The importance of maintaining your tools regularly

By Emma Peterson. 

When it comes to a contractor’s tools, maintenance can be just as important as the initial design quality.  

Host Heidi J. Ellsworth met up with Dave Nordentoft of Leister in Season 5, Episode 57 of Roofing Road Trips® to talk about the tool that helped launch Leister and the importance of maintaining tools like it. Leister began in 1949 with Karl Leister. In the early 1950s he developed his first hot air hand tool — the Combi. Dave, who has worked with Leister for just over nine years, shared that this tool is the foundation of the modern industry and even still exists in a different version today. He explained, “It's called the TRIAC, which is the tried-and-true hand welder for welding thermal plastics.”  

With over 74 years of experience, Leister is a leader in heat welding and knows that the development of technology is only half the success. Dave explained that maintenance is crucial for their products to succeed, saying, “At the end of the day, these contractors need this equipment to be operating properly. If a piece of equipment breaks and is not in service, the crew is not productive anymore unless you happen to have a backup.” 

Dave illustrated this point with an example of Leister’s automatic welding nozzles. He explained that Leister “engineers these nozzles to very carefully deliver heat and airflow into the seam” for optimal results. But if they get damaged and don’t receive proper maintenance, the heat will not be delivered properly, and the weld quality will go down.  

Leister knows that tools experience wear and tear on the jobsite and that no matter how well they are designed they will need routine checks and maintenance. This could be something as simple as using a wire brush to clean the welding nozzle and remove residue and build up, in order to keep the airflow optimal. For larger issues, Dave explained that they “have a network of authorized sales and service centers all through the country.” These centers are independent companies that are stocked with Leister products and have been trained specifically to service Leister products. Dave emphasized that Leister leans “on our distribution partners a lot. They know the customers the best. They work with these folks sometimes over the generations. We respect those relationships.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode to learn more about the importance of regular tool maintenance.