Profession Highlight: Plumber

When people think of plumbers, their mind usually goes straight to blocked toilets! Although they’re not wrong, this is only one small aspect of what a plumber does throughout their career. If you’re looking for a career as a tradesman, plumbing is one to investigate, as many exciting opportunities can arise from this job.

What can I expect from a career as a plumber?

Having a job as a plumber offers good security, as people are always going to need plumbers! Whether it’s a late-night call for a burst pipe or working on a new build alongside architects and builders, there’s always going to be a need for plumbers.

When it comes to building your career, there are three main types of plumbing you can go into, each with a unique set of skills tailored to certain situations. These three types are residential, commercial, and service and repair plumbers.

Residential plumbers

If you’ve had a plumber, come out to your home, it was most likely a residential plumber. These plumbers are who you call when you have a leaky tap, burst water pipe, or blocked drain. They also assist with troubleshooting drainage issues and ensuring the water in your toilet is working as it should.

Besides this, residential plumbers are also used when completing new builds, as they install everything from pipes to hot water systems – even gas fittings if they’re licensed to do so.

Commercial plumbers

A commercial plumber has a different skill set than a residential plumber and works predominantly on large public plumbing systems such as universities, shopping centres and hospitals. The main difference between these plumbing systems and residential ones is they are often connected to extremely large industrial equipment, rather than your everyday water heater.

Commercial plumbers can often be exposed to hundreds of different pipes, spanning multiple levels of the building. They help to repair, maintain, and install these systems in large public facilities.

Service and repair plumbers

A service and repair plumber is the last of the three. These plumbers are trained to troubleshoot the tougher plumbing issues, in either residential or commercial systems. Their specialised training means they’re equipped to find and fix the more difficult problems, including leaks, pressure issues and blockages.

What are some of the challenges involved in the plumbing industry?

A career in the plumbing industry comes with its own unique set of challenges. Plumber and owner of Merchant Plumbing, Scott Merchant, says, “There are many challenges that you can be confronted with as a plumber. Difficult weather conditions and competing with unlicensed handymen are always tough situations.”

Some other challenges include:

Hygiene issues

As a plumber, you must be prepared to encounter all types of substances. This includes encountering people’s bodily fluids and solids. Whether plunging and jetting a blocked toilet or cutting into an existing sewer pipe that is unbeknownst to you, partially blocked, sometimes you get dirty. It may be smart to carry around a change of clothes, as it’s common to encounter water sprays from faulty tap hoses or flooding water from a burst pipe.

Injuries

Working as a tradie of any kind puts you at risk for injuries. For people like Scott who are sole traders, injuring yourself means you’re out of work for an indefinite period. Without income protection insurance, you’ll have no source of income until you’re able to return to work.

Irregular work

Another challenge sole traders are more likely to face is irregular work. Especially when starting out and creating a name for yourself, your income may be irregular for a while. If you do choose to go down the route of starting your own business, make sure you have savings to fall back on if you need.

Managing your workload is important as well, as there will be times where jobs are quiet, and other times where you’ll struggle to get through every job on time.

Fixing work completed by unlicensed handymen

With the rise of the internet and tool shops, many people come to think they’re experts from simply watching a YouTube video. This causes headaches for plumbers who come in after and are required to clean up whatever mess was made without consulting a professional.

Working in challenging environments

Whether it’s a confined space or working from a height, there are often some challenging work environments plumbers are situated in. Not only is this work difficult, but it can also be dangerous. Closed spaces that aren’t intended for safe oxygen levels such as boilers, storage tanks, sewers, pipes, ducts, and pits can all present unique challenges in terms of breathing. Working from a height also poses safety issues if not using the correct safety equipment.

What skills do you need to become a plumber?

Plumbers require a range of skills, no matter what branch of plumbing they choose to go into. Becoming a qualified plumber in Australia requires you to complete an apprenticeship, certification, registration, Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services and apply for your license.

In New Zealand, you’ll need to obtain a New Zealand Certificate in Plumbing, as well as pass an exam and apply for your license.

Besides the education and training needed to become qualified, there are soft skills that can be transferred from previous job experience and life skills. These skills include:

• Critical thinking
• Active listening
• Working as a team
• Troubleshooting
• Communication skills
• Physical strength

Tips for new plumbers

For new and aspiring plumbers, there are a few things to keep in mind. Scott’s advice for plumbers in training is to take your apprenticeship and profession seriously from the start. “Learn as much as you can – knowledge is the key to becoming successful. If you take it seriously early on, you can become very successful at a young age,” he says. “Your career can take you to a job in the mines or travelling to new locations. If you need to come off the tools and don’t want your own business, working in retail at a plumbing supplier such as Reece plumbing is another great job. There are so many opportunities and career pathways out there.”

Entering the plumbing industry provides a multitude of career paths and chances to learn for apprentice plumbers. No matter where your plumbing career takes you, Syzmik Workwear has you covered for anything you encounter. Find your closest stockist here.