Plumbing Trade: Advantages and Challenges
Importance of Plumbers and the Plumbing Trade
In our day-to-day lives, plumbers and their plumbing services is a great help to all of us. Their services make our lives easier, safer, and cleaner. But a lot of people do not realize this and do not appreciate the job of plumbers for several reasons, which may include the lack of prestige in this trade. Despite all of these, we cannot deny how valuable their service is to society. Their work permits us to live and enjoy a comfortable life and environment with the well-built and well-functioning plumbing systems that they build. Plumbing is a line of work that can be easily taken for granted. But the fact that plumbers are the people who we call whenever we need new pipes for our new house or building, or whenever something related to pipes or water systems gets broken, shows how important plumbing is. The hot water that we enjoy from our showers and faucets, and the proper waste disposal systems in our homes and buildings which helps maintain cleanliness, and safety, are all because of the plumbing trade, and the plumbers with their knowledge and skills. Plumbing is also not an easy task. Plumbers do not only fix faucets or unclog drains. They are also responsible for assembling, installing, and repairing pipes, fittings, and fixtures. These services impact our lives more than we can imagine. The work of plumbers is not an easy task. But today, with the creation of project management software, the job of plumbing subcontractors who need to manage their teams for different plumbing projects will become easier.
Below are some of the extremely important and valuable tasks that plumbers do as part of their profession:
1. Blueprints and Other Documents
One of the important parts of a plumber’s job is reading drawings, blueprints, and other specifications. Plumbers do this to figure out the layout of waste and drainage systems, water supply networks, and plumbing systems. By doing this, they can ensure that they will be able to build a correct, safe, and fully functioning system that we can conveniently use. In this part of their work, plumbing subcontractors can use a builder trend software to better manage and share documents with their crew members.
2. Leaks or Bursts
As we all know, whenever there is a leak or burst in the pipes which can be located at our home or our workplace, plumbers are the people who we call. With their knowledge, expertise, tools, and equipment, they can fix these problems, ensure that the system will start functioning well again, and after this, we can then go back and continue with our tasks without feeling any inconvenience regarding the matters that were already fixed by plumbers.
3. Installations
Beyond repairing or fixing bursts and leaks, it is also the job of plumbers to install the pipes in our homes or workplaces. With these installations, we can fully enjoy proper waste disposal, sanitation, and safe and clean running water in our homes and workplaces. Because of the showers, faucets, drains, and pipes that were installed by plumbers, we do not need to go to a well to fetch water or to suffer because of the wastes that do not have a proper system for disposal.
4. Retrieving Valuable Items
We also cannot deny that there are instances when we accidentally drop items that cost a lot of money or are with high sentimental value such as rings, necklaces, and other jewelry and important items in our drain. To retrieve these things and to ease our worry without destroying or creating problems to our drainage system, we call plumbers for the job.
5. Water Conservation and Reuse
Another extremely important job that plumbers do for all of us is water conservation and reuse. Clean water is a limited resource that is why it is important to use it efficiently. Plumbers help us optimize how we use water using water management and technology. Plumbers make sure that there is enough water going around. Other than this, they also help in important roles such as water treatment, water reuse, desalination, and harvesting rainwater.
6. Waste Removal
Besides the many jobs and services of plumbers mentioned above, another part of plumbers’ work is waste removal. Other than collecting, moving, and dispersing clean water, plumbers also dispose of liquid and waste. They ensure that plumbing systems are functioning safely and efficiently. Through plumbing systems, clean water is being separated from dangerous contaminants which can compromise one’s health.
7. Health
It is said the plumbers are the most important front line health workers in the world. This is because with their expertise and knowledge, they design and create plumbing systems that permit us to have clean sources of water. This clean water is what we use for plenty of things including proper hygiene and sanitation. Other than this, we also use the clean water for drinking, cooking, and for many other purposes within our homes.
In working in the plumbing industry, there are advantages, and challenges:
Advantages
1. A Degree is Not Necessary
One of the advantages of taking plumbing as a career is that there is not a need for one to have a degree. Although training is still necessary for one to accumulate the necessary knowledge, expertise, and experience for the job. One can go to a vocational school that offers plumbing courses, and then undergo the apprenticeship period where one can learn from someone who is already an expert in the field.
2. Less Student Debt
Because acquiring a college degree is not necessary to become a plumber, there are also fewer student loans. To learn about the profession, one can go to a vocational school or a community college which costs less than going to a university. Besides, during an apprenticeship, one can even earn money while learning about the trade.
3. Independence
Another one of the advantages of becoming a plumber is independence. After becoming a professional plumber, one can choose to own a plumbing business by themselves. With this, they can work when and where they want, they can also take projects that they prefer, and they can schedule their hours and appointments. This also means flexibility and more times for themselves, their family, and their other obligations. One can become their own boss if they are in the plumbing industry, and they will also own all their profits.
4. Job Stability
Another advantage of becoming a plumber is job stability. Plumbers are needed by everyone everywhere which means they will always have a job opportunity wherever they go. Pipes can burst and have leaks, kitchen sinks can start draining slowly, and toilets can clog, and to solve these problems, a professional plumber is necessary. It should also be noted that plumbers who are good at their work can have a steady client base in no time.
5. Job Variety
In the plumbing industry, job variety is also an advantage. Plumbers can work in different kinds of industries. A plumber can design plumbing systems for new structures, develop new plumbing technologies, and determine how to repair, manage, and expand water systems.
6. Job Satisfaction
Another advantage of becoming a plumber is job satisfaction. As what is mentioned previously above, plumbing is necessary for acquiring, maximizing, managing, and reusing water, in sanitation, and it also important in managing waste. Plumbing is necessary for every home and commercial and non-commercial structures. Because of these, plumbers can always see how significant the job that they do is.
Challenges
1. Long and Irregular Working Hours
One of the disadvantages of working as a plumber is long and irregular hours at work. Assembling, installing, fixing, and maintaining plumbing systems can take time. Instances when there is a need for the service of a plumber are also unpredictable. A pipe can burst or leak, and a toilet can clog anytime. Plumbers can be called whenever and wherever there is an emergency related to their work and expertise, and they will also need to deal with late minute requests.
2. Hard Work
Another disadvantage of working as a plumber is that the job is difficult. A plumber might need to crawl into cramped spaces and hunch over drains while carrying heavy equipment to do their job. Also, there is a high rate of illness and injury in this line of work. Plumbing is a physically demanding job wherein a plumber will need to endure and work in all kinds of weather. As a plumber who is also a subcontractor, it is also necessary for one to be able to create and manage crew schedules to have a smooth workflow. Plumbing is a difficult job that requires hard work.
3. Pressure
Because of the unpredictability of the job, plumbers are always under pressure. Disasters and other kinds of emergencies that will need a plumber’s service can strike anytime. There are even those circumstances where a client will want fast results. For these reasons, they need to be able to solve problems even under pressure, to be efficient, and to be level-headed at all times for them to triumph in this line of work.
In this modern-day, we are all living more comfortably and conveniently. With the help of plumbers, we can have access to clean water, proper sanitation, and proper waste disposal. For us to achieve these conveniences, the people in the plumbing industry are spending their time, and are exerting effort planning projects, developing and designing systems, and doing installations. But with the emergence of software for construction management like Pro Crew Schedule, they can become more efficient with their jobs, and their workload can be lessened.
