they asked me, what does 28.5% mean? Then I know Well, it's not yet up to fuel capacity. Your tank is about, you know, 50% full or 60% full. You have to take the slow moisture sensor reading that you get, and you have to compare it to you have to compare it to field capacity. Alright? And every moisture sensor reading that is compared to field capacity has to be compared to field capacity on the very same sensor. You can't compare different sensors to each other because they're all installed in different environments. And how the sensor is installed in each environment could be different. Even if the soil type is the same, how the sensor is installed can affect the reading a bit, which means field capacity on one sensor might be 30. And in the same soil condition, you know, 100 yards away, it could be 32% based on how that sensor is installed. So you wanna compare the number that you're getting and feel capacity only on one sensor. Never compare 2 sensors to each other. Alright? So for this reason, what I usually recommend is that during installation, you pour a bucket of water over the sensor or any amount of water that's going to take to saturate the sensor, which means get it more wet then feel capacity. Get it kind of as wet as you can, you know, to a point. And then wait 24 hours. Kinda like doing that perk test. You wanna get it wet. Then you wanna let gravity take over and you wanna see what it does after 24 hours. You can come back to the site, take a reading, Or if your system is connected remotely, you can look at the graph. You wanna give it some time. You wanna, like, gravity do its thing. I don't like that sponge. You wanna pick that sponge up out of the sink. Let it stop dripping. So you wanna wet your soil, get it nice and wet, let gravity take over, and then you wanna take another reading. And that reading is field capacity. That's the right or downer. That's your baseline. That's field capacity. And everything else becomes relative to that number. If you take a reading in the future and it's higher, you know, your soils and saturation. If you take a reading in the future, and it's 50% lower, you know you're freaking dry. Okay. So the next question I usually get after we find field capacity, is how do I set the sensor? And this becomes the art. So I mentioned before that measuring field capacity is a science. Because you can actually measure it. The amount that you allow for depletion or dry down is the art, and there's only best practice And there's observation and there's knowledge of your plant material and the health of your plant material because all of those things can affect how dry and for how long can you maintain dry. But I have one general rule that I usually give to all clients as a starting point And that is 20 percent depletion, not 20 percentage points, right, not going from 30 down to 10, not 20 point 20 percentage points, but 20% of a number. And that is how you determine your tank size. You take field capacity, you subtract 20% of it, or you multiply it by 0.8 And that will give you your dry number. Alright? So let's look at a specific value. Let's pretend here today, that we measure fuel capacity and it's 30%. What would 20% depletion be? What would 20% dry be? What is that number? Well, I I typically do the math. 10% of 30 is 3. We'll double that to get to 20. That would be 66 percentage points. Field capacity was 30. 6 percentage points is our tank size, so 24 becomes the depletion. That's dry. We will let the soil go from 30 when it's wet down to 24 when it's dry, and then we'll fill it back up again. And I'm today, I'm not gonna be talking about how to automate we're just talking about the numbers itself. Right? So if you take your reading and it's 25%, you know, you're not dry yet because we just said 24 was dry. If you take a reading at 17, you know, you're way below your depletion point. Alright? And I use 20% as a starting point because you never wanna start too dry. You never want to you always wanna start a little bit conservative, see how it goes, then you could lower it a little bit, then you could lower it a little bit more. But the analogy of using 20 percent helps to describe how the tank size can be measured. So if we think about the field capacity number. And we think about taking 20% of it. So we started with 30%. We took 20% away. That was 6 that was 6 percentage points. Okay. And then turn on was 24. The type of soil that we're working with actually determines the size of the tank. So generally speaking, and this is kind of a, I guess we could call it a rule, clay soil holds more water. So when you measure field capacity in a clay soil, it's going to always be higher. So let's just say it's 33%. K? And the range is probably anywhere from 29 to, you know, 38% generally speaking. Clay soil holds more water, so...
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#172 - Eyes Wide Open
06/14/2024
#172 - Eyes Wide Open
TL;DR::::::: Embrace an Open Mindset: Keeping an open mind is crucial for discovering new opportunities and innovations. Importance of New Conversations: Engaging with new people and ideas can lead to significant breakthroughs. Technology and Innovation: Encountering groundbreaking technology that could revolutionize the irrigation industry. Overcoming Initial Bias: It's essential to look beyond initial skepticism or bias towards new ideas and products. Creating Luck: Luck is often the result of continuous effort and openness to opportunities rather than mere chance. Episode Summary: In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, host Andy Humphrey discusses the concept of keeping one’s “eyes wide open” as a way to stay receptive to new ideas, opportunities, and innovations, particularly within the irrigation and landscape industry. He emphasizes the importance of an open mindset in both personal and professional contexts. Andy begins by explaining that expressing thoughts out loud helps him remember them better. This episode serves as a reminder to himself and his listeners to stay open-minded. He introduces the concept of "eyes wide open," which he describes as the practice of seeing beyond what we want to see and remaining aware of what actually exists and what possibilities might be available. He recounts an experience from earlier in the day, where he had an unexpectedly profound conversation with an entrepreneur developing innovative technology outside the United States. Initially hesitant to engage, Andy decided to attend the meeting with an open mind and was amazed by the groundbreaking software technology relevant to his industry. This encounter reinforced his belief in the value of being open to new ideas and perspectives. Andy highlights how easy it is to dismiss new products or ideas, especially when one is loyal to a particular brand or has had negative experiences with other brands. He notes that often, people approach new conversations with a closed mindset, either out of habit or preconceived notions. This can lead to missed opportunities and hinder progress. By contrast, approaching interactions with an open mind allows for potential discoveries and innovations. He uses the example of his industry, where brands like Rain Bird or Hunter are predominant, and how professionals might resist considering products from other brands due to brand loyalty or preconceived biases. He stresses that it’s crucial to entertain new ideas and test new products to stay ahead in the industry. This open-minded approach can lead to significant advancements and better solutions. Andy also addresses the concept of luck, challenging the common perception that successful people are merely lucky. He argues that what appears to be luck is often the result of numerous efforts and opportunities seized over time. By keeping their eyes wide open, individuals can create their own luck through continuous learning and openness to new possibilities. This podcast episode is a motivational reminder for professionals to maintain an open mind and actively seek new knowledge and experiences. Andy encourages his listeners to engage with new people, explore new technologies, and be willing to entertain meetings and conversations that might initially seem unimportant. He believes that this mindset will lead to personal and professional growth and ultimately contribute to shaping a successful future. In conclusion, Andy Humphrey’s message in this episode is clear: staying open-minded and receptive to new ideas and opportunities is essential for innovation and success. By embracing an "eyes wide open" approach, individuals can overcome biases, discover groundbreaking technologies, and create their own luck through continuous effort and engagement with the world around them.
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#171 - Rethinking The Warranty Period
06/07/2024
#171 - Rethinking The Warranty Period
Hey, my friends. Welcome back to another episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey. This is episode X Y Z, because I honestly can't remember. Coming to you from my truck. We could call this an episode of truck talk, which I did, more towards the beginning of this show, not as of recent. And I am actually on my way to Chicago today. For a bunch of different events and business opportunities. And I had a couple things that were on my mind this week that I wanted share with you guys as it relates to service calls and warranty Andy just a few sort of future casting ideas about warranty that particularly came to my mind this morning. And I thought let's see. I thought I would start with I thought I would start with how you communicate with your clients. And this probably relates more to service clients, service calls, but could could relate to construction, but let let's look at it through a service call lens. And I had firsthand experience with this with a company in my hometown because my water tank failed. Still not exactly sure. The service guy actually came just yet this morning. I'm still not exactly sure what is wrong with it. I built my house in 2018. It is not a, you know, fine custom craft home. But it's also not a builder's choice, model home or or something on the low end. It's probably mid range. And What's interesting, I'll I'll get to this a bit later is this is not the first appliance that has failed in a six year old home. Let's just let's just put that out there. Not the first appliance that's failed. I'll give you the rest of the story here in a moment. And yesterday, actually, it was last night. My daughter came home, from her volleyball practice. It was late, let's say, 9, 9:30. And, she showers after practice, of course, and then she doesn't shower in the morning, and she goes, take a shower. And she comes down after she takes a shower, and she's like, hey. I I couldn't get the hot water on. The hot water's not working. Scratch my head. Andy I'm just thinking, okay. That's weird. Maybe there's something up with your, you know, your your shower. And then my wife said, you know what? I just washed my face before bed. And, yeah, I noticed that the water wasn't hot. So I, of course, would rather just jump into bed. It's 9:30 a night. I went down into the basement, looked at the hot water heater, and the water was definitely not hot. I looked at where the cord was plugged in to the outlet, Andy I then went to the breaker box. All the breakers were fine, but there was no power to the heater. So I, looked at where it was plugged in. It actually plugs into an electrical outlet right above it in the ceiling Andy thought, okay. Well, there's no power to this outlet. Why would there be no power to the outlet? Well, there must be something on this circuit that has a GFI that's tripped. It's my first thought. GFI must be something on this circuit that has a GFI and looking around the room. This is in our storage, storage room in the basement. It's not finished. But it's not, you know, a dungeon either. It's just a typical probably nine foot ceiling, storage room in their basement. Andy we have an air filtration system that is, attached to our forced air. Andy I'm looking up and I see its plug Andy its plug goes into the receptacle and the receptacle, sure enough, has a GFI on it. I unplug it. I hit the reset button. The little green light comes back on, and I'm thinking, yes. I am back in business. Andy just on the the problem. Cool. Plugged everything back in. Turned off the water heater, plugged it in, turned the pass back on. It starts automatically. I hear it fire up. I hear the exhaust fan kick in. And then 45 seconds later, pop. There goes the GFI again. Like, shit. What in the world is going on here? So then, of course, I did the whole the whole shebang over again, reset the GFI was hoping was hoping it would work, turned the hot water heater back on, and then sure enough, 40 seconds later, blew the GFI again. And this is, you know, by now, probably 10 o'clock at night. I don't want to fuck around with this anymore. So I just I let it be thought I had thought I had solved it with a GFI, but I couldn't solve the reason that the hot water tank was tripping it, and there was a little bit of water dripping out of the bottom into the basin. And I'm just thinking, alright. You know what? I'd better just bring in the professional. Wouldn't it be nice if if our clients always thought that about you guys? Let me not mess around with this myself. Let me bring in the true irrigation professional. And we know a lot do, but it's interesting that some don't until they farce around with it for 2 days. And only then do they call you guys in? And then they stand over your shoulder, and then they complain about here, about the price, Andy then they say, oh, that was it. Oh, I could have done that myself. Of course, I'm just making, making fun here. Andy we know some clients are like that. And again, I'll remind everyone, you get to choose your clients. So if that's the behavior, make a note, perhaps you don't service that account again, unless you need to, etcetera. All you always have a choice on who you do business with. So in any case, so this morning, I first thing I did was I called the company that that installed it. They're very well known, both residential residential installation and service company. And this is where the experience got really really awesome. And there's two parts that we to this, actually. The first part is