Plumbing is one of the professions that are highly rewarding and evergreen as the plumbing system is an essential part of every home, whether new or old. A plumbing system is meant for bringing and distributing freshwater in the home for all needs, and for draining the wastewater out of the home. The quality of plumbing system is also important for the durability of the building as a bad drainage or leaking water can damage the building quite before its useful life as per design.
The services of a plumbing professional, or a plumber in short, are required not only during the construction of a new home or building for installation of plumbing systems but also for repair if any problem arises in the system, like blocked drains, or leakage of pipes in existing homes and other buildings.
Plumbing is one of the highly regarded professions in Tucson, Arizona as this city is arid like rest of places in Arizona State, and it requires longer lengths of pipes to bring the water into the houses. Last year, this city experienced the worst cold weather that resulted in long freezes inside the pipes fetching water, which created plumbing issues, and the Tucson plumbers remained on call for long. The situation lasted for several weeks. Besides, as the number people moving in is increasing every year, the demand for plumbing services is also increasing this city. Thus, Tucson plumbing can be an excellent career choice for you if you are a person that likes to work with hands.
How to become a plumbing professional?
There are two routes to get to pursuing plumbing as a professional, i.e. by getting an apprenticeship with a professional plumber, and by taking classes in plumbing trade from a local community college or training center. If you have decided to become a plumber, you can start your