As a plumber works his way up the certification ladder, several job opportunities open up to him. Whether he chooses to install new pipes, repair old pipes or work with natural gas, his profession will always be in demand.
Believe it or not,
plumbing is a profession with specialized branches and varied levels of certification. Most plumbers climb the certification ladder through gaining experience and accumulating a certain amount of work hours.
Plumber Certification Levels
Apprentice - Those who have just begun training in the plumbing profession are granted apprenticeship status. Typically an apprentice will take introductory courses at a technical or vocational school near where they live, and then begin to look for an apprenticeship position to continue their training with practical experience.
Journey - Once an apprentice completes his education, gains a certain amount of experience, and passes a state-sanctioned test, he is awarded the status of journey plumber. A typical journeyman will work in new buildings, using blueprints to install the correct pipes before the foundation for the building is poured. As the building progresses, they're in charge of installing pipes and the plumbing appliances like toilets, shower, sinks, water heaters, dishwashers, and bathtubs.
Master - A master plumbing license is given to those who have completed an additional number of classes and hours of experience as a journeyman. Usually, they must pass another test to gain their official master license. Those who have gained the master status are equipped to handle just about any plumbing problem that comes their way. Some masters choose to specialize in new pipe installation for homes, some would rather outfit new commercial buildings, other prefer to work on fire suppressing sprinkler systems, and still others work with natural gas lines instead of water lines.
The Plumbing Profession
If you were to look in and around the foundation of your home, you'd see a whole lot of pipes which transport clean water into your home, dirty water out, and natural gas to your water heater, furnace, stove, oven, and to any of the other gas-fueled appliances in your home. A plumber is responsible for the installation and repair of all those pipes.
Water and Sewage Installation - Some plumbers choose to install pipes for new structures. The blueprint tells them whether PVC or copper pipes will be used, and they are responsible to have the foundation pipes done before the concrete is poured. After the foundation is complete, they'll work with the contractor to install pipes through the rest of the building as the structure forms. Finally, they install any water or gas appliances.
Water and Sewage Repair - Some plumbers would rather repair existing pipes instead of installing new pipes. They are very familiar with common clogs and other problems that come up as pipes are used over a period of time. These technicians can repair pipes anywhere in your home or a commercial building.
Natural Gas - Finally some plumbers prefer to work with natural gas rather than water or sewage pipe systems. In many states, those who wish to work with natural gas, must do extra study and be specially certified to repair and maintain gas lines.
If you begin experiencing problems with your pipes, you'll want to contact a plumbing office that you can trust. If you've never had to hire plumbing help before, you can ask friends, family, neighbors and coworkers for recommendations. If the job is something like fixing what appears to be a clogged pipe, you can probably contact any technician and be pleased with the results. However, if you're suspecting a more serious problem, you should probably contact a plumber that specializes in the area you're suspecting problems.
