- This topic has 3 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 23 years, 9 months ago by
SylvanLMP.
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Anonymous
For my 1000th post on here I thought I would give you food for thought.
When asking advice on this or any bulletin board think about who is giving the advice and look to see what qualifications they have
Asking a helper for advice is like asking anyone in the street as your seeking the same qualifications in most cases.
Plumbing and gas fitting and heating can be very dangerous and giving sight unseen is taking a shot in the dark at best.
To be a “plumber” takes years of dedicated training normally 5 year apprenticeship just to learn the basics. Even a journeyman MUST work under the Masters license
To be a Master plumber the best codes require ANOTHER 5 years working as a plumber before you can even take a masters exam. 10 YEARS training and we still are learning every day.
The problem with these types of boards is a lot of wanna be mechanics try to give advice rather then admit they just don’t know.
“Plumbing” encompasses several aspects like fire suppression piping and drain cleaning and proper design and knowing which materials to specify plus the welding and other means of joining systems.
When you say you cannot afford to hire a LMP you could be dead wrong as this could be the cheapest insurance you can get.
I found only one apprentice that posted on all the lists I read that really impressed me so much.
In fact I was honored to have Frank join my master plumbers discussion group where we have Professional engineers and experts from every aspect of these fields.
The plumbers I have met over the RECENT years that came to work for me in general I found the were foreign trained were the best of the group.
My top mechanic in the 80’s I was paying $55 per HR in the envelope as he was very well versed in codes and was able to give great directions on the job sites.
Today the problem in this country is a skilled labor shortage and thus certain folks are being pushed out of so called training programs without really being trained.
Some franchises even advertise mechanics trained in 12 weeks yet Even my top employees couldn’t even learn all the fittings in 12 weeks let alone any of the codes needed to be a real mechanic.
I would strongly suggest that any advice you get from ANY LIST you should ask yourself is it really worth to put your family’s health at risk asking someone with limited training and possibly no formal training what so ever?
As a certified welding instructor I could explain how to weld Aluminum or cast Iron BUT without actually showing you how to play the flame you could quite easily burn through a base metal.
These lists are here to help you make a well educated decision and have an idea what a professional may do when you call them to your home.
I hope everyone will continue to ask advice and think about the following.
When having ANYONE work in your home demand to see a license and ask about their insurance, DO NOT allow a non licensed person to either work on your plumbing or heating and in some states even drain cleaning requires a license.
If they have an apprentice book show them the door unless they are there to assist a fully qualified Master or Licensed Journeyman.
Have a great week end and May God bless
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Hi Sylvan,
Congradulations on your 1,000th post. Your posts are top notch, very informative, often thought provoking and allways interesting. You are a tribute to your profession Sylvan and a leader amongst your peers. I look forward to your future posts here and continued discussions on your private board as well. Thankyou for all the good advice, and for replying so adeptly to all my questions……..and now lets raise our glasses up……..a toast…….to Sylvan Tieger.
PS Can you make that check out in US dollars please
Frank Hiebert
3rd yr apprentice
Edmonton, Alberta -
I couldn’t agree with you more, Sylvan. Do you have any suggestions for a homeowner as to how to ensure that we are getting the qualified plumber and how to spot one who’s not so good?
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Dear home owner ASK to see the license. NO license no work in your home.
Even when you go to a doctors office you can see the license hanging on the wall.
Not only do I have all my license visible I carry my master plumbers license and Master Fire supression piping contractors lic also.Ever get in a Taxi cab low and behold you see the cab drivers name and hack number. The license is to prevent the inept from doing damage to your home.
The license is for your protection not the contractors.
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