that I I just googled them up real quick. Andy, you know, sometimes when you when you're on Google, your phone tries to locate you. However, Sometimes it just picks well, it shouldn't say picks random places, but it picks places that you're not just because of the data that's running through the either the cell towers or potentially the wifi network. So Google I didn't notice this, but Google had located me not in my hometown. So when I googled the name of this company, It brought up the same name, the same name I was looking for, but it wasn't in my hometown. And I didn't realize that the area code wasn't the same on the number. I called them up. They did not answer. They did not answer the phone. I left a message. Only then did I realize that I called the wrong company because I know that the company that I work with offers 247 phone support. They're not doing it, but they contracted out answering service, etcetera. I thought it was a bit odd that I re I I landed on a voice mail. So then I looked at my phone. Sure enough. That's when I discovered that I had called the wrong company because Google had placed me in the wrong area. And that also reminded me that I had remembered that this company offers 247 emergency support and that you never get a voicemail. So I thought I would just share that also is that you can, for a reasonable fee, offer that to your clients. And I'm not saying you should. Everybody has to make a decision on what is valuable for their business and their customers, but you could. And just because you could doesn't mean you should, but I just wanted to put that out there is that stood out to me as a homeowner requesting service from a different trade. I knew that I would not reach voice mail. So long story short, I'm gonna keep going here. I called the correct company. Got a wonderful woman on the phone. Again, I wouldn't if it was a man or a woman just happened to be a wonderful woman. She, brought up my account right away because the phone number I was calling in on matched up with their records. She had, my name. She had my wife's name, both of our cell phone numbers, all the information about the equipment that we have at our house, and then she was able to give me a window, a scheduling window. From 2, no, 10 to 2 to have a technician come out. And this is where it got really great. She she said that we would receive a text message when the technician was en route to our home Andy that we would receive the technicians GPS location. So we knew where the technician was and when the technician would be arriving. Andy I thought I would share both of these text messages with you just as an example of the technology that's available to improve the experience of your customers because I think I think that I'm not alone Andy the dissatisfaction that comes from needing to be at home from 8 in the morning to noon and not knowing when the technician's gonna come? Are they gonna come at 8, or are they gonna come at 1159? Do I need to be what if I wanna take a shower and they show up? All those kinds of things is not as, it's not that it's dissatisfaction. It's just thinking that there's a better way to do it. And today, I experienced the better way to do it. And and, before we get to the moral of the story, these that when I read through the text message that I'm gonna read you here, I noticed that the URL link was coming from go dot serviceditan.com. So immediately, I was able to recognize that this HVAC company uses service taking Andy that perhaps this great experience that I'm about to have is because of the service taking software. So here's the first text message that that we received. And what's also pretty cool is that it didn't just come to me. It came to both my wife and myself. To our to our cell phones on a text message. So here's the message. Hi, Andy and Megan. Galen from X Y Z Plumbing Andy Heating Systems is on the way to 547 Hidden Ridge drive, you can track his location here, and that's where the service Titan link comes in. Then it says, Galen is a dedicated, highly skilled HVAC service technician with years of proven industry experience provided with stellar customer care. Ask us about our great membership options If you haven't joined yet, call our office with any questions. Thank you for your business. Andy that's that's pretty sweet. We knew exactly when he was coming. We knew exactly where he was. Andy was at my office. They have a, a code to our garage so they could just get right in. Andy then he, sends another text personally well, I shouldn't say personally. He, the person sent a text to both my wife and I, after he was done the inspection because he hadn't yet fixed it, but he let us know what he had discovered. And this is what he said that this came from him. And I I don't know that this came through Service Titan software. Not sure. Don't care, but he says, hello. This is Galen from X Y Z Plumbing Andy Heating. I stopped by to look at your water heater, and it is leaking from inside the water heater tank. It is right on the edge of warranty Andy our office is seeing if we can get it covered under the factory 6 year warranty. The water heater was turned off when I arrived, but I have it running now. Do you want me to turn it back off or leave it running? Andy how great is that? We're not home. He's texting with us. He's cordial polite. Andy informative Andy working in our best interest to try to get it covered under the factory warranty. Andy, of course, I said, yeah, turn it on. We'd love some hot water. My shower this morning was was balls cold. Was shrinkage cold. Andy and then I ended up calling him right away because I wanted to ask him a few more questions. Question number 1 is how did he get it to stay on? Because every time I turned it on, I was popping the GFI Andy perhaps it was just it was still wet, and it was tripping a circuit, and it wasn't as wet any longer when when he was there. If If perhaps there is a leak or the bladder is blown and whatever else, I don't know exactly how these things operate. But I was like, yeah, man. Turn it on because I know is a problem. It'll pop the GFI. I'm not worrying about it being a safety issue. So, yes, please turn it on. We need some hot water. K? So that's just kind of a a I wanted to give a firsthand example as quickly as it had happened so I could speak from just just speak from not not truth, but speak from experience and having someone come to my house and and to be able to share how great the service is with number 1, we didn't have to be that number 2. We knew exactly when he was going to show up. We knew exactly where he was. And when he was done, he texted us right away and gave us the update. I don't think it gets much better than that until we get the bill. No. I'm just kidding. I know that it'll be reasonable And even even if it is, let's just say, higher than competitor b or see, do I really wanna call another guy to come out and spend all of of my own time with that? I that, you know, my time is worth more than the increased price of the next competitor. So also just just keep that in mind is I think as long as you do, you provide good service, you provide good value, you're professional, and your clients trust you. Than you you deserve to be paid for your worth. Cool. Alright. Now now let me share sort of the future casting idea about warranty. We built our house in 2018, Andy, I'm in my truck, and it is pouring rain here. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna hit pause on this recording. I wanna come back here as soon as Lorraine stops. Hang tight. I'll be right back. Alright. I'm back. Hopefully, you can hear me a little bit better now. Let's talk about warranty. Warranty is often a time frame. Right? 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, Andy get the idea. And with the failure of my water tank, I first thought why would my water tank fail in 6 years. And then to make matters worse, we have a stacked washer and dryer on the 3rd floor of our house. When I say Third Floor of our house, it's gonna sound like a little bit of mansion. But the first level is the walk in basement. So it's technically, like, the second level. That level is just my kid, 3 kids bedrooms, a bathroom, and my wife had this brilliant idea of a a washer and dryer on their level so that they do their own laundry. And all the kids stuff is on the floor. It's all it's, you know, what it's like, kids. Right? Their their mess is up there. We don't have to see, touch, or deal with their mess. They do their own laundry, but their washer has failed. Started getting grease on some stuff. There was a little bit of water in the basin underneath. And we have a service technician coming out to look at their washing machine. Previously, we have an induction stovetop. Our first one failed. We had it replaced. We are on our second dishwasher. First one failed. Last year, we had the coil on our not on the ace unit that's outside, but the coil that is on the blower unit in the basement failed. Andy so, you know, all these different appliances have all failed within 1 to 6 years, which makes me question a lot of things, but it also makes me think about What a warranty period really is? And I can understand a warranty period both from the manufacturing perspective and the the construction perspective. But I I stopped to think about what does time, how is time related to warranty, or how is time related to failure Andy is time related to failure. Let me give you an example. Let's say you install an irrigation system for somebody this summer. And this is their and let's just say for instance, this is their summer cottage, and they're in their summer cottage for 2 weeks out of the year. And during those 2 weeks, they like green grass. Well, so you fire up the system, Andy, you run it for a couple weeks before they get there. Andy they show up. Everything's green, running great. And then they and then they leave, and you shut down the system. So the irrigation system, let's just say, is only running 1 month of the year. Hypes are pressurized for 1 month valves actuate for 1 month. Outside of that, there's no power on the wire, and we know power causes corrosion when wires are wet. We know pipe fails when it's under pressure for long periods of time. I would expect a system that is run for only 1 month out of the year to last longer than a system which is run for 12 months out of the year. But when we look at warranty, let's just think manufacturer's warranty. Take any irrigation manufacturer and let's look at the valve warranty. Some valves have 1 or 2 years, some have 5 years. But again, an irrigation system that is operated 1 month out of the year I would expect to last longer than 5 years because if you add up 1 month a year times 5 years, that's 5 months of operation. Versus a system that has run 12 months out of the year after 5 years, that's 60 months of operation. Yet the same warranty period applies. And we could stop and say, well, how is the manufacturer supposed to know how long the system has been in operation? And I would say, absolutely. They don't know. They do not know. But what if they did know? That's the question I asked. What if they did know? Now let's think about, my home. I have 3 kids there. My son came home from college. She's 20. My daughter's a senior in high school. My other daughter's a freshman. We use the crap of our house. What I mean, we use the crap out of it means we're cooking. We're taking 5 showers a day. We're doing lots of laundry. We're really using our appliances to the maximum capability of of of that. I mean, unless we had 2 more kids at You're really not gonna use appliances more than my family does. We're probably peak appliance users. K? But what if a couple, and I'm gonna stereotype here for a moment. What if a couple was seventy five years old? And they had no kids at home, and they ate out every day. So they never really used dishwasher. They never used their stovetop. They did laundry, you know, maybe one load, one load a week, maybe, you know, they don't they they take one shower a day. They're they're not putting the same wear and tear, on the equipment. They're not using it for, you know, the same amount of time. So I would expect their equipment to last definitely last the warranty period Andy la it lasts much longer. That got me thinking about my hot water tank. Okay? We we use lots and lots and lots of hot water. We're probably doing at least 2 loads of laundry every single we're taking 5 showers, at least, because sometimes my kids shower in the morning Andy the evening, we are using a ton of hot water. So that I thought, well, what if there was a way to know how many gallons of hot water my tank has you know, heated since we installed it. Wouldn't wouldn't that be a good way to know when it might fail next? Or could that be a better way to know when it might fail versus time? Because time, if you don't use something, I mean, certainly, something could seize up because it's not maintained, but if you're not using it, you're not it it likely wouldn't fail as quickly. So what if there was a way to know either, you know, how many gallons of hot water went through my tank Andy or, you know, how many hours, let's say the unit was heating for, something like that, a way to count or or put a value on the usage as a statistic so that a warranty might say something like this, totally making this up. For my hot water tank. Maybe it would say something like, warrantied up to 100,000 gallons of heated hot water or 5 years, whichever comes 1st. Why does why is that not how we warranty appliances? Take a dishwash Same thing. If you're doing one load of dishes in the dishwasher, every single day, 365 wash cycles, It's possible that the somebody in 5 years isn't doing 365 wash cycles. So why not attach the warranty to either time or cycle count usage, etcetera, or whichever comes first? Andy that way, I would know or could know in advance. Wow. We just, we just ran the last drop of hot water through our hot water tank. It is now out of warranty, which also means now we're look now we're at a period where we're in high usage. We've we've put this number of hours on this device Andy there's a potential for it to fail. So maybe we want to, you know, set some money aside because we know this can fail soon. It just find it interesting that there isn't a, like, a usage...
