Hawkins Service Company started off as an electrical contractor specializing in pool electrics. Now they service pools, docks, marinas, outdoor kitchens, and gazebos for homes and businesses around the Tampa, FL region.
Adrian Higgins, general manager at Hawkins, has been with the company for 21 years. He took time to speak with us about what Hawkins offers customers for switching and controlling their pools, water features and outdoor lighting.
What does the Customer need?
“A lot of home owners get their pool after they’ve built the house. When the house is first built, there’s no pool, which means no pre-wired switch or circuit back there to control any of the electric components of the pool,” Higgins explained. “We have to install a switch to turn on pool lights, water feature lights, fountains, pumps and blowers in the back yard.
“To wire a switch, we’ve got to use ugly grey conduit up the back of the house into a box and cover. Home owners don’t want a PVC pipe going up their wall or patio.
“We’re using Levven Controls switches to give easy, flexible control, where they want it, without running any wire to the switch location.”
Why do Customers like Wire-Free Switches?
“Customers are happy when they hear they don’t need pipe and a box on the wall for a switch,” Higgins hummed.
“They get excited when we tell them they can have their switch at any location. They like to put the switch in places where you normally couldn’t do a wired switch. Or, they keep it portable and hang it on a hook or a keychain.”
Benefits for their Business
“We knew that controlling the power without having to wire a switch is the best way to go. We tried wireless switch products from X-10 and Intermatic in the past,” Higgins recalls.
“Our biggest pain with other wireless switch products was: would the switch work or not? Was it easy for the home owner to use the control?
“In the beginning it seemed like it was working good, but after going through a large volume, the quality declined to the point we were having a 75% failure rate. It left a sour note with us and with our builders. Everyone wanted to stop using wireless and go back to hard-wired switches.
“The thing with doing a hard-wired switch outdoors, you need wire, pipe, a weatherproof box and cover, and the switch: at least $40 worth of material. Then installation: you’ve got to get wire from our panel to the switch. Maybe we’re digging an 18” trench. Maybe we have to go in the attic. At minimum, a wired switch is an hour job versus 10 minutes with Levven Controls.”
Going Forward
“Levven Controls is the easiest I’ve seen. You’ve made it as simple as possible to program and use,” Adrian revealed.
“The first time I saw the product, I ordered five. I said to myself ‘I gotta check this out.’ Since then, we just keep buying them and installing them. They keep working.”
Hawkins Service Company operates in the Tampa, FL area. Their phone number is 877-836-7503. Use Levven Controls wire-free switches in your next project. See how you can eliminate the wired switch leg with Levven Controls.
