We, at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, love our jobs most of the time, but just in case you think it’s a snap, we would like to share some of the reasons why plumbing is not an easy job.
Always Something New to Learn
Qualified plumbers need to go through a vast amount of training. It takes 4-5 years of education and working on the job as a journeyman apprentice before a plumber becomes qualified.
There are written and skills tests all along the way. Even then, rapidly changing technology and regulations impacts the plumbing field like every other field. Math and science skills are necessary, and also plumbers need to keep informed about trends and learn new options and innovations.
Hard and Demanding Work
Being a good plumber is hard work. Our busiest days are just before Thanksgiving and just before Christmas. Some plumbers spend their careers building new homes or office buildings.
Many of us spend days, nights, weekends, and holidays working to solve homeowner plumbing emergencies such as fixing leaks. It might be at 3 in the morning and outdoors during the coldest night of February, but we’ll be there working as quick as we can.
When we are doing the job, we could be bending down, squatting, on our knees, or trying to crawl into cramped spaces. And whatever position we find ourselves, we might be in it for hours. This can be exhausting and painful, but it’s often necessary to get the job done with a great result.
The tasks we do sometimes are in muck and mire. We might have to crawl under the floorboards where no one has been for years. We may need to empty septic tanks or clean up from ones that have overflowed.
There may be broken pipes and water that flooded a home while people were away. The water may have been sitting in their closed up home for days getting dank and moldy. As much as we love being plumbers, there are times when we wonder why we love our jobs so much and wouldn’t want to do any other. Here’s why –
Plumbing Keeps a Smile on Our Faces
Yes, the work can be difficult, but here’s the great news. When we do our job, we do it to make people’s lives easier and better, and to bring people the opportunity to smile again after an emergency home repair becomes necessary.
The work we do can make a positive difference, and that matters to us. Sometimes plumbers get a reputation for gruffness, but we work hard to change that too- one customer at a time and each job completed with care and consideration.
Plumbers work hard for the money they earn. The hours are frequently long; customer calls can mean working at hours when no one else is awake. It’s not unusual to work more than six or seven days a week for 12 or more hours a day (especially for plumbers who are self-employed). But it’s what we love to do.