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#170 - Turn Water into Money (replay)
05/24/2024
#170 - Turn Water into Money (replay)
Andy Humphrey Microphone, checka, a 12 checka. Do I gotta check? I gotta check. Check. Looking good out here, guys. Another's day, Andy on the water. I was just gonna record a little intro today. Andy so let me let me back up. I am taking my sailboat, which is a 1961 Alberg 35 happens to be hull number 2. So 63 three years old and I keep her in Northport, and then I bring her down to the Grand Travers Yacht Club at the bottom of West Grand Travers Bay in Traverse City. So that's what I'm doing today. I'm under power, but also have the genoa up because I'm kinda have the wind on my quarter and maintaining about 6 knots with the iron jib, AKA, the engine. This engine is an atomic 4 original gasoline engine, which you don't see very often on sailboats, have converted to diesel. So that might be TMI, but, that's where I am at the moment. And what I wanted to do today was just probably well, I am going to replay an episode, which I don't do very often. But I had a moment to kinda go through the archives and, stumbled across or the one that caught my attention was a conversation I had with Paul Bassett about thinking of water in terms of dollars. And sometimes gallons don't mean that much to end users or sometimes that it doesn't mean that much to most of us, but when you turn it into dollars, I think it can be more substantial. And Andy now that I've said that out loud, I think it can go both ways. If somebody's water bill is just kinda throwing this out there as an idea, it's less than a $100 a month, that might not be enough to cause change in behavior. But perhaps if they knew that they used, just again, picking a number, a 100,000 gallons, that might seem like a lot of water. So I think it might be I think the way we look at water is trying to find the greater, the greatest, impact or the greatest number that stand out. So it's either going to be gallons, like a 100,000 gallons, or maybe it's going to be dollars, like somebody spending $3000 month. And it just doesn't it's it's not really out there today. You can run your own math, but name me a controller that reports gallons in terms of dollars. You know, that that really should be sent to clients as a a report either daily, weekly, monthly, but at least it should be displaying inside the control platform Andy even perhaps at the controller, what is your consumption in dollars and cents. So that's, I'm gonna play an episode from last year, replanned episode from last year with a conversation with my good friend, Paul Bassett, about thinking of water in terms of dollars. Hope you guys enjoy. Have an awesome weekend, and we'll see you next week on another episode. Paul Bassett Hey, Drew. Andy Humphrey Paul, good morning. Paul Bassett Good morning to you, buddy. Andy Humphrey How's your day going? Paul Bassett It's going great today. Thanks. Andy Humphrey Okay. Paul Bassett Friday. Andy Humphrey Heck yeah. I was thinking about you this morning because of the concept of turning water into dollars that I was thinking about Andy thought we could just brain share about that concept. Paul Bassett I like that. Andy Humphrey So yesterday, I moderated a webinar with Ben Coffee at WeatherTrack in Max Moreno, who's the VP of Sales for harvest landscape Andy Max uses water budgets as a part of his daily business practice. And the more I started thinking about water budgets, It's really a concept of a budget Andy a budget entails finances and money. And what I think is so fascinating is that we all, you know, in this industry, when I say we, I I'm generalizing here. Most people talk about run time, number 1, you know, how long should I run my sprinklers in the form of time? And then kind of at the next level, people talk about how much water am I gonna use? What's the gallons? What's the volume? Either gallons per minute, gallons per day, per cycle per year, per month, But then what we really don't talk much about is what does the dollars mean? How how can we convert that to dollars and cents and why do we not use that as a discussion point more often. Paul Bassett You're right. I mean, it's something that I think should be discussed with the end user client because in in almost any other utility consumption, it is discussed in dollars and cost. I don't know why the water is slower to transition to that, so I think it's a good place to be for us, Sandy, because it will allow us to kind of be a differentiator or or what we teach others to allow them to be a differentiator. Andy Humphrey If you are an irrigation professional, old or new, who designs, installs, or maintains high end residential, commercial, or municipal properties. Andy you wanna use technology to improve your business to get a leg up on your competition, even if you're an old school irrigator from days of hydraulic systems, this show is for you. I I think that If we're only now starting to talk about the dollars, I feel like what we need to do is put the dollars out there first. So with the, let's say, the irrigation design, the proposal, you know, the estimates when contractor x goes out to a client site, whether it's residential or commercial, and they put together their estimate for construction and installation. I don't know that I've ever seen a proposal that includes estimated cost per year on the system. And I think if we led with that, then that would spark the kind of curiosity in question, and we could go backwards into the different parts of the system, the design, the distribution formity that actually affects the cost of the system, but lead with the dollars and then explain it through the use of technology, proper installation, proper design. Etcetera. Paul Bassett I mean, it's it's so good because if you think about it in in other appliances that you buy, for instance, you know, if you see nowadays, if you buy a hot water heater or if you buy a refrigerator, what do they have stamped on it? They have stamped on what the anticipated energy cost is to operate that piece of equipment for a given year. Based upon a unit of measurement of that particular energy or, utility. So they say, okay, if you're gonna buy refrigerator, average energy cost in the United States is 12¢ a kilowatt hour. On average, this particular refrigerator is gonna cost you a Humphrey bucks a year to run-in energy. Why can't we do the same in irrigation? It should be that way. Andy Humphrey Right. Instead, we say this sprinkler uses 2.5 gallons per minute. Let's just say. But what does that really mean? The user, the end user doesn't doesn't really know what that means, and they don't necessarily care. But what if we said something different? Yeah. Change the metric. I don't know if we could necessarily turn it into dollars because it depends on, you know, how long it needs to run, but maybe it could be, like, here's how many, you know, dollars per hour of operation or something like that. Paul Bassett Yeah. Or, you know, just like you when you create a balance per minute, we know what that flow rate is Andy you determine what that zone should run for Andy then calculate what it should cost to run that many gallons through the system. I mean, it's really not as challenging as one would think. It's just we don't use that Andy Humphrey Right. And and all of these, let's say, modern control systems. Let's just say, modern because I've I personally don't think most systems are really all that awesome. So we'll just call them modern. If we're already tracking GPM, Andy we, you know, we can find breaks in the pipe, and we can we can have all those kinds of alarms. Andy we have a GPM, all we have to do is Add another box to the controller interface that says, what's your water cost? And now we can run basically like a cash register of of water to of a dollar totals. You know, how awesome I Paul Bassett mean, that's a great idea. Yeah. That's a great idea. Andy Humphrey The controller should say, you know, you spent $264 yesterday. Paul Bassett To operate this piece of equipment? Correct. Yeah. That's your a good idea. Andy Humphrey And it's not anything that requires any kind of, like, sophisticated engineering. It's just another variable. Calculated. Like, it's easy. Paul Bassett Pretty much. You're right. I mean, I I don't see that in Well, then there's there's another idea, Amy, to put to the idealist. Andy Humphrey We got it. Yeah. And, you know, we're looking at from the sort of that's the technology side of it, but even as a contractor putting together a proposal, I think it would be an amazing differentiator to separate someone's business if they included that in their proposal because it would be a great conversation piece to have with the client that would allow the contractor to showcase their knowledge, expertise, and build trust. And the client may say, you know what? You're the only one who who gave me a proposal with the estimated water costs. And then the contractor might say something like, you know what? You should go ask the other contractors how much their system is gonna cost you. And if they did that, the other contractors may say, I don't I don't know. I don't I don't think about that Andy basically talk themselves out of the sale. Paul Bassett Yeah. That is a very good point to make, if you're a sophisticated contractor Andy you wanna differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack That is a good ploy to put in your proposal. Andy Humphrey Yeah. And that's something that would be one way to win the project by and be the highest price is because you're adding value. And I don't know anyone who's really doing that. So there you go, guys. That's one little nugget. Maybe you can experiment with Andy then reply back and let us know how it went. Did it help you close the sale when you included water costs? Paul Bassett And if if folks need assistance with it, Andy, certainly they can reach out to both you and I, and we can, we can help them prepare that document because, you know, we've been doing this for more than 20 years, ideally. Andy Humphrey Mhmm. Paul Bassett And I know I've for that 30 so that that's really what has helped me Andy my business succeed is being able to tell the end user what they're using in spending in water Andy what a 10% or 15% reduction in water is gonna show in savings, and then where they can use savings by increasing the efficiency in the system. Or by investing in technology. Andy Humphrey It would help explain. So if if instead of selling a quote unquote more expensive sprinkler because it has pressure regulation built in, let's say, for those areas where it's not necessarily required, that helps tell the story of why Well, because you're going to save that amount of money right away in the 1st year because of the reduced water usage. Paul Bassett Yeah. And or even as we do, Andy, add some additional data points, I. E. Some soil moisture sensors, to be able to stop watering, in a given period because You know, we now know what the moisture level is in the soil, whereas other irrigation systems would just water their regular Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. Andy we can delay or you can stop those schedules, and we can, or you can prove to the homeowner, here's what it costs every time your schedule runs. Andy then here's how many times we feel we can delay the schedule and what that savings are gonna be. Andy Humphrey Yeah. Because the the volume of water doesn't really mean much to people because they don't know what a 1000 gallons looks like or 50,000 gallons looks like. 50,000 seems like maybe it's a lot of water, but if if we had the if we change the narrative, and switched it to dollars, then the amount of water doesn't really even matter as much. It's more like How do I go from spending $750 a month to spending 500 a month? That's it's much more tangible, I think. Paul Bassett Definitely. Definitely. And then people hope, you know, some of the more sophisticated homeowners and business owners have a budget that they prepare Andy then they they go from their budget. So you can, you can assist them with establishing their, their annual budget costs of what they're gonna spend in water. Andy Humphrey So I think when we're thinking about water budgets, and then, again, this is where my thought came from because this is what our conversation was with weather tracking using the tools of that controller for water budgeting and can enter the gallons so that you can put, you know, you can track and trend how many gallons you're using. I think we really need to switch the conversation to just be about dollars and cents because everybody understands dollars and cents, but I don't think a lot of people understand what their water costs or what a certain volume of water. You know, it's it's not tangible to them. Paul Bassett Yeah. And it's really strange that that's been the case with water and and getting dealing with it for this past 30 years, I'd like to see the narrative shifting. I like the fact that people are really caring more about the insights and digitization of water. And and now that there's more and more tools to be able to deploy for people to see the insights in their water usage in their patterns. Andy Humphrey Mhmm. Mhmm. Yeah. And again, we kinda talked here about using homeowners, but really, you know, the bigger the bigger opportunity is for these like commercial commercial municipal sites that that use a lot of water, you know, say $20,000 or more a year. I think that's the real hot opportunity. Paul Bassett And, Andy, as you know, there's other sites that use 100 of 1000 of dollars, you know, or more a year. And just a slight decrease of 10% can can really be dramatic when you're spending a $100. I mean, think about it. If they're spending a $100 in water a year Andy you you say 10% of that, it's $10,000. I mean, that is a big number to be able to use to invest into the newer technology. Andy Humphrey Mhmm. And then depending on perhaps what type of a a ROI, you know, that could be, a client could say, you know what? Anything that can give us a 5 year ROI we're gonna invest in. So $10,000 over 5 years is $50. There's the budget for the controls retrofit or whatever the retrofit might be. Paul Bassett Andy then 2, it's not even just about the the technology to achieve the savings. That they you they could use that money to invest in personnel that can monitor and manage this equipment. And so that's really where I think this particular strategy really takes places where you can sell the end user, the upgraded management, of the system by showing them the savings by just having someone have eyes and ears looking at the data. Andy Humphrey Yeah. Good stuff, man. Well, appreciate that a little brain share this morning. Always good to, vision, future vision with you. And I think that, turning water into dollars we might be on the on the edge of that next revolution. Paul Bassett There's no doubt, Andy. It's always good to talk with you too. The the thoughts and brain shares are Always great. Andy Humphrey So there you have it, guys. Paul and I are making a prediction that one of the next revolutions or let's not say revolution. Evolution is gonna be totalizing water in the control systems by dollars, not just gallons Andy displaying it and talking about it. Cool. Alright, man. Thanks. Paul Bassett To hear from you. Thank you. (0:00) Introduction and sailing update from Andy Humphrey (1:16) Conversation with Paul Bassett about water consumption and cost (3:00) Replay of previous episode on water consumption in terms of dollars (7:43) Changing the metrics we use to talk about water usage (10:36) Benefits of including water costs in proposals for contractors (12:22) Benefits of thinking about water usage in terms of cost (14:33) Potential for significant savings in commercial and municipal sites (15:22) Reinvesting savings into system management (15:55) Future of water management with Paul Bassett (16:19) Wrap-up and conclusion Chapters powered by PodcastAI✨
