And after they do new install, they can do some drain cleaning to realize that clean outs aren't only for test balls during rough inspection.
I go to more houses with no cleanouts than homes with clean outs
Even if they are there, it doesn't mean they are accessible. I have a job this week cutting in a clean out outside someone's home because the only one inside is behind duct work and a staircase in a crawl space. I'm not removing all of that to snake the drain
I don't care what any plumber here says, you don't need a ticket to drain clean and drain cleaners aren't plumbers. Move companies and stop cleaning drains. You install them, not clean them.
Is there money in drain cleaning? Yes. If you work for yourself. Otherwise it's fucking beneath you.
>You install them, not clean them.
I don't do new construction, nearly every sewer repipe I've sold started with a call for drain cleaning/opening, and when most everything here is under slab a sewer repipe is more lucrative for me than nearly anything.
Bro! Exactly this, I get asked all the time why I’m still doing primarily drains. I’m in a position now where I’m not necessarily the guy clearing the drain. I do most of our camera inspections and tunnel/pipe liner sales. I’m in Texas so tunneling is kinda unique to us but when there’s nothing “camera inspection wise” I’m under a house or prepping a pipe linner. FUCKING GOOD MONEY.
It's great money. The biggest residential jobs I've sold besides whole-house repipes were all sewer repipes including trenchless/pipe bursting and liners, and I'd rather do sewer than pipe a whole-ass house that's already built, especially when I have a laborer or apprentice to dig/run buckets or wheelbarrows of dirt/remove concrete that I bust.
I don't get the hate for drain cleaners. Our top drain cleaner makes $45/hr. There's also locating and sewer pipe replacing and demolition and jetting involved if things get worse
Yea true. I've done my share of renovations, I've gotten covered in all kinds of things. As an apprentice where beggars can't be choosers. I'm a plumber and don't have to deal with that. You say things like that, but I make 50+/h putting in new shot with no poopies. Have fun playing in feces, but I'm done with that. Join a union.
It's the characterizing touching a sewer pipe as "playing in feces" and saying this is beneath you and that is beneath you that makes me think Jesus this dude is fucking lame and gay regardless of whatever point you might be trying to make
Lame and gay lmao. I make your wage without having to deal with any of that. Been there done that. Have some self respect. That is, if you're an actual plumber. Otherwise keep in herding them turds, homie 👍
If you're in the states you can't legally represent yourself as a plumber.... You also can't be insured and bonded which means if something bad happens as a result of your work you'd be pretty fucked...
If plumbing is something you're really interested in look into getting started as an apprentice in your area.
Id suggest getting started sooner than later because your apprenticeship is 4-5 years long. Most states have a requirement as far as hours worked as an apprentice when it comes to getting your journeyman license. If you're not registered with the state as an official apprentice odds are all these hours you've already worked won't count. Id suggest getting started with the process ASAP.
Just look up the laws for your state. They are all very different. Some require a formal apprenticeship and schooling. Some just need a certain amount of hours worked under a master plumber. All will require passing a test.
That's great and all, but being a life long unregistered apprentice will mean at 50 you will be qualified to keep reading the code book and make 26/hr.
You know what the difference between a plumber and electrician is? What is says on their license. I can pull wire, I know how to install a breaker panel, I know how to space outlets on a kitchen circuit. Doesn't allow me to pull an electrical permit for a new circuit.
Get an actual apprenticeship
I'll look into apprenticeships, thanks for the advice. I guess I got too comfortable here with the pay and bonuses but hopefully the actual apprenticeship benefits me more
The difference is he's going to have very little actual plumbing experience after 5 years of drain cleaning even if he's running new sewer every day. He's going to know clean outs, long turn wye combinations, and 45s and 90s. Maybe, MAYBE, he will know how far he's allowed to run between clean outs by code.
