What Do Plumbers Do?
Believe it or not, plumbers do a lot more to keep your house in working order than fixing that running sound that is coming from your toilet. Plumbers are the people who are responsible for, obviously, your home’s water, drainage or sewage; and they are also the people you call if you need help with your heat or air conditioning and they also work on the piping for process plants. Plumbers can be pipe fitters, steam fitters and gas fitters.
That’s a lot more than making sure than making sure your faucets are working or fixing a leaky pipe!
Plumbing is not something that a person can just decide to do. There are years of schooling that are needed for a person to become a plumber and most places require that a plumber be licensed before he or she offers services for payment. Somebody who works very hard at learning the trade can even be licensed as a Master Plumber. A Master Plumber is someone who has not only mastered the trade of plumbing, but as spent a number of years working professionally and is certified in a variety of plumbing specialties. Master Plumbers are people who oversee the larger plumbing projects.
Plumbers usually work forty hour work weeks, though many will work overtime as well. Some companies offer a twenty four hour emergency service, which means that a plumber could be working at any time of the day or night. Plumbers work indoors and outdoors no matter what the weather. This is a job that involves a lot of small spaces, so if you are severely claustrophobic, you might want to spend some time thinking about whether or not you can get over your anxiety before going through the training.
Plumbers are able to follow technical plans and technical drawings and turn those drawings and designs into physical forms. You will need to have excellent problem solving and decision making skills. Plumbers work with tools and know about the different safety and legal regulations involved in both domestic and industrial plumbing situations. Plumbers know how to work with people and are reasonably physically fit. Plumbing might not seem like an overtly physical activity, but there is a lot of strength and muscle control that is involved with plumbing.
Plumbers are responsible for installing the pipes that run from your water supply to your home and from your home to your sewage system. They do this for larger buildings and municipal areas (parks, etc) as well. Plumbers are also responsible for the flow of water within towns and cities and are the people who will fix clogs, replace pipes and run piping through new structures.
Because the small plumbing jobs (switching a shower head) aren’t big deals, most people do not realize what it takes to become a plumber. To become a plumber you must go through school and become certified. There is plenty to learn, but in time it is possible to become a Master Plumber and to become an expert in your field.
|