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#169 - Understanding Google's Algorithm and SEO Optimization with Spencer Haws
05/15/2024
#169 - Understanding Google's Algorithm and SEO Optimization with Spencer Haws
In this episode, Andy Humphrey plays a recorded live event with Spencer Haws from the Seller's Summit conference, the importance of website ranking, and managing multiple businesses. Spencer delves into Google's algorithm changes, AI's role in search, and diversifying platform presence. He discusses the significance of internal link structure, creating a fast-loading website, and standardizing publishing processes. He also explores content strategies, optimizing content, and tactics to boost revenue. CHAPTERS: (0:00) Introduction and discussion about Seller's Summit conference (5:06) Importance of having a website and ranking on Google (10:18) Discussion on managing multiple businesses and focusing on nichepursuits.com (17:42) Understanding Google's algorithm changes and the role of AI in search (19:31) Diversifying platform presence and cleaning up old content for better SEO (23:16) Restructuring your site and the importance of internal link structure (25:17) Creating a professional and fast-loading website and standardizing publishing processes (30:31) Content strategy: what to publish, using Google search console for keyword insights (35:00) Updating content regularly for SEO and process of optimizing content (37:18) Optimizing your site to boost revenue and tactics for increasing revenue KEY POINTS: Spencer Haas shared his experience of scaling website traffic by publishing a significant amount of content, revealing that he increased his output to over 1000 articles in a year which led to a traffic boost from 100-200k views a month to 700-800k. He emphasized the importance of updating old content and optimizing new content with a focus on internal linking and keyword targeting to improve SEO and Google rankings. Spencer's approach to content resulted in substantial revenue growth, where display ad revenue alone began to cover the entire content budget, turning other income streams like product sales and affiliate marketing into pure profit. TRANSCRIPT Andy Humphrey: Hey, my friends. Welcome back to the Sprink Leonard Show. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey. This is episode 169 coming to you from the 10th floor of the Westin Hotel in Fort Lauderdale FL FLL. I'm not really sure what the second l stands for, with the airport code, FL4 Lawter Layle, Anyway, it makes me every time I I see the airport code code FL, it makes me wonder what it is or why. Andy Humphrey: I should just Google it. What's the second l? Okay. I am recording this episode here at the hotel because I'm at a conference called Seller's Summit think I've actually recorded 1 or 2 other episodes here at the conference because I come every year. It's super fun. Andy Humphrey: And if you are looking to, start your own, let's say, blog or physical product, or other kind of digital commerce style business, then, you might wanna check it out. Come down next year. Seller's summit. Dotcom Andy, learn. It's a fantastic conference for learning, meeting other new and successful digital marketers, which are often hard hard to, hard to come by. Andy Humphrey: And it's pretty fun to get a room full of other other nerds, not just sprinkler nerds, but but nerds in other, categories, other product categories, other content categories, and it's fun to get together and see what happens when all of the brains start firing at once. So I'm here this week. I I had the opportunity earlier in the week. I flew to Atlanta, Georgia on Monday to visit with the site 1 ecommerce team a super great team. And, if any of you guys that I met this week are listening to this, I really think, you know, that, you will be successful delivering the future to the market. Andy Humphrey: And I really do think that is the role of the site 1 e commerce team on the street level, the CX specialists is to deliver the future, to customers as it relates to commerce, how to order efficiently, etcetera. So congrats, say, one for building a fantastic team, and thank you for having me come speak at the event. It was really good. Andy I can't wait to see what what, what comes what happens this year from the team. And then, right after that flew down here to Fort Lauderdale, for the conference. Andy Humphrey: And then just, just today, actually, met up with my, friend, more more new friend, but, we've known each other. Justin Richards. He's AKA, the sprinkler dude, So we had the nerd and the dude Andy, had a great, great lunch at this, like, apparently a famous Wings Plus, Restaurant Andy Coral Springs, and just talked about some technology tips tool tricks, just fun stuff. And Justin's got a lot of great energy. Keep it up, Justin. Andy Humphrey: Great to to spend some time with you in person Andy look forward to to learning more together in the future, maybe collaborating on some things. And, we'll see where it goes. What I wanted to share with you on this episode is a short well, it's not short. It's probably 45 minutes of something that I recorded. Here at the conference, a speaker, his name is Spencer Hass, and he he'll he'll tell his story but he is the owner of niche pursuits.com. Andy Humphrey: So if you would like to learn about how to start your own blog, your own content site, your own website. That's, that's what he does. He's a fantastic resource. He has a software tool called Link Whisper, among others that you can take a look at. And he spoke today about how to rank your website number 1 in Google, and he ran multiple experiments over the years producing almost a 1000 blog posts in a single year. Andy Humphrey: And one of my takeaways is that he is not he did do an AI experiment which you can find on YouTube if you're interested just Google, Spencer Haas or a niche pursuits Andy you'll probably find the experiment that he ran doing, building building traffic and content using AI. But, it wasn't he didn't really recommend AI. He told his story about actually using real human, man or woman power. To write articles and his exact strategy. It's like 8 steps to building a content website that ranks on Google. Andy Humphrey: And I thought this was relevant because websites cross all product categories. It doesn't really matter if you are a landscaper, if you are an irrigator, if you sell tennis gear online, if you are a doctor, if you are a lawyer, if you are an accountant, it it doesn't matter. Everybody needs a website. Everybody needs Everybody needs to rank. And so I thought that this would be very applicable for landscape and irrigation people, not just the contractors, but everyone in the industry, if if you wanna improve your website and you wanna learn a little bit more about SEO, that's what this episode is is all about today. Andy Humphrey: And so I recorded it just on my little DJI wireless mic, recorder. It's actually a lavalier mic. But it it worked decently well. And then I actually use some AI tools to clean it up a little bit and make it sound better for everybody. Andy I think that it does sound good. Andy Humphrey: It does not sound great, but it doesn't sound bad either. So I hope you enjoy this episode hearing from Spencer Haas about how he ranks number 1 in Google. I think my biggest takeaway is he does spend $200 to $250 per, let's just say, per episode, per article that he is writing Andy for the, experiment or the business that that he used in the experiment, he now makes anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000 per month in revenue generation coming from, you know, various traffic sources and affiliates and things. And so he spent 6 figures Okay? So 100 that over a $100,000, he spent writing, having the team write all of these articles. Andy Humphrey: So I think I'll end it here because I know his his talk is 45 minutes, and we're already moving up here to 7 or 8 minutes. So thank you so much for listening. If you have a moment, please share this episode with a friend, and this episode might be worth sharing if you have friends in other industries because they can learn a little bit more about SEO and how to rank number 1 on Google. So with that, we'll roll the intro and get right into the episode. If you are an irrigation professional, old or new, who designs, installs, or maintains high end residential commercial or municipal properties, and you wanna use technology to improve your business to get a leg up on your competition even if you're an old school irrigator from the days of hydraulic systems, this show is for you. Spencer Haws: Alright. Thank you, everybody, for, letting me be the final speaker, I guess, of the day for, solar summit. I'm I'm really excited to be here. Like Tony said, this is actually my third, maybe 4th time, to be here at summer summit, so really excited to be back. So by rings of hands, how many people out there love this Google? Spencer Haws: By the new Andy? How many people hate Google? I have almost as Andy hands. She'll notice that I've raised my hand both times. Because it's very much a law paid relationship with Google. Spencer Haws: But today, I'm gonna be talking about a system for creating content at scales ranked number 1 in Google search. Now, just if I were if this presentation were to be a YouTube video. This is the thumbnail. I've been used. So you should be very excited to watch this because it's gonna be very good, very entertaining, just very exciting. Spencer Haws: I'm gonna share some of the results that I add to increase the traffic to my website from Google by fighting their media finder soon. But just to give you a little bit of background about who I am. Who's called, I am the founder, owner of Mitch pursuits.com. It's log. I started back in 2011 because I had just put my show from building niche websites. Spencer Haws: I had built previous to 2011 dozens dozens dozens of small niche websites that targeted very specific keywords that ranked in Google Andy I was able to make enough money from those niche websites that I was able to, with my job, I was making more money than, I was making Wells Fargo Bank the time of the background nowadays. And so ever since 2011, and I hone theintroduces.com, we're gonna blog about digital marketing, building into websites, affiliate marketing, Now probably YouTube channel, a podcast that have been running for, 10 years created a a few software products as well. Along the way, but I've always had sort of this, SEO focused content at that way forward. So I've been very involved in this world for a long time. So, I wanna take you guys back just a couple of years in my business, Andy maybe you can emphasize with me where I was. Spencer Haws: I had a lot going on in my business. So I got a blog that I had started called omniard.com as a niche website that I had started as a public case study. I had documented the entire process for my blog readers, for my audience. And so I was very involved in building that site Andy growing it Andy sharing the results of that case study. Andy as well, I owned I had actually acquired a summit with a partner, called mom.dotcom. Spencer Haws: So believe it or not, 2 dads owned a mom blog, and we Andy that for a number of years. So I was very involved in that, operation as well. Andy that since 2012, I'm on a blog called runnersold.com. I am a runner. I've done several verathons Andy, so I was involved in in that running that website, as well. Spencer Haws: And then, as I mentioned, I've started the number of software products. So I had a software product call table labs that I had created the idea that I picked programmers such as to own the sales and marketing for table labs. Andy, of course, why not start a second software product? So Link Whisver is another software product that I started a few years ago, was growing rapidly, and that was requiring a lot more and more of my time as well as sales were growing to that business. And then, of course, I've been running the niche pursuits podcast for over a decade now. Spencer Haws: I was doing all the interviews, the weekly episodes, and that required a lot of my time. As well. And so maybe as you think about some of this, maybe you guys have several things going on in your business as well and lots of different accounts. But, oh, yes. Also, I am a Ameriabot runner, so I'm gonna make free time, which I had tons of. Spencer Haws: I was training for a mirror on running lots of miles This is the main reason. The finish line at the Boston marathon last year, in April, of 2023. And, What you may notice in this picture is that I put on a few pounds since this picture. I stopped throwing after this marathon. I have lots of injuries. Spencer Haws: That's a law story, but I'm in a recovery mode for the last 12 months. So, oh, yes, I also have a fan out, married, about the 4 kids, 2 of which are moving away to college in September, studying to you. And so, you know, that requires lots of my time. And so one night I was laying all of this out to my wife. I was explaining, I have this business and this business and this business. Spencer Haws: I feel like I just don't have any time to focus on any single one of these businesses. Peggy, I'm all over the place on scatter. How can I figure out how to focus deepwater my business to truly scale what's important in my business? And I as I was laying there Andy visiting my wife, and sort of laid out on my 12 months and I asked her this question, I laid there Andy I was thinking, you know, waiting for her response, as I'd listen, all I hear is a quiet store. I took my one to sleep explaining all of my business problems. Spencer Haws: So my goal here today is to hopefully not put you to sleep. But to keep you awake, actually hopefully energized about your own business Andy maybe there's gonna be a few things here that I share that you can apply to your business to hopefully scale and grow your business. Okay. So I thought about how can I be part of my business? Again, this has gone back a couple of years, but here's what I did as I had sort of this crisis moment. Spencer Haws: Well, I sold Andy yarn.com, the mom blog that I have. Well, we sold that Table Labs, the software company that I've had, I sold that as well. Runner's goal, the blog that I've forever, I decided to outsource all the content and essentially let it sit. It wasn't integral to my business, so it became a hands off approach. Link whisper.com, I