Last week, we suffered a serious systems-down emergency at ITbuilder HQ. Our hot-water urn packed up, which plunged the office into relative chaos. An emergency kettle was arranged, but it struggled to handle the require output of Joe needed to fuel an IT Helpdesk.
So, our managing director and general office handyman attempted to repair the applicance. After shutting off the power and disassembling the heating element and various pipes, it was clear to see that it was all very furred up with limescale.
An hour of hardcore de-scaling later (literally shoveling handfuls of calcium carbonate from the tank), and a good soak with white vinegar flushed through numerous times until the taste was gone, we were back in business. The IT techs were back running at optimum performance now that the Gold Blend was back on tap.
That anyone wanted to drink from it after seeing what came of the tank (see pic below for your disgust) is a mystery. It just goes to show how dependent a team of expert IT technicians are on caffeinated drinks and why we now operate with a business continuity plan involving two backup kettles and a table-top thermos with pump dispenser.
That’s possibly why we are considered one of the top companies in Hertfordshire for Disaster Recovery planning!!
James Naylor
James Naylor is ITbuilder's Managing Director and Founder. He has worked in technology since the early nineties and, after a decade in the corporate world, went into business himself.
James has lead ITbuilder for over two decades, building the business into the force that it is today, but is still a technician at heart and still very hands on with tech.
Despite growing up in Hertfordshire, James lives in the Netherlands for five years as well as London, before returning and setting up the base in Hertford, where he lives today.
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