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Plumbers install and maintain the elaborate pipelines and systems that help homes, offices, public buildings, factories and civic infrastructures function safely and effectively.
What is a Plumber?
Plumbers install, maintain and repair pipelines and pipe systems. Plumbing systems serve a variety of purposes:
Key responsibilities include:
These diverse skills allow plumbers to develop and maintain effective systems for conveying water, waste, gas and steam.
What Does a Plumber Do?
Job skills critical to success as a plumber include the ability to:
Participate in the Plumbing Design Process. In new construction, plumbers work with architects and contractors to make a blueprint of the plumbing system in accord with proper operation of the system and building codes.
Read and Follow Blueprints. Plumbers who install piping in a new home or building follow architectural blueprints that show the intended location of appliances and plumbing fixtures.
Know and Uphold Building Codes. In order to install new pipelines and plumbing systems, plumbers must be familiar with local building codes.
Install Plumbing System. Installation requires bending and cutting pipe as well as affixing components through fittings, soldering or adhesive.
Use Testing Equipment. Plumbers use pressure gauges to ensure proper functioning of the system.
Plumber training programs also incorporate education in core technical subjects to deepen your applied job skills. You may encounter courses in mathematics, applied physics and chemistry or architectural drafting. In addition, training in plumbing components, tools and materials set you up to learn how to become a plumber.
What are the Steps to Becoming a Plumber?
The following steps lead you into a career as a plumber:
Complete these steps and you'll have carved a niche for yourself as a plumber.
How to Become a Great Plumber
You can learn how to become a plumber through an apprentice program, but you can become a great plumber by building your expertise, experience and credentials through:
Continuing Education classes. Learn specialized plumbing skills and new practices in the field through vocational training. For example, courses in water-saving technologies and energy efficiency help you meet the market demand for greener plumbing systems.
Certification. Some professional associations such as the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association and GreenPlumbers USA offer certification in specific areas of expertise, such as environmentally-friendly plumbing installation.
Contractor's license. With a plumber's contracting license, you can own and manage your own business as an independent contractor.
Plumbers move up in the career field by taking on supervisory responsibility or expanding their specialized expertise. Advanced plumbing careers include construction manager and building inspector roles.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts faster than average employment growth of 16 percent between 2008 and 2018. "Job opportunities are expected to be very good," the report concludes. Plumbers earned a mean annual wage of $49,870 in 2009.
Technical training in plumbing can set you up for a stable career in a high-demand specialty.
Resources for Plumbers
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
Request info from multiple schools, by clicking the Get Info links.
| School | Locations | Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashworth College | Online | Diploma | |
| Everest Institute | TX | Diploma | |
| New England Institute of Technology | RI | Associate | |
| WyoTech | CA | Diploma |
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