had a growth marketer in 2022, and he's been able to take a lot off of my plate to help grow that business. Spencer Haws: The niche pursuits podcast I hired a podcast post. Now originally, hey. I've been the voice of this podcast for 10 years. People are gonna stop listening to the podcast, certainly, if I stop, you know, hosting every episode. Well, the reality is is that the person I hired is better than an AM Andy people enjoyed the podcast even more. Spencer Haws: And so it was it was a good move, to remove my podcasts. Andy so finally, this left me with niche pursuits.com, the original blog that I had started when I quit my job in 2011. I finally felt like, hey, I've got some time where I could focus on this and try to scale it. So I tell you this whole story to get to the point of where I finally made this radical decision, made all these changes in my business, Andy I created this system to scale my content on enter pursuits.com Andy hopefully get all this sweet traffic from Google. And so, I'll take you over a period of about 12 months where I implemented a lot of these changes, and it's now been about 2 years So you can see a lot of results. Spencer Haws: So I don't know if you're gonna read this, traffic graph, but this is basically the history going back all the way to 2012 or 2013 here, on this chart, but you can see that my traffics and intro suits sort of fluctuated between about a 100,000 to 200,000 page views a month. Right? That's just kind of where it lived over the years. Going up and down. And I wanted to grow it much faster. Spencer Haws: I wanted to achieve much bigger heights. And so when I did start implementing some of these changes, you can see that in about mid 2022, here, you can start to see the traffic grow, quite rapidly. And as a heads up, the metrics on this graph are actually weekly. So I took my, traffic from about 100 to 200,000 a month to about 200,000 visitors a week. And so overall, my traffic increased before I was getting about 150 to 200,000 page views a month. Spencer Haws: Now my site is getting 700 to 800,000 page views a month. I did get an emailing of the page view a month mark. In 1 month, I had a ton of traffic coming from Google to scrap it 1 month, but, typically, it's looking sort of this this bandwidth, here. And if you okay. Before I jump into the tactics, which I promise I'm gonna get you, I have 7 steps of how you can implement these strategies, the sentiment, I thought it would be important to add sort of this quick note, this side note about Google. Spencer Haws: At the beginning, I had to reach her Andy this love hate relationship. Google, is like any platform with algorithms is always making changes. So how many of you out there heard of the Google helpful content updated? Okay. A good number of them. Spencer Haws: Right? This is a big update that came out in September of 2023. It hit a lot of independent bloggers really hard. A lot of people lost significant portions of their traffic, and it was suddenly devastating to a lot of these bloggers. My site wasn't hit, fortunately with that, but it is a big risk. Spencer Haws: There are these updates that come out. In March, there was the Google March for update that again was another big update that a lot of sort of independent smaller bloggers solar traffic decline. And there is new, technology. Right? We've got AI or Google is very much embracing AI. Spencer Haws: And so they got what's called a search generative experience. If you do a search on Google, you've probably seen that AI summarizes the answers at the top. Google is now calling it, AI overviews. They announced this on Andy, It's now called AI overviews, and it's rolling out to everyone within the United States, I guess, right now, this week, Andy so more for people who are going to start seeing these AI interviews, overuse. And so we don't have a full impact of that. Spencer Haws: Will that start sending less traffic to your website? Because now people can just get the answer with this AI, overview. I think that's a likely conclusion but, we don't doubt how many searches this will impact. Alright. So I say all of this to sort of make you well where of the platform risk, with any platform like Amazon, like Instagram, like TikTok, like YouTube, including Google, there is platform risks. Spencer Haws: So I wouldn't put all of your eggs in lawn basket, Google is one sort of error when you're quiver if you try to get traffic to your website. But if you are not, implementing any sort of SEO in your business, I definitely would recommend it. And if you wanna go down that path, this is the presentation for you. 7 Okay. So here's what I did to sort of 5x my traffic in a period of about the pipelines. Spencer Haws: So my first step was to clean up all the content. Now, even if you can't read this, this is essentially a screenshot of Google Analytics. Google Analytics provides a ton of information that you could jump into. You can look at all of your old blog posts Andy you can see how much traffic those are giving, whether it it might be category pages, pages, or it might be individual blog posts. And, in my case, I had lots of articles that had been been written years and years ago that was essentially getting no traffic. Spencer Haws: Andy so I started to clean all of this up. I would there there's a few keys that you wanna look at to decide, do I wanna remove this? Do I wanna update this, or do I wanna redirect it to a different blog post? If it has any links from external websites pointing to it, you probably want to keep it or redirect it. If it doesn't have any links, pointing to it, and it's not getting any...
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#168 - Houston We Have A Pressure Problem
05/10/2024
#168 - Houston We Have A Pressure Problem
Andy Humphrey: Hey, what's up, my friends? Welcome back to another episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey. Today, I'm going to share with you—how do I describe this? Andy Humphrey: A question that came into Sprinkler Supply Store for me that turns out to be, I think, some really relevant content to discuss with you guys. And I think probably most of you could relate to this question that the homeowner has. And, I wanted to tie this together in a couple of ways. Number 1, we're having a lot of success, and we have had a lot of success with software on our e-commerce site called LeadFerno. L-E-A-D F-E-R-N-O, LeadFerno, and LeadFerno is a texting tool that acts like web chat. Andy Humphrey: And so what happens is there's a little pop-up, which obviously can be annoying at times, that, on the website, to reach us, to reach customer service, but instead of chatting there, it redirects through the phone so you can use your phone and the text message feature or messenger to communicate with us. And personally, I wish more sites used this because I would say half the time when I'm on some other website using the chat feature, you know, I'm waiting for someone, let's say, for the chat to get back to me. So I have another tab open, and I don't have my volume up. And then I get distracted, and then 30 minutes go by. Andy Humphrey: And I think, oh, shoot. I had a live chat going. I forgot about it. I go back to the tab. And then the chat has ended because I didn't respond, and it just seems like web chat is good if the other person is right there and they're chatting with you quickly. But that's not always the case. Andy Humphrey: Sometimes the chat agents have to go and look something up or tell you to hold, and sometimes you have to leave your desk. You just can't sit there on chat. And so what we have found is that by using the phone as the texting tool, which it's very good at, then people can text wherever they are. You know what? If you gotta get up and get in your car and drive somewhere else, we can still text with you because you have your text device in your pocket instead of having to sit at your computer. Andy Humphrey: It's been a great way for people to send us pictures. "Hey, I need a replacement diaphragm for this valve. I don't know what valve this is. Okay, great. Send us a picture." And so LeadFerno has been an amazing tool for communicating with our customers because it doesn't require them to be locked to their computer screen. They can text through their phone. They can also save the number and text us any time. Andy Humphrey: And if you'd like to try this, go to sprinklersupplystore.com. It'll pop right up, send us a message, and that will come into our text service, which you can either manage through a web browser, or you can put the app right on your phone. Then you can text back and forth with your customer. And I think that there are probably some parallels that if you have, you could be a solo entrepreneur in the irrigation industry, and maybe that would work. But there might be some parallels for capturing leads through the website and getting back to people quickly, via LeadFerno. So check it out and, you know, give it a try. Andy Humphrey: This is not sponsored by LeadFerno. I just thought I would share because the topic for today, which is the question that this homeowner from Houston had—the inquiry came in through LeadFerno. So that's how we actually captured this. And I just thought that it would be a pretty fun way for me, specifically not to have to dream up new content to share with you. So this is a real customer inquiry that I'm going to read to you right now. Andy Humphrey: Actually, what I'm going to do is have an AI voice read this out loud so that it doesn't sound like me, and then we can talk about the response. So I'm going to roll the intro here, and then we'll get right into this question coming in from Roger in Houston. If you're old or new, who designs, installs, or maintains high-end residential, commercial, or municipal properties, and you want to use technology to improve your business to get a leg up on your competition, even if you're an old school irrigator from the days of high-olive systems, this show is for you. Roger: Hey, Andy. This is Roger from Houston. Thanks for maintaining such a helpful website for homeowners with sprinkler systems. For 26 years, we've enjoyed excellent water pressure due to our location downhill from the city's water supply. Unfortunately, this year, the pressure decreased unexpectedly, before being restored to around 80 PSI. Roger: This was sufficient to operate our sprinkler systems effectively. However, the city had to reduce the water flow to 60 PSI at the request of a few residents who are experiencing excessive pressure. This adjustment has rendered our sprinkler system, as well as my neighbors', nearly useless. This situation was confirmed by two independent sprinkler experts. Roger: From what I understand, the city is considering the installation of irrigation booster pumps to address the issue. If excessive water pressure continues to be a problem, residents might be able to adjust their pressure-reducing valves, PRVs, to suit their needs, allowing the city to maintain an 80 PSI flow through the main pipes. Also, Andy, you mentioned you're available via text, email, and phone calls. I'd appreciate a chance to discuss this more at your convenience if you're still offering consultations. Our property has 7 irrigation zones, though currently, we're only using 4. Roger: As I mentioned, for over 2 decades, we've had reliable water pressure ranging from 80 to 100 PSI. Thanks to our favorable location. My home and sprinkler system each have their own PRV set to 80 PSI. Furthermore, I received a voicemail from a city supervisor who, like others, seems unaware of the underlying issues with our water system. Despite longstanding high water pressure, recent adjustments have significantly lowered it to 60 PSI, which is insufficient for our needs. Our systems are becoming ineffective due to these changes, not due to any alterations in the city's water pressure policy. Roger: But because of how the valves are being managed. Additionally, I spoke with Ashley at Waterworks, expressing my concerns that Ken, a supervisor, might not be fully aware of the situation here. Unlike two other colleagues who have been with the city for 35 years, after enjoying stable water pressure for so long, it's frustrating to face these sudden changes. I appreciate any thoughts you might have. Andy Humphrey: Okay. So if that wasn't clear, I would just say hit the back button, you know, go back, hit 30 seconds, backtrack, go back and play it again. But essentially, Roger appreciated our website. He'd watched a bunch of YouTube videos I'd made, I think he had watched one, specifically on pressure. And so he's encountering a situation in his neighborhood, and he's been, as you said, in his neighborhood for 26 years. Andy Humphrey: He's always had awesome pressure. And apparently, the city lowered the pressure, and he can't get a clear answer. But this brings up a really interesting point about pressure because it's not always the same. Andy, I'm not sure—you could correct me if I'm wrong—if this might be the case in your area of the country. I don't think cities guarantee a minimum pressure rating either. Andy Humphrey: So I don't think you can get something from the city that says, "We guarantee 65 PSI to your house." I don't think that exists. And, you know, the system's twenty-six years old. If it used to run great at a higher pressure, my first thought is that it was likely designed for that higher pressure, which is another great conversation piece because I think it would be very important to document the specification of your design. In other words, remind the homeowner that you, or the commercial client, that you are designing the system to operate at 60 PSI downstream of the backflow at 15 gallons a minute. For example, put that in your contract if that is what you're designing the system for so that if the performance of the system becomes questionable at some point in the future, and it turns out that it is because of pressure, and to diagnose this, you've tested the pressure, and it's 45. Downstream of the backflow, then you can reference your original signed contract. It states you designed the irrigation system at 65 PSI, downstream of the backflow preventer, and it is now not at 65. Andy Humphrey: So this is not this is not caused by you. It may still be, you know, air quotes here, "Your problem," but it doesn't mean that your system is now not performing; it means the pressure is not the same as it was when you designed the system. So I think that, you know, as we start to talk a little bit more about pressure, it's important to document some of these things and then see a real-world example here coming from Houston where the city pressure is not what it was. Andy Humphrey: Apparently, it was because a couple of homeowners complained that their pressure was too high, so they lowered it for everyone, which, again, I haven't—I have no way to prove this or not. I would think it would be easier for those couple of homes just to put in a PRV. Instead of lowering it for everyone and then requiring those who need more pressure to put in a booster pump. But again, it could be. If you recall a couple of episodes ago, when I was talking with Paul Bassett, he mentioned that sometimes aging