In this feature, Agserv business consultant Andy Knox invites a pest control professional to talk about their favourite product. Here, he asks pest manager Phil Tankard, “What is your favourite product and why?”
Phil Tankard is the manager of Smart Pest Control in Sydney, which services residential and commercial clients, and also offers termite management services. He is regarded as a knowledgeable and respected figure in the NSW pest control industry, coming from a long line of family members who’ve worked in the business since the 1970s.
Mr Tankard and his team use B&G sprayers, a common choice for the pest industry. Like many pest managers, they like the quality, durability and professional look of stainless steel hand sprayers. However, these traditional spray units have the drawback of requiring manual pumping to recharge, which means the pressure can drop during a treatment – impacting the spray rate, spray pattern and quality of the application.
However, in 2024 B&G released its Pressurising Tank Top, which was designed to tackle the problem of fatigue on the job caused by the need to pressurise the unit manually. Designed to fit onto the traditional B&G sprayer, the Tank Top replaces the standard manual pump mechanism on the stainless-steel sprayer and maintains a pressure of 30 psi in the tank, automatically repressurizing when it detects a drop to 23 psi.
Mr Tankard heard about the Tank Top through one of his staff members, who tried out the unit and raved about how much time and effort it saved. This led to Mr Tankard purchasing a unit from Agserv in Sydney to try it out himself.
“As well as being a great tool and a real labour-saver, it looks and sounds great to our customers, adding an extra level of professionalism for our business.”
Using a rechargeable battery-powered pressurising unit saves time on the job – about five minutes for every tank – reducing the cost of technician downtime. With enough power to deliver up to 100 litres per charge, it will often get through a full day on a single charge. But even if it doesn’t, the Tank Top comes with a car charging adapter that charges on-the-go along with a tank lid for secure closure while the battery is being charged.
As well as saving time, using the B&G Pressurising Tank Top minimises the need for replacement parts for the pump mechanism and gives better spray performance, due to the uniform spray pattern and consistent flow of pesticide.
Mr Tankard commented, “I can hardly believe that such a small device can make such a big difference. I have always rated our B&G Sprayers very highly but the Tank Top saves so much time and effort – it lifts them to a completely different level.”
