Tools to Keep in Your Maintenance Kit

After a busy heating season, the slower summer months are usually a good time to focus on equipment maintenance.  As your techs head out to service furnaces, gas logs, generators, water heaters, and other propane appliances, don’t forget to make sure your tank monitors are in great shape as well. 

Whether you are planning a big monitor deployment project, or you are just swapping out old batteries on existing tank monitors, make sure your team’s time in the field is spent productively. There is nothing more frustrating than having to drive back out to the same tank twice because you didn’t have the right tools to finish the job the first time! 

Our expert Field Technician, Caylene has some tips on what she keeps in her kit to make deploying and maintaining tank monitors a breeze. While you definitely don’t need all of these items, this video may spark some ideas of tools that would be handy for you to keep in your kit as well. 

Here are the Tools in Caylene’s Kit:

1. Zip Ties: Wrangling extra cable and securely mounting monitors
2. Extra Screws: Fastening the monitor’s backplate after replacing batteries and installing tabbed tank dials
3. Rubber Gloves: Keeping hands clean when working with muddy underground tank wells
4. Wire Cutters: Cutting zip ties, etc. Cutters are especially useful if a monitor is mounted with zip ties and you need to turn it over to get the device ID on the back
5. Fresh AA Energizer Lithium Batteries: Swapping out old tank monitor batteries
6. Container/Baggie for Used Batteries: Keeping used batteries separate from new ones
7. Phillips-Head Screwdriver (Standard & Mini): Unscrewing monitor backplates to replace batteries, and fastening tabbed remote-ready dials
8. Flathead Screwdriver (Standard & Mini): Replacing dials on belowground tanks that are fastened with standard screws
9. Pliers: Arranging monitor cables in tight spaces, or maneuvering in hard-to-reach areas
10. Long-Handled, Hard-Bristled Brush: Brushing off dirt and debris around dials
11. Long-Handled Telescoping Magnet: Picking up screws that have fallen into underground tank wells
12. Extra Remote-Ready Dials: Replacing old dials. Keep one of each type: Tabbed Junior, Tabbed Senior, Drop-In, and Snap-On remote ready dials
13. Rubber Mallet: Tapping on frozen tanks so you are able to open the lid
14. Utility Knife: Use as a back-up for your wire cutters
15. Weather-Specific Gear: A hat, sunglasses, boots, gloves, sunblock, bug spray, etc., to make your day in the field more productive and enjoyable

Realize Results Faster with Deployment and Field Services

If you would like to monitor more tanks, but your team doesn’t have the time or manpower to take on a new project, Deployment and Field Services may be the solution.

With Deployment and Field Services, experts like Caylene will partner with you to deploy your fleet of monitors, and/or manage your monitor inventory to ensure batteries are fully charged, and hardware is always connected. You and your team can focus on using monitors to make smarter deliveries, and earn higher margins for your business.

What do you keep in your tank monitor kit? Are there any other tools that you would recommend keeping handy to make days spent in the field more productive?