infrastructure, in cities or cities with aging infrastructure may decide to lower the pressure a bit to try to preserve the integrity of their utilities. Andy Humphrey: And if this house is twenty-six years old, obviously, it's not new. It could have been new 26 years ago, but we don't know this. It may be aging infrastructure. So perhaps, again, don't know this to be true. Perhaps the city has elected to lower the operating pressure of their mains to preserve the integrity of their piping structure. Andy Humphrey: And that's why this is occurring. So another thought would be, and maybe you guys do this that just comes to mind, that let's say, for instance, the operating pressure that you have estimated to be downstream of the backflow preventer is 55. Might it be a good idea to design the system at 45 PSI so that you're leaving some room for it to go down? Or if the pressure downstream of the backflow is 70, maybe design the system with 50 PSI. That way, there's room for the pressure to drop over time versus designing the system for the exact amount of pressure that is available and or the exact amount of flow, maybe it would make sense to leave a little bit of room. Andy Humphrey: Again, you could document this pressure. So if it was 70 and you said you designed the system at 50, then you've left some room for the city to drop the pressure over time or other instances where the pressure may not be what it was when you designed the system. So that was the other piece that caught my mind for new installs. Maybe it would be a worthy idea to be conservative with your designs and not design to the maximum of the pipe size and or the pressure, but allow some room for it to drop. And there's probably a bunch of you guys listening to this. Andy Humphrey: Yeah. That's what we do. Okay, Andy. We got that. We do that anyway. Andy Humphrey: So congrats if that is you. And if not, maybe just something to consider. And yeah. So just, you know, my thoughts here on pressure, and I like this because this is a real-world example. I didn't make this up. Andy Humphrey: All I did was run it through some AI so that it could read it aloud and not be in my voice, but be in the voice of Roger from Houston. And I would love to know how you approach situations like this and how well, if at all, you document pressure on your irrigation systems. Was talking with Denny, customer service manager here this morning when we were reviewing this inquiry that came in. And I thought, man, maybe it would be a good idea when you're doing spring startups to, you know, put a pressure gauge on the system, document the static pressure on the site, commercial or residential, while you're doing your spring startup, make a note of it, so that if anything were to start occurring later on in the season, you know what your pressure was at the time you started up the system and you can use it as a reference point. So again, I don't know how many of you are doing it. Andy Humphrey: If you are, fantastic. If not, give it some consideration. That, it may be a good idea not only to record the static pressure at the time of installation but also the time of spring startup and perhaps the time if you take over maintenance on a system. If you've just taken over maintenance and it's a ten-year-old irrigation system, you know, you might decide to check the vitals and document the vitals, maybe write them down and take a picture. I'd probably say take a picture of that pressure gauge, on the backflow or on the hose bib. Andy Humphrey: So you've got more clear documentation should something arise. Yeah, I guess those are my thoughts, guys. If you have anything else you would like to add, feel free to send me a text message. As always, love chatting with you guys, and I don't think I shouted out to you before, Isaac, but appreciate you reaching out recently. Good luck down there in Florida. Andy Humphrey: And if anybody wants to say hello, my cell phone number is area code 208-908-3229, that does not go into LeadFerno. That actually comes into me directly. So if you text that number, you get me. And I always love hearing from you guys. And if there's anything you wanna add about pressure, how you use it, how you document it, what you do if a system that you either installed or maintained has a pressure problem. Andy Humphrey: What do you do first? What do you do second? How do you describe the situation to the client? So, again, thank you for listening. Please share this podcast with a friend or colleague or landscaper or landscape architect, irrigation designer. That would mean a lot to me, and hope you guys have a great weekend. Andy Humphrey: Thanks so much, and we'll see you next week on another episode.
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#167 - HydroPixel with A.I. Andy
05/03/2024
#167 - HydroPixel with A.I. Andy
In this episode, AI Andy Humphrey explains the concept of Hydropixels and their application in turf grass challenges. He shares insights on their implementation in Central Park, scaling up in major US cities, and the growth of Hydropixel solutions. The discussion also covers overcoming implementation challenges, the environmental impact, and the future of Hydropixels. It concludes with the importance of a future-focused mindset in business.
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#166 - The Championship Turf
04/26/2024
#166 - The Championship Turf
Quench Soil Moisture Sensor: ========== The Championship Turf: A Tale of Precision and Care In the bustling town of Riverview, where sports were the heartbeat of the community, there lay a sprawling athletic sports complex known as Champions Field. This complex wasn't just any sports venue; it boasted some of the most meticulously maintained turfgrass that athletes had ever competed on. The secret to their pristine fields lay in the hands of two sophisticated tools: Wesley, the WeatherStation, and Sam, the Soil Moisture Sensor. Wesley was perched atop a tall post, overlooking the fields with a vigilant eye. His primary task was to monitor the environmental conditions—specifically evapotranspiration rates that influence how much water the turf lost to the atmosphere. With a plethora of sensors and a sophisticated algorithm, Wesley could predict water needs for days ahead, ensuring that the groundskeepers were always one step ahead of the weather. Nestled beneath the surface of the lush green turf was Sam, who kept a low profile but played an equally crucial role. Sam's world was the root zone of the turfgrass, where he continuously monitored the moisture levels. His precise readings were vital, especially right before big games, to ensure that the turf was neither too dry—risking injury to players and damage to the grass—nor too wet, which could lead to slips and poor playing conditions. The harmony between Wesley and Sam was critical, especially during the sports season. Wesley's data helped plan the watering schedules, but it was Sam's real-time readings that often dictated immediate actions. For instance, on a day leading up to an important football match, Wesley might suggest a lighter irrigation based on a cool, cloudy forecast. However, if Sam detected that the soil moisture was lower than ideal, the irrigation system could be adjusted to deliver just the right amount of water, ensuring the turf was in optimal condition when game day arrived. The groundskeepers at Champions Field relied heavily on the data from both tools. They had a central command center where Wesley’s forecasts and Sam’s readings were displayed on big screens, allowing for quick decisions. This setup not only conserved water but also ensured that the turfgrass was always game-ready, providing a safe and competitive environment for athletes. Throughout the seasons, Champions Field hosted numerous events, from soccer tournaments to track meets. Athletes often remarked on the exceptional quality of the turf, noting how it enhanced their performance and reduced injury risks. This reputation made Riverview a preferred venue for major sporting events, drawing teams and fans from across the region. One memorable event was the national college soccer championship, held on a particularly hot and dry weekend. Thanks to Wesley’s accurate weather predictions and Sam’s diligent moisture tracking, the groundskeepers were able to implement a tailored watering program that maintained the turf's resilience and vibrancy throughout the event. The championship went off without a hitch, with players and coaches praising the excellent condition of the field. Through the story of Champions Field, we see how tools, when used in their ideal applications, can achieve results that not only meet but exceed expectations. Just as in any field, be it agriculture or athletics, the right technological tools—like Wesley and Sam—can make all the difference, turning a regular turf into a championship-grade playing field. Chapter Two: The Power of 'And' at Champions Field As the seasons changed and Champions Field continued to flourish, the complex became a beacon of innovation and teamwork, not just in sports but also in the way it was maintained. The success of the field was often attributed to the harmonious use of both Wesley, the WeatherStation, and Sam, the Soil Moisture Sensor. This collaboration illustrated the powerful concept of "And," where the integration of multiple tools led to outcomes far superior than any single tool could achieve alone. The "And" philosophy at Champions Field became particularly evident during an exceptionally challenging season. The weather was erratic—unpredictable bursts of rain followed by prolonged dry spells. The old approach of relying solely on predictable patterns was insufficient under these conditions. It was during this time that the groundskeeping team, led by veteran manager Tom Harrison, decided to fully embrace the "And" philosophy—not choosing between Wesley or Sam, but aligning their strengths to tackle the challenges ahead. Tom organized a series of strategic meetings where data from both Wesley and Sam were analyzed in tandem. Wesley provided the broader climatic trends, which included not just predictions of rain or sunshine but also detailed reports on humidity, wind, and solar radiation—all of which affected the turf's evapotranspiration rates. Meanwhile, Sam offered a granular view of the soil’s current state, providing data that was critical for making immediate adjustments. This dual approach allowed the team to create a dynamic irrigation schedule that adapted to both the predicted conditions and the real-time needs of the turf. When Wesley indicated a week of high sun exposure and low rainfall, the team planned increased irrigation to compensate. However, if Sam reported adequate moisture levels in the soil before these adjustments were made, the watering could be scaled back, conserving water while still maintaining perfect playing conditions. The power of "And" was not just about using both tools but understanding how their inputs complemented each other to create a holistic management strategy. This strategy was put to the test during the high-stakes regional athletics championship. Just days before the event, an unexpected heatwave hit Riverview, putting potential stress on the turf and the athletes. Thanks to the combined insights from Wesley and Sam, the groundskeeping team implemented a preemptive cooling protocol for the turf. They adjusted the irrigation times to early mornings and late evenings, reducing evaporation and maximizing water absorption. Wesley’s forecasts ensured that the water was applied just before the coolest parts of the day, while Sam's moisture tracking confirmed that the soil retained optimal moisture levels throughout the event. The championship was a resounding success, with record-breaking performances and minimal disruptions. Coaches and athletes praised the condition of the turf, noting how it remained resilient and supportive despite the heatwave. The success underlined a crucial lesson for the team at Champions Field: the best results come from not having to choose between one valuable resource or another but from leveraging every available tool in concert. The story of Champions Field is a testament to the idea that embracing the concept of "And" can lead to exceptional outcomes in any field. By moving beyond binary choices and fostering an environment where multiple solutions coexist and complement each other, any team can achieve more than what seems possible—creating a winning strategy on and off the field. Epilogue: Embracing 'And' in Life and Business As the tale of Champions Field illustrates, the synergy between Wesley the WeatherStation and Sam the Soil Moisture Sensor was not just a story about maintaining turf. It is a powerful metaphor for decision-making in business and in daily life. Often, we find ourselves facing choices that seem to demand one solution over another. However, the concept of "And" encourages us to hold two seemingly conflicting thoughts or strategies simultaneously, exploring the strengths and potential of each. In the professional sphere, this might mean balancing cost efficiency with quality, or innovation with reliability. In personal decisions, it might look like weighing immediate pleasures against long-term benefits. The challenge lies in not defaulting to an easier either/or mindset but embracing the complexity and richness of "And." The dual approach at Champions Field taught the team to adapt and thrive in changing conditions by integrating diverse data and strategies. Similarly, in business and life, combining different viewpoints and solutions can lead to more robust and flexible strategies. This doesn't mean compromising between two points but rather synthesizing them in a way that leverages the best of both worlds. For instance, consider the entrepreneur who must choose between investing in growth or solidifying the current operations. By applying the "And" philosophy, they might find a strategy that allows for gradual expansion while strengthening existing processes, thus securing stability as they grow. In our daily lives, embracing "And" might mean learning to balance work and personal life, not by sacrificing one for the other, but by finding ways to enrich both. It could mean engaging in healthy debate with friends or colleagues—valuing their different perspectives as much as your own, leading to deeper understanding and more innovative solutions. This approach is not without its challenges. Holding two opposing ideas in mind and giving them equal consideration is an exercise in mental flexibility and openness. It requires patience, empathy, and a willingness to venture into the complex space where innovative solutions live. Yet, the rewards can be significant, leading to outcomes that might never be reached through more conventional either/or thinking. As you navigate the complexities of your professional and personal life, consider the lessons from Champions Field. Embrace the power of "And," allowing yourself to see beyond binary choices. Explore the potential that lies in the harmony of combining different tools, thoughts, or viewpoints. This might be challenging, but it is precisely in these challenges that the greatest opportunities for success and fulfillment are found.
