When time is money,
water jet speed counts
BUSINESS AND TRAINING
15
By
Eamonn Ryan
Ross Enoch, founder and owner of AAA Drain Jetting Machines
has established a home-based business building high-pressure
water jetting machines, where he spotted a gap in the market
for tailored and affordable products.
Innovation and manufacturing in the wet services
sector remains alive and vibrant with any number
of new start-ups over the past year.
“I started up about three years ago at a time when a market
for jet machines scarcely existed – but it has since picked
up. Suddenly, there’s been an increase in sales: today, every
plumbing firm wants a water drain jetting machine, and my
product is targeted specifically at the plumber.
“All plumbers are getting into this line of work now and every
plumber should have one for blocked drains and grease traps
(using different nozzles). The old drain cleaning machines
using a spring, for instance, could only do a partial clean.
These newer-technology jet machines completely unblock
a drain and make it ‘like new’ again. Shopping centres and
hospitals especially want only jet machines used for hygiene
reasons. In addition, the same machine can also be used to
disinfect the pipe after cleaning. It is also used in conjunction
with leak detection to clean the pipe before camera inspection.
“I’ve sourced quality pumps which are more powerful than
average, quality 13 horsepower engines which generates up
to about 200 bars pressure; and other quality parts; which I
then assemble myself.”
especially working from a workshop/garage at home with
a single assistant.” He accepts this will have to change
with time, but believes he can retain the same price as
economies of scale kick in.
He builds the entire range; from domestic use that any
plumber would have in the back of his/her bakkie for
residences and shopping centres, to large industrial and
municipal use. Most of the larger units are built to order with
only the smaller units built to hold as stock. This is because
there are many different variations.
“I am lower-cost, but also offer more accessories such as
a longer hose and more robust nozzles, as well as a range
of powerful nozzles. The increased power of the engine and
nozzles translates into a quicker clean of a drain, which in
turn enables plumbers to quote less and get more jobs.
“Right now I’m dealing with the individual plumber, but
one reason for attending the PlumbDrain expo is to get the
attention of the bigger companies and merchants to stock
them,” concludes Enoch. PA
Enoch has sourced the best-of-breed components through
a process of trial and error over the years, and has a subcontractor
who makes up the frame for each unit.
“What clients appreciate most is the personal touch that
comes with dealing with an individual rather than a large
brand or company. I am the ‘brand’ and so my name is on
the line,” says Enoch. By trade he is an engineer, having
started out in the mining industry where he built similar,
much larger, machines. “I have taken that knowledge
and am doing it on a smaller scale. My competitive edge
consequently is an intimate knowledge of the minutiae of
how each component works, whereas others, I would say,
just import the machines and sell them.”
He claims to be substantially lower-cost (more than 10
to 30%), “as I don’t have the overheads that others do,
Eamonn Ryan
Ross Enoch, founder and owner of AAA Drain Jetting Machines.
August 2020 Volume 26 I Number 06
www.plumbingafrica.co.za