Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?
Sherlock Holmes mysteries have always been one of my favorite reads and recently I received a set of DVDs of the newest British television series of Sherlock Holmes. I immediately sat down and watched the whole series in one weekend. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? The seven major questions every journalist asks when developing a new story. That’s really what Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson do with every investigation.
I was half asleep the other night, mind racing as usual. When I realized that these seven questions are exactly what I have to ask myself every single day when I am in a customer’s home helping them solve their water treatment problems, answer their water treatment concerns, and design a water treatment system that will solve these problems and give them the water quality they are looking for.
- Who initiated the call?
- What are their concerns with their water, what is the water chemistry, what is it going to take to fix it, and what does it cost? There are many What’s.
- When did they start noticing the problems?
- Where is the problem most evident?
- Why? There are many Why’s.
- How can it be corrected? How many people are in the home?
- There are many questions to each that need to be taken into consideration.
All these questions need to be addressed. A proper water analysis needs to be done in the home and at times third-party lab testing may be necessary for a more comprehensive water analysis if any other water problems may be suspected. Such as Arsenic, Iron bacteria, Coli-form bacteria, and so forth.
When all these questions have been addressed and the puzzle of the water problems solved, only then can we figure out what it takes to correct the water, how much it will cost, and the options available.
So the next time you have a bad, rusty, smelly water problem remember it takes the right investigator to properly diagnose the situation and come to a conclusion that others may not have seen. Or may not have even thought to look for!
Good Water to you!