I want to be a plumber...How do I get started?

[Scrapster]

I was recalling on the stairmaster tonight that my dad hasn't taught me anything productive, like fixing cars, working on the house, etc.. I was flipping through a "do-it-yourself" magazine today and I was interested in the plumbing appliance section and now I'd like to learn how to be a plumber.

Are there any plumbers here? I don't know if you have to go to a plumbing school but I'd definitely like to get some experience. Can anyone suggest how I can get started?

 

[Jothaxe]

first you have to get a pair of Levi's that sag about 5" down your backside...

Actually, I dont know the first thing about plumbing, but I am certainly glad there are other people who are willing to do it!

 

[CPBrownson]

you can start by giving yourself a colonoscopy

 

[urameatball]

uh. hope you're not serious.

a plumber reaches into the ugliest and dirtiest of places. My uncle is an electrician, construction worker, and plumber and I like to follow him around to different work sites. I learnt a few plumbing skills from him and seen him repair a lot of plumbing jobs. Some of these places you goto are soo dirty you just want to throw up on the spot.

usually, the worst places to play with the pipes are near the kitchen sink. you'll find the most messed up stuff once you take the clean faucet off and start digging deep or pumping the dirt out of the clogged drain. and almost all old houses, you'll be able to find 'surprises' through the drain pipes.


anyway, best of luck finding information!

 

[datalink7]

In My Opinion:

learning some plumbing skills = good idea.
becoming a plumber = bad idea.

You have to go into houses and clean up the nastiest sh!t (sometimes literally), and the worst part is that it is somebody elses. Not a cool job, if you ask me.

 

[Scrapster]

uh. hope you're not serious.

I'm dead serious. Though I'm not saying I would like to do it for 40+ years. But I'm willing to learn for the next few years atleast.

Does anyone know if there are apprenticeships opportunities that recruit kids like me?

 

[Rastus]

Sh!t goes down hill and payday is Friday.

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

It's a sh1tty job.

 

[Outfits]

Buy yourself a UPC handbook (uniform plumbing code), start hitting the jobsites, maybe you can find someone to give you a job. If you would rather start off doing service work(repair) look to smaller businesses or places like trailer parks for a maintenance job. As mentioned it can be a dirty job. When I worked for the city,sometimes I was in manholes with sh!t up to my waist, but those days were not the norm.

 

[perfectlysane]

My Pa is a plumber, I've been helping him for years through high school. Its really not that bad of a job and the pay is well, mostly what i have done is install lines in houses being built, or sprinkler systems, new shower/toliet/sink. I'd try a local community college..

 

[getbush]

My ex-step dad was a plumber. There's two kinds I guess, the repair guys, and the new installation. Doing the new houses that are being built is all he did, and those aren't that bad at all. Pays a lot too. He was an ass though so screw him.

 

[Bleep]

First you need a good slogan like--Your crap is my bread and butter--
Bleep

 

[8ball]

Think about this before going into that field. A friend of mine worked for a Roto-rooter type company. He went to a house (owners were smart enough not to be there) to unclog a toilet. The toilet was FULL to the rim with "stuff". Apparently, after they filled the toilet, they filled the bath tub. Once that was full, they used the back yard. No kidding, there were piles of sh.. in the back yard. Human sh... He said once they cracked the hard layer of film in the tub, he had to run out and puke. They ended up removing all of the "stuff" from the tub and toilet. Makes me not want to do it.

 

[getbush]

8Ball, that 's some crazy sheet. You couldn't pay me enough to do that. I would have firebombed that house and called it good. Who are these people?

 

[8ball]

He never saw them. They were too embarassed to be seen. He was just responding to the call.

 

[Doctorweir]

You can start with building a water cooler for your CPU...

If it leaks, forget about the plumbing anyway...

...and your computer, of course...

 

[Batti]

Don't forget that there's the design side of things for new construction. When you do industrial work, that's actually quite interesting stuff.

Scrapster, do it if you want to!

 

[cherrytwist]

8ball


That is the nastiest thing I've ever heard in my 29 years of existence.

 

[cpars]

got no opinion on why you should or should not do it, thats up to you. I would say your best start would be in the field as a helper, I would however recommend a reputable company that also does new construction
rough-in etc.

 

[RanDum72]

What kind of plumbing are you gonna fix?

 

[StageLeft]

I'd look into how easy it will be to get a job and what not after doing some training, but as far as I know plumbers make a pretty decent wage. You'd be surprised how much in fact...

 

[BIGGDOG]

Well if you think about it Plumbing is a really good trade. I was a Plumber for 5 years and I really liked it. I started out in new construction and I got board doing the same thing every day. Then we got into Repairs and remodleing and that is where things got interesting. You really do not run into the same thing that often but you do get to meet some interesting people.

I learned from Vocational Education. We went to work for a half a day during school. We built several houses and were dubbed the Young Americans.

You can also get your knowledge by working as a helper for a faily large company.

 

[Scrapster]

^

 

[Scrapster]

C'mon guys. Help me lay some pipe!