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#165 - Split Open (the pulse)
04/19/2024
#165 - Split Open (the pulse)
This episode is brought to you by, PHISH, and the letter 'S'. 'S' is for SPLIT. Split Open and Melt.
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#163 - Irrigation System Vitals
04/12/2024
#163 - Irrigation System Vitals
In this insightful episode, Andy and Paul reflect on their recent project, delving into the complexities and vital importance of pressure in irrigation systems, especially pertaining to a vast green rooftop. While the specifics of their project remain confidential, the co-hosts openly discuss the general scope, centered around the deployment of wireless sensors for data analytics, enabling the client to monitor conditions of the landscape more accurately. They outline the project's challenges, from the discovery of low water pressure on the rooftop to the absence of water meters and pressure gauges, illuminating how their technology provides the client with crucial insights previously obscured. Emphasizing the critical role of monitoring, they illustrate how their wireless sensors and dashboard platform reveal the "vital signs" of water infrastructure, much like a medical check-up reveals the health of a human body. Paul and Andy share anecdotes from their fieldwork, where they identified a significant leak due to a mainline break, likely caused by inadequate winterization. The revelation of this break underscored the hidden nature of water problems and the need for meticulous observation and the right tools to diagnose and manage such issues effectively. The episode pivots to a discussion about data collection, particularly the innovative use of wireless technology. They replaced a failing wired system with a more robust wireless one, including soil moisture sensors and water meters with both analog and digital capabilities. This transition from wired to wireless signifies a substantial improvement in monitoring and managing the system, with the potential for real-time insights and rapid problem detection. Throughout the podcast, the hosts compare an irrigation system's vital signs to human vital signs, with pressure transducers acting like a blood pressure monitor, providing real-time feedback on system health. They argue that knowing the pressure in an irrigation system is paramount, even more crucial than flow rates in some cases, as it can instantly signal issues such as leaks or system malfunctions. A central theme is the emphasis on the importance of starting diagnostics at the water source rather than the controller and the need for constant pressure monitoring to ensure system integrity. This approach could potentially transform maintenance routines and system diagnostics in the industry. Key takeaways and insights include: The "vital signs" of irrigation systems, akin to those in medical practice, are crucial for diagnosis and management. The conversion from wired to wireless systems represents a significant step forward in monitoring capabilities. Real-time pressure monitoring can reveal issues that flow monitoring might not, highlighting the need for comprehensive diagnostic tools. The hidden nature of water systems necessitates the adoption of visual and digital tools for accurate assessment. Andy and Paul's dialogue underscores their commitment to innovation and their continual learning process, as they seek to enhance their understanding and management of irrigation systems. Their hope is to develop tools that will become industry standards, ensuring that businesses can effectively manage their water systems. As the episode concludes, the sense of partnership and mutual respect between the two is palpable, as they look forward to their next project with anticipation. Listeners are left with a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of irrigation systems and the evolving technologies that monitor and manage them. Key Points: The importance of pressure in monitoring irrigation and plumbing systems. Discovery of a significant leak due to a mainline break on the project's large green rooftop. Transition from a problematic wired system to an innovative wireless one. The utility of wireless soil moisture sensors and dual water meters for both analog and digital monitoring. Comparison of irrigation system diagnostics to checking human vital signs, emphasizing the crucial role of pressure transducers. Importance of starting system diagnostics at the water source for accurate assessment and management. The discovery that booster pumps were cycling without effectively raising the pressure, affecting rooftop irrigation performance. The podcast's emphasis on continuous innovation and the application of new diagnostic tools to improve industry standards.
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#162 - Context vs. Control, Lesson From Reed Hastings
04/05/2024
#162 - Context vs. Control, Lesson From Reed Hastings
In this episode, Andy, delves into the nuanced debate of context versus control within the realm of management, particularly focusing on the irrigation industry. This concept, inspired by an episode of the , co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, challenges traditional management styles by advocating for a more empowered approach to leadership. Through Reed Hastings' insights and his own reflections, Andy explores how setting clear contexts rather than imposing strict controls can lead to more innovative and motivated teams. Highlights Inspiration from Reed Hastings: The idea of context vs. control was sparked by Reed Hastings' discussion on the Tim Ferriss show, emphasizing creative management styles over conventional, control-based approaches. Definition of Context vs. Control: Control is described as a rigid, micromanagement style, whereas context provides goals and empowers employees to achieve them in their own way. Impact on the Irrigation Industry: Andy applies these concepts to the irrigation industry, suggesting that understanding the 'why' behind actions can lead to more engaged and self-sufficient teams. Reed Hastings' Metaphor: The comparison of industrial and creative companies illustrates how context-driven management can lead to innovation and unique customer experiences. Management Philosophy: Andy expresses his preference for a management style that sets a clear context, allowing for autonomy and self-guided decision-making within teams. Key Takeaways Setting the context in management involves clearly defining the goals and the 'why' behind tasks, and empowering team members to make decisions that align with company objectives. Context-driven management can foster a culture of innovation and flexibility, particularly beneficial in creative or service-oriented industries. Understanding and implementing the context vs. control management style can enhance team motivation, satisfaction, and overall performance.
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#161 - Would You Rather Have FLOW or PRESSURE?
03/29/2024
#161 - Would You Rather Have FLOW or PRESSURE?
In the episode of the "Sprinkler Nerd Show," host Andy Humphrey and his guest, Paul, embark on a detailed discussion about the technical aspects of irrigation systems, specifically focusing on the importance of flow and pressure monitoring. Andy begins by recounting his observations of inefficient sprinkler systems at a resort, noting that a vast majority are functioning poorly. He suggests that the resort's irrigation system is so ineffective that it might as well not be in operation. This real-world issue leads him to reflect on the broader implications for the irrigation industry, particularly the innovations in flow and pressure monitoring technologies. To dive deeper into the topic, Andy introduces a thought experiment based on the game "Would You Rather?" The game is simple: one person poses a dilemma in the form of a question starting with "would you rather," and the other person chooses one of the options. Andy uses this format to pose a significant question to Paul: Given a choice between flow monitoring and pressure monitoring for a commercial irrigation system, which one would you choose? Paul acknowledges the complexity of the question. Traditionally, the industry relied heavily on flow monitoring, with pressure monitoring being a more recent development. He expresses a preference for both but understands that the question demands a choice. The conversation shifts to an in-depth analysis of the two monitoring methods. Flow monitoring is essential for understanding water usage and identifying leaks through abnormal flow patterns. It is a vital tool for water conservation and efficient system management. On the other hand, pressure monitoring provides diagnostic insights that are not immediately apparent through flow data alone. For instance, pressure fluctuations can indicate issues with the municipal water supply that could affect irrigation system performance. Andy and Paul discuss the scenarios where one type of monitoring may be more advantageous than the other. For example, Paul shares an anecdote about a situation in Washington, D.C., where several irrigation systems under his management experienced a drop in performance due to a reduction in municipal water pressure. This incident underscores the value of pressure monitoring, as it can provide early warnings about changes in water supply that are beyond the control of the irrigation system manager. The discussion delves into the practicalities of managing large-scale irrigation systems. They examine how continuous logging of pressure data can provide insights that intermittent readings cannot. Paul points out that as municipal water systems age, providers often reduce water pressure to extend the lifespan of the infrastructure, impacting irrigation systems connected to the municipal supply. This practice, while beneficial to the municipal system, can have unintended consequences for irrigation, making pressure monitoring an invaluable tool for understanding and adapting to these external changes. As they further explore the nuances of flow and pressure data, Andy and Paul consider the implications of having one without the other. They agree that while flow sensors are crucial for accounting for water usage, pressure sensors offer a more sensitive diagnostic tool that can help explain why certain anomalies in water usage may occur. Andy then offers a perspective that connects the physical observations of an irrigation system to the data provided by sensors. Walking around the resort, he notices visible signs of system failure, such as broken infrastructure and poorly performing sprinkler zones. He posits that either a flow sensor or a pressure sensor could indicate such problems, but each does so in a different way. A flow sensor could detect a broken pipe through abnormal water usage, while a pressure sensor could indicate a drop in performance due to pressure changes. As they wrap up their discussion, both Andy and Paul lean towards the importance of pressure monitoring when forced to choose. They liken pressure sensors to a doctor checking blood pressure—a critical first step in diagnosing a patient's health. They explore the idea that while flow is a measurement of consumption, pressure provides a more immediate reflection of system health. Paul highlights that from a management standpoint, pressure data is more actionable, especially when monitoring remotely. He also notes that installing pressure sensors can be simpler and less intrusive than installing flow sensors, which often require cutting into the mainline. This ease of installation makes pressure sensors a more attractive option for quickly and cost-effectively assessing system performance. In conclusion, Andy and Paul's conversation in the "Sprinkler Nerd Show" episode brings to light the strategic importance of choosing the right monitoring tools for irrigation systems. They discuss the trade-offs between flow and pressure monitoring and conclude that while both are essential, pressure monitoring may offer a slight edge in terms of diagnostics and system management, particularly when faced with the constraints of municipal water supplies and the need for remote system oversight. Their dialogue is a testament to the evolving technological landscape of irrigation and the need for professionals in the field to adapt and make informed decisions about the tools they use to manage water resources effectively.
