What does a plumber do? – CareerExplorer

What is a Plumber?

A plumber installs and maintains pipes in homes and businesses. These pipes need to be installed and maintained for potable water, drainage, irrigation and sewage, as well as other uses.

Plumbers can be involved in hands-on work or may work in a design capacity, drafting blueprints and helping make the installation process more efficient. This is a profession with an extensive number of possible career paths.

This can be a very rewarding career, as evidenced by survey data that indicates that licensed professionals in the field tend to remain in the profession for their entire career. Many even continue part-time, well past the usual retirement age, helping the next generation by providing apprenticeships and learning opportunities.

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Someone interested in becoming a plumber would be interested to know that the stereotypical job as a residential plumber is only a small portion of the available career opportunities for an experienced professional.

An expert in plumbing is aware of building regulations and safety standards, and works to make sure these standards are upheld. Legal expertise can also be an aspect of plumbing, since the laws regulating this trade vary depending on where you live, and can be difficult for a layperson to understand.

Testing pipes for leakage using air pressure and other gauges, and also the ability to construct new pipe systems by cutting, fitting, measuring, and threading pipes are some of the other more involved aspects of plumbing.

Plumbers often work right alongside architects, as they can contribute valuable knowledge about the best positions for wall passage and fixture locations, saving the architect valuable time and avoiding expensive mistakes.

Plumbers have distinct personalities. They tend to be realistic individuals, which means theyre independent, stable, persistent, genuine, practical, and thrifty. They like tasks that are tactile, physical, athletic, or mechanical. Some of them are also investigative, meaning theyre intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive.

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Job security tends to be good in this field. A day in the life of a plumber might include fielding midnight phone calls from a frantic customer with a broken pipe, or may involve working for an architectural firm or visiting a construction site.

Many plumbers are self-employed, or work for a small business employing less than ten people though some might find working for larger entities or the government to be more desirable. Many large buildings employ their own staff, including school districts, college campuses, airports, and municipal buildings. The military is another large employer of plumbing professionals, though past experience as a member of the armed forces may be a prerequisite.

Simply put, anywhere that has or needs to have running water is an opportunity for potential customers. Even motor vehicles such as buses, recreational vehicles, large airplanes, yachts, and cruise ships all need the installation of plumbing and will need repair work from time to time.

Plumbers rank among the least happy careers. Overall they rank in the 19th percentile of careers for satisfaction scores. Please note that this number is derived from the data we have collected from our Sokanu members only.

While no specific data accounts for this strikingly low happiness quotient, it may be partially attributable to the trades physical demands, its propensity for irregular hours and overtime, the potential dangers associated with the work, and the sometimes negative public perception of public service workers as a whole.

After earning their high school diploma or equivalent, many aspiring plumbers start learning the trade by enrolling in a plumbing diploma or associate degree program at a trade or technical school this is one or two years in duration. They subsequently complete a plumber apprenticeship, which can take another four to five years. Others enter an apprenticeship immediately following high school graduation.

Many apprenticeships are sponsored by trade unions, associations, and plumbing contracting companies. Applicants must typically pass an aptitude test or entrance exam. They may also be required to pass a background check and/or a drug test.

Plumber apprenticeships include a combination of classroom and on-the-job training under the supervision of one or more experienced journeyman plumbers. Classes cover workplace safety and plumbing codes; the proper use and maintenance of tools; mathematics used to measure pipes and determine materials needed for pipe layouts; creating piping drawings; and interpreting blueprints and building plans. On the job, apprentices gain experience with installations, repairs, and troubleshooting.

Upon completing an apprenticeship, plumbers in the U.S. must pass a licensing exam before they can offer their services to the public.

There are several factors that aspiring plumbers should consider:

Essential Qualities and Skills

Working Conditions

Insights from an Experienced Plumber

"The best part of the job is knowing that weve built a reputation of fairness we are building the company on the foundation of thousands of customers weve served faithfully."

"By the far, the worst part of the job is the potential for contact with human waste. Clogged or broken sewer lines still require hands-on attention. A broken sewer line in a crawl space or basement can be pumped out and treated before repair is made, but the conditions are still foul."

"The biggest misconception that people have about being a plumber is probably that were all ill-educated, poorly spoken, uninformed rednecks. Ive known plumbers who are wonderful artists and musicians. Theyre from all walks of life. They are adept and mentally strong people that keep their dignity in a culture that sometimes diminishes the value of service industry workers."

Based on our pool of users, plumbers tend to be predominately investigative people. This finding is supported by the primary responsibilities of these tradespeople. Indisputably, they must frequently employ their investigative and troubleshooting abilities to properly install, repair, and replace water and gas pipes, drainage systems, and waste disposal systems.

Plumbers are also known as:Journeyman Plumber Drain Technician Residental Plumber Service Plumber Commercial Plumber

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What does a plumber do? - CareerExplorer