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#291990
Avatar photoSylvanLMP
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    In reply to message posted by racefanone:
    Fourth year: I half way agree with your statements.But there are some retired trades people who are working at places the likes of Home Depot,etc, to earn a little extra money.Some have a great deal of experience.Have a good one.


    Hi Racefanone,

    One of my early mentors was the superintendent of a very large plumbing shop when I was a 2nd year apprentice.

    By the time I was in my 3rd year of apprenticeship (out of 5) I was already being paid journeymen wages.

    I left that shop to work with another shop so I could try another aspect of plumbing like hospital work and institutional as I already had performed industrial and lots of commercial installations BORING high rises.

    About 10 years ago I was in a home depot and saw my old line boss and felt bad for him as I tried to hide before he could see me to avoid him from being embarrassed.

    Bernie said Hey Kid come here whatcha doing guy?

    I told him I had my own companies (two) and several licenses and offered him a job right then and there as my top Superintendent to actually run the day to day operations.

    He gave me a hug and said thanks kid but IM old and have bad knees and high blood pressure and only like to dabble in plummin as I get bored traveling or staying home watching TV.

    Bernie was the guy I went to learn my trades.

    On lunch hour he would show the apprentices how to read plans and take fittings off them.

    He taught me how to braze medical gas lines and constantly asked me code questions every time he happened to walk past where I was working.

    Over the past 20+ years we lost touch until I met him in the store giving advice.

    Mechanically he was not that great BUT codes and actually running the jobs he was the best.

    His advice to the home owners was much more “professional” then the majority of the weirdo’s postings on here.

    No one in their right mind would tell a home owner to go up on a roof to listen if the vent was working BUT I read it here on this list.DUH

    Is the roof pitched? Is the person asking the question in a wheel chair? Sight unseen this was the responce AMAZING HUH

    At least Bernie not only knows the codes he has common sense.

    You never know where you may find talent or why someone decides not to want to work 35 hour week.

    For example I do not work more then 15 hour a week and have not worked more then 20 hours per week since the age of 40 when I semi retired.

    This does not mean I still do not keep abreast of my local codes and try to learn more about these trades.

    Plumbing to me is fun as I do not need the money coming in every month like the mutts dabbling in business.

    So if nothing comes in 4, 5, 6, months who cares?

    That is called independent and self reliant (GREAT FEELING).

    Knowing I am good in my trades affords me a great living and you get out is what you put in

    Me being basically lazy I never really learned as much as I wanted to about plumbing/heating/drain cleaning as I have so much more to learn.

    Who knows I may for the fun of it go to a home center like Home Depot or other home center and offer my services in how to snake out lines and install a hot water heater Or pipe in a boiler properly.

    Wouldn’t the franchise guys love seeing the home owner renting a snake from a home center already shown at the home center how to use it safely?

    How about me making a video to rent showing several ways to pipe in a heating system?

    Hey its legal no license needed for HEATIN STUFF

    Why cant a guy working at a home center explain how calling in a drain guy is really not necessary after all I can explain how to use a ram jet or hand held snake and show them all kinds of great tricks of the trades on Saturdays for FREE as I like giving back to a profession that made me wealthy.

    What is so hard connecting a package boiler?

    Look at the dummies non licensed doing it now so why cant the average home owner do it and possibly do it even better.

    After all they own a home so they have to have some knowledge to afford it plus look at all those poor folks who really got screwed in the slab heating jobs they got suckered into by heating guys who of course tried to blame the manufacturers and the poor home owner caught in the middle.
    HEY they could have done that to themselves huh? WHY pay someone to do that to you?

    Today with PVC and pictures books on how to and videos and say 4 hours of a persons time WHY CANT the average guy or gal learn to install plastic piping?

    For a joke I once taught my 4 year old daughter to solder 3/4 copper tubing and GUESS what not one leak using 95-5.

    That was to prove a point to a helper that ANYONE can be taught to solder today.
    Anyone can be taught to use glue and primer.

    The only thing that will take time is showing folks how to follow codes and even the dummies today have no clue to open a book to know WHY.

    With no hub couplings and PVC and compression joints plumbing is very easy for residential piping so the home centers are a natural place to teach these folks to compete against 12 week franchise wonders.

    I would love to give FREE Classes to home owners at a home center with the stipulation as follows.

    Deposit is $500 BUT if you finish the 3 month plumbing course you get your money refunded plus you get to keep the local code book.

    Imagine what a person can learn in 6 hours a day for 24 days.

    They can learn to install a faucet and a complete bathroom PROPERLY

    They can learn heat loss or the very least how to install a hot water heater safely with all the goodies like return circulation and how to change a simple thermo couple.

    So I think most home owners would be BETTER served going to a home center and asking to talk to someone in plumbing/heating rather then risking their lives to either a 12 week franchise wonder Or a non licensed degenerate dabbling in the field.

    Without formal training or a Masters license these dabblers are NOT plumbers by any stretch of the imagination.

    I think that as more folks start seeing what is really out there tinkering in their homes and offices the utilities will have to start doing more in home service.

    If a home owner wants qualified folks they will have to pay professional prices other wise let them do it themselves SAFELY.

    All the home owners have to do is ASK TO SEE THE MASTERS LICENSE of the person doing the actual job.

    Hey you go into a Taxi cab there is the guys hack license why should plummmin be different? As we have plenty of hacks out there also.

    Have fun and I do agree with lots of professionals working in home centers rather then deal with the garbage out in the field today. Hey its only my opinion



    SylvanLMP

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