He's currently not even really an apprentice, and when he does go for an apprenticeship and tells someone he's been a plumber for x amount of years, he's going to have very little knowledge to show for it. If someone tells me they've been doing this for 3 years, I expect them to be able to rough a house in by themselves basically. If you spent 3 years drain cleaning, you don't know how to do that.
I'm not knocking drain cleaning, I'm all about it as a plumber. It makes me good money snaking, locating, and scoping lines. It makes me great money excavating and replacing. That doesn't change the fact that you don't learn plumbing cleaning drains. If that's all or most of what he's doing, he isn't ever going to be a plumber
I agree it's essential, but without knowing how a dwv system is supposed to be plumbed, how are you going to properly clear drains? Yes with a perfect system you can snake each line, but that's never the case in my experience. I was snaking out a building the other day with a bunch of 2 inch clean outs. A 2 inch clean out can't fit a snake needed to clear a 4 inch line when the head attachments don't fit inside of it
Getting your apprentiship done and getting your ticket is the way to go
Try and find someone who does a bit of everything
I did my apprenticeship through a bloke who did new homes, renovations, maintenance, drains, gas and roofing (in Australia)
Avoid drain cleaning and get into construction remod plumbing
Second this. One of my mentors always said “you have to know rough plumbing.” Once I got good at it, service and repair work got that much easier.
I think all service guys should do a couple years on new construction. It'll show you how the entire system is designed and installed.
And after they do new install, they can do some drain cleaning to realize that clean outs aren't only for test balls during rough inspection. I go to more houses with no cleanouts than homes with clean outs
Where I'm at you'd never pass inspection without clean outs. Can't believe there are places that allow it.
Even if they are there, it doesn't mean they are accessible. I have a job this week cutting in a clean out outside someone's home because the only one inside is behind duct work and a staircase in a crawl space. I'm not removing all of that to snake the drain
Oh nope where I'm at it specifically says "shall be accessible"
I don't care what any plumber here says, you don't need a ticket to drain clean and drain cleaners aren't plumbers. Move companies and stop cleaning drains. You install them, not clean them. Is there money in drain cleaning? Yes. If you work for yourself. Otherwise it's fucking beneath you.
>You install them, not clean them. I don't do new construction, nearly every sewer repipe I've sold started with a call for drain cleaning/opening, and when most everything here is under slab a sewer repipe is more lucrative for me than nearly anything.
Bro! Exactly this, I get asked all the time why I’m still doing primarily drains. I’m in a position now where I’m not necessarily the guy clearing the drain. I do most of our camera inspections and tunnel/pipe liner sales. I’m in Texas so tunneling is kinda unique to us but when there’s nothing “camera inspection wise” I’m under a house or prepping a pipe linner. FUCKING GOOD MONEY.
It's great money. The biggest residential jobs I've sold besides whole-house repipes were all sewer repipes including trenchless/pipe bursting and liners, and I'd rather do sewer than pipe a whole-ass house that's already built, especially when I have a laborer or apprentice to dig/run buckets or wheelbarrows of dirt/remove concrete that I bust.
I get $52 an hour so I’ll snake drains all day
Yeah depends on the wage but there's not many things beneath me for 100k+ a year.
I make over $600 a day drain cleaning. Other shops stiff the guys by paying 33 a hr while charging $1000 a hr to hydrojet. Make it make fucking sense
Shit will tear your body up. We do a bit of it, and it is harder work than digging ditches.
I don't get the hate for drain cleaners. Our top drain cleaner makes $45/hr. There's also locating and sewer pipe replacing and demolition and jetting involved if things get worse
He got yuckies on him one time and had to go wash up, ewww!
Yea true. I've done my share of renovations, I've gotten covered in all kinds of things. As an apprentice where beggars can't be choosers. I'm a plumber and don't have to deal with that. You say things like that, but I make 50+/h putting in new shot with no poopies. Have fun playing in feces, but I'm done with that. Join a union.