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#160 - Zigging While Others Zag
03/22/2024
#160 - Zigging While Others Zag
In the latest episode of the "Sprinkler Nerd Show," host Andy shares his insights on the importance of being unconventional in the irrigation and landscape industry. Below are key thoughts highlighted from the discussion: Embrace Unconventionality: Humphrey emphasizes the need for businesses to stand out by being the "orange in the apple bin," advocating for a distinct approach to conventional industry practices. Question the Status Quo: He encourages listeners to think differently by asking unique questions to clients, proposing innovative solutions, and redefining the customer interaction experience to set themselves apart from competitors. Redefine Industry Standards: By adopting unconventional methods, such as integrating advanced technologies like soil moisture sensors, businesses can lead the market and force competitors to follow their innovative practices. Zig When Others Zag: Humphrey highlights the advantage of going against the grain, suggesting that by choosing less traveled paths, businesses can find shorter lines to success, symbolizing less competition and a more distinct market position. Challenge Perceived Limitations: He inspires businesses to question why certain practices are avoided in the industry and to explore these areas as potential opportunities for innovation and differentiation. Change the Game: Humphrey posits that by being unconventional, businesses can not only set new trends but also change the rules of the game, compelling even large competitors to adapt to these new standards. Seek Opportunities for Innovation: The discussion suggests looking for what is missing in current offerings and exploring unconventional solutions that could potentially change the future of the industry. Encourage a Mindset of Exploration: By sharing his upcoming vacation plans and the prospect of unconventional thoughts it might inspire, Humphrey models the behavior of seeking inspiration from outside the industry to bring fresh ideas to one's business. Value of Continuous Learning: Ending on the note of appreciating his audience for seeking knowledge through podcasts, Humphrey underscores the importance of continuous learning and staying open to new ideas as a way to achieve unconventional success. This summary captures Andy Humphrey’s message of leveraging unconventional thinking as a strategic tool for differentiation and leadership in the irrigation and landscape industry, encouraging businesses to innovate and redefine industry standards.
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#159 - Experiment to Learn
03/16/2024
#159 - Experiment to Learn
In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy Humphrey shares his experiences and insights from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he visits OpConnect and spends quality time with his son at the University of Utah. He looks forward to enjoying St. Paddy's Day weekend activities, including drinking green beer and skiing. Amidst his travels, Andy seizes the opportunity to engage in a thoughtful discussion on the topic of soil moisture sensing technology, its applications, and the broader implications of experimenting in life and business. Andy underscores the podcast's mission to assist irrigation professionals, regardless of their experience level, in leveraging technology to enhance their services and gain competitive advantages. He passionately discusses the experimental nature of life, encouraging listeners to embrace trial and error in both personal and professional contexts. Andy advocates for a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation, particularly in the realm of soil moisture sensing, to better understand and optimize irrigation practices. Highlighting recent conversations on soil moisture sensing, Andy delves into the practical benefits and transformative potential of this technology. He emphasizes the importance of data collection and analysis to validate assumptions about soil conditions, which can lead to more informed decision-making in irrigation management. Through a series of anecdotal insights, Andy illustrates how soil moisture sensors can reveal the nuanced behaviors of soil under various conditions, offering a more scientific approach to irrigation that challenges traditional assumptions and practices. Andy encourages his listeners to adopt an experimental approach when utilizing new technologies, viewing them as tools for discovery and improvement. He stresses the significance of observing and interpreting data over time to gain deeper insights into soil moisture levels and their impact on irrigation efficiency. By promoting an inquisitive and open-minded attitude towards technology, Andy hopes to inspire irrigation professionals to explore new possibilities, question established norms, and ultimately, enhance their expertise. Concluding the episode, Andy extends an invitation for feedback and engagement, emphasizing his openness to connecting with the audience and sharing knowledge. He leaves his listeners with a message of encouragement to remain curious, willing to experiment, and committed to advancing their skills in the ever-evolving field of irrigation.
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#158 - Bottleneck Management
03/08/2024
#158 - Bottleneck Management
Self-reflection is the key. It's the process of questioning our methods, our decisions, and our attitudes towards change and adversity. It's about asking, "Am I the bottleneck in my team's performance? Do I resist new technologies or methods that could enhance our service? How can I lead better, communicate clearer, and inspire my team?"
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#157 - Don't Be Like Steve Ballmer - LIVE from Landscape Ontario
03/01/2024
#157 - Don't Be Like Steve Ballmer - LIVE from Landscape Ontario
Smart controllers don’t save water. Nozzles don't save water. They CAN, but I believe that Irrigation professionals, who are CURIOUS ENOUGH to know how to use smart controllers have the potential to save water. 20 years is a long time not to have an answer for something that seems so basic, and I've come to the realization that it is easy to connect the dots looking backwards. We can laugh at Steve Ballmer now, but at the time, he MIGHT have been right...so, here is my message for you today - The future doesn't create itself, someone has to create it. I encourage you to stay curious, and to borrow a phrase from Reid Hoffman co-founder of LinkedIn, “things that seem totally Nut Balls, 10 years later, that’s just the way you do it!”
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#156 - Curiosity as a Catalyst
02/23/2024
#156 - Curiosity as a Catalyst
PATENT REFERENCE: Background on the Invention: In certain areas of the country where dry climatic conditions prevail, sprinkling and irrigating systems are generally maintained for prolonged periods of time. Obviously, however, means are required for automatically closing down said systems when there is rainfall or when moisture conditions in the atmosphere are excessive. Also, upon completion of the rainfall, automatic reopening of the sprinkling system is desired. Moisture-responsive actuators have been known to operate in response to the weight of rainfall captured in a receptacle attached thereto or in response to certain types of moisture absorptive mechanisms associated therewith. Also, ground sensors and probes have been used. However, such devices have proven to be inefficient, of short life, and relatively costly to manufacture. Can you guess what the Patent is? I'll give you a moment to think. Let me repeat the first sentence: In certain areas of the country where dry climatic conditions prevail, sprinkling and irrigating systems are generally maintained for prolonged periods of time. Obviously, however, means are required for automatically closing down said systems when there is rainfall or when moisture conditions in the atmosphere are excessive. Can you guess? RAIN SENSOR. Although for the purpose of a Patent, the name is, MOISTURE RESPONSIVE SWITCH ACTUATOR. Why am I mentioning this to you? Because this patent was issued on August 11, 1972 We are still using a device that supposedly makes an irrigation controller, "SMART", that was invented in 1972. Now I'd like to read you the Patent Abstract to add a bit of clarity. Patent Abstract: A moisture-responsive actuator is employed for controlling the operation of a fluid-operated sprinkling or irrigating system or the like. The moisture-responsive actuator is provided with hygroscopic material which expands in response to contact with rainwater to de-press a switch to deactivate the sprinkling system, the hygroscopic material contracting upon a drying thereof to release said switch whereupon the sprinkling system is activated. WHY? Why are we still using this technology? I don't have an answer, I'm simply offering you the opportunity to ask. It is thisexample fo Curiosity, that may lead you to your next big breakthrough. The breakthrough can be anything, not necessarilty a product invention. It could be a new way of doing something in your business, and new way of organizing something in your home. It is the act of being Curious, to question things, to ask why, the evokes change and growth. With this in mind, I'd like to propose that Curiosity is a Catalyst for Innovation. Curiosity as a catalyst for innovation highlights impact of asking "What if?" and "Why not?" "I wonder what would happen if.." This mindset has the potential to propel us beyond accepted norms, challenging us to reimagine possibilities. Curiosity can breakdown barriers to innovation, urging us to explore the unknown and question the status quo. It's a reminder that the pursuit of knowledge is endless, and it's through this curious mindset that it becomes possible to uncover new paths to progress and solutions to our most complex problems. Like, why are we still using a Rain Sensor that was invented in 1972, and doesn't actually "SENSE" the rain? It is actually more like a Sponge/Switch. When the sponge is wet, it swells, and trips the switch. Yet, every manufacture today still uses it. Yes, My own curiosity kicked in and I do have a new apporach to this, but I'm not going to share it with you today. You'll need to come to my keynote speech next week in Ontario Canada to find out.. My final thought for today is on the potential to nurture a world that is continuously evolving and enhancing, and that embracing curiosity unlocks limitless opportunities, showing that the pursuit of knowledge and the bravery to question are fundamental to progress and, even, human advancement
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#155 - Negotiation As A Problem Solving Process
02/16/2024
#155 - Negotiation As A Problem Solving Process
Tim Ferris Show Reference: ========== William Ury introduces the concept of self-mastery and the critical role of self-regulation in negotiation and conflict resolution. He suggests that the power to influence others is rooted in our ability to first influence ourselves, acknowledging our inherent tendency towards reactivity. Ury employs the "balcony" metaphor to illustrate a mental vantage point from which we can detach, refocus on our primary objectives, and assess situations with greater clarity. This elevated balcony view encourages a momentary pause between provocation and reaction, providing a pathway to navigate conflicts thoughtfully and avoid impulsive decisions we might regret, like hastily sent emails or messages. I once received advice never to send an email, make a phone call, or send a text when feeling emotional or reactive. Ury echoes this sentiment, suggesting that such a moment of pause to reflect is not just a learned skill but an inherent human capacity that we must consciously practice. So, when you're on the cusp of an immediate reply to an email, as you sense that emotional trigger, take a pause. Hold off. Give it 24 hours. Practice this discipline.
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#154 - Water Wonder, Unleashing Curiosity in Irrigation Innovation
02/08/2024
#154 - Water Wonder, Unleashing Curiosity in Irrigation Innovation
Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the Sprinkler Nerd Show. It's been a while since we last spoke. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey, and this is episode 154. You might notice that I sound a bit under the weather today—I've caught a cold. Though I lost my sense of smell last night, which is funny, I don't think it's COVID. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel, from the Consumer Electronics Show to Calgary for a significant event, then directly to Europe for a week with my wife. I got home and the very next day, I fell sick. Despite this, I'm eager to kick my ass into gear, start producing more content, and get back to regular updates. I appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing my thoughts again on a regular basis. If you're a regular listener, you might have noticed my absence. It's been since Friday, January 5, since I last released an episode. Life has been happening—fast and hard. I've been incredibly busy, and today, I thought I would do something a bit different. I'm going to play for you a recording of a keynote presentation I gave for the Canadian Prairie Chapter of the Irrigation Association in Calgary, Canada. I was invited to their annual irrigation conference to give a presentation, and I had to think hard about what I wanted to talk about. It's easy to focus on products, their features, and benefits, but those concepts are fleeting. There's always a new product, a new feature, and such things aren't what truly motivate me. Instead, I chose to share a bit about my journey in irrigation, why I chose this industry—and interestingly, it was indeed a choice. Despite the common joke that nobody intentionally enters the irrigation industry, for me, it was a deliberate decision. I was intrigued early on by the fact that sprinklers operated based on a schedule—Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6 AM—and I wondered why there wasn't better technology to guide water application in the landscape. So, without further ado, I am excited to share with you my keynote presentation. Before we dive in, I'd like to extend a special thanks to everyone in Calgary I had the pleasure of meeting, especially the entire Board of Directors of the local Irrigation Association, the Prairie Chapter. They have built a fantastic community, and I was genuinely impressed by the level of interest and curiosity everyone showed towards the topic I presented. Thank you so much for your curiosity and for giving me the opportunity to speak at your conference. Here is my presentation.
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#153 - Sprinkler Nerds Unite with A.I. Music Opportunity
01/05/2024
#153 - Sprinkler Nerds Unite with A.I. Music Opportunity
Sprinkler Nerd Unite (theme song) [Verse] We're the nerds of the green, the rulers of the lawn Dressed in flannel shirts, rockin' shades like we're cool With our spray heads and rotors, we conquer all terrain We're the ones who make it rain, oh yeah (oh yeah) [Chorus] Sprinkler nerds, rise up and take a stand (take a stand) We're the smart ones, leading the irrigation land (oh-oh-oh) With our wrenches and timers, we're the heroes in disguise Sprinkler nerds, let's light up the skies, yeah! (ooh yeah)
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