1,200 gallons

[Devin Munroe]

500 sq.ft. basement with 1,200 gallons of fresh water that we extracted. We ran 2 vans for 3 hours extracting. The normal extraction price is around $250. That is WAY to low, plus this is on a Saturday to boot.

I was thinking $1 a gallon for extraction, for $1,200.

Does this sound reasonable?

What have you charged in the past for a job like this?

This adjuster is a Exactimate Nazi BTW!

 

[Desk Jockey]

That’s a tough one, looking at it from an adjusters point of view, a large trash pump would have been the most cost effective way to remove standing water. However, not everyone has a trash pump lying around and rental yards are not open 24/7 either.

We have used Septic Tankers to remove thousands of gallons for us too, but they can be hard to get out during the week let alone a weekend.

Large submersible pumps work pretty good but they take some time to drop that much standing water.

Given that you had no other option, I agree hourly maybe your best choice. You could charge an On Call Surcharge per technician, hourly for the labor (at time &half), hourly for machine time. That will total to quite a bit, but given the circumstance you had few options.

I’d expect to be questioned, so be prepared to defend it your rates.

Good luck!

 

[Supersucker]

I don't know if you do a lot of these but an electric pump or one of those flood-pumping portables would keep the machine hours down. Do you know if he is a staff or cat adjuster?

 

[Al]

Next time

Get a gas powered pump, I think we paid 270. for one and it's plumbed for 2''. We pumed out around 4000 gallons in 1hr 45 minutes. You can only get so far with the pump, then you need an extractor to finish but it's fast.
The job I'm referring too was actually done with 1 Tech. our Jeep Cherokee, the gas pump and a flood exractor, our other trucks were on WD's too.

8)

 

[RandyHilburn]

Alan,

Do you have a link to where I could find a pump like yours? Thanks!

 

[Al]

I couldn't find the link but we picked up ours at Home Depot, its a 5 HP motor and a pump no fancy frame or anything.

AL

 

[RandyHilburn]

Thanks Steven. That thing will really move some water. I like it. Thanks again.

 

[Johnnyone]

I have a sump pump which will move 50 gallon a min, two inch hose with a lift of 25 ft. I uses about 10 amps, 1/2 hp. its rated for soft fluids with a 1/2 inch intake. I would charge about $125 a hour 2 hr min to start.