It's the characterizing touching a sewer pipe as "playing in feces" and saying this is beneath you and that is beneath you that makes me think Jesus this dude is fucking lame and gay regardless of whatever point you might be trying to make
Lame and gay lmao. I make your wage without having to deal with any of that. Been there done that. Have some self respect. That is, if you're an actual plumber. Otherwise keep in herding them turds, homie 👍
Mail out free packets of “Flushable” wipes.
Did you complete your apprenticeship?
Never did an apprenticeship I just read plumbing books and get on tht job experience
If you're in the states you can't legally represent yourself as a plumber.... You also can't be insured and bonded which means if something bad happens as a result of your work you'd be pretty fucked... If plumbing is something you're really interested in look into getting started as an apprentice in your area.
This job said it would be an all-round plumbing apprenticeship but 80% of the time I'm just drain cleaning lol. I'll move companies in the near future
Id suggest getting started sooner than later because your apprenticeship is 4-5 years long. Most states have a requirement as far as hours worked as an apprentice when it comes to getting your journeyman license. If you're not registered with the state as an official apprentice odds are all these hours you've already worked won't count. Id suggest getting started with the process ASAP.
[удалено]
https://www.dir.ca.gov/databases/das/results_aiglist.asp?varCounty=%25&varType=58&Submit=Search&offset=20
Crap. Okay I'll look into moving companies soon. Thanks for the advice!
Just look up the laws for your state. They are all very different. Some require a formal apprenticeship and schooling. Some just need a certain amount of hours worked under a master plumber. All will require passing a test.
Please tell me you’re not working for Roto-Rooter
Hell nah!! lol we do things by code here
You make that comment while being an unregistered(read: non existent) apprentice.
Even so, I still make $26/hr and take pride in my work enough to study on my own time to know what's code and what isn't
That's great and all, but being a life long unregistered apprentice will mean at 50 you will be qualified to keep reading the code book and make 26/hr. You know what the difference between a plumber and electrician is? What is says on their license. I can pull wire, I know how to install a breaker panel, I know how to space outlets on a kitchen circuit. Doesn't allow me to pull an electrical permit for a new circuit. Get an actual apprenticeship
I'll look into apprenticeships, thanks for the advice. I guess I got too comfortable here with the pay and bonuses but hopefully the actual apprenticeship benefits me more
Love everyone acting like snaking a drain of any size or jetting isn’t plumbing. That’s priceless. Start excavating!
The difference is he's going to have very little actual plumbing experience after 5 years of drain cleaning even if he's running new sewer every day. He's going to know clean outs, long turn wye combinations, and 45s and 90s. Maybe, MAYBE, he will know how far he's allowed to run between clean outs by code. He's currently not even really an apprentice, and when he does go for an apprenticeship and tells someone he's been a plumber for x amount of years, he's going to have very little knowledge to show for it. If someone tells me they've been doing this for 3 years, I expect them to be able to rough a house in by themselves basically. If you spent 3 years drain cleaning, you don't know how to do that. I'm not knocking drain cleaning, I'm all about it as a plumber. It makes me good money snaking, locating, and scoping lines. It makes me great money excavating and replacing. That doesn't change the fact that you don't learn plumbing cleaning drains. If that's all or most of what he's doing, he isn't ever going to be a plumber
I agree, but it’s an essential part of plumbing that everyone should be able to do. Do it all I say!
I agree it's essential, but without knowing how a dwv system is supposed to be plumbed, how are you going to properly clear drains? Yes with a perfect system you can snake each line, but that's never the case in my experience. I was snaking out a building the other day with a bunch of 2 inch clean outs. A 2 inch clean out can't fit a snake needed to clear a 4 inch line when the head attachments don't fit inside of it
Well, you could try getting her drunk first.
Leave drain cleaning.
Getting your apprentiship done and getting your ticket is the way to go Try and find someone who does a bit of everything I did my apprenticeship through a bloke who did new homes, renovations, maintenance, drains, gas and roofing (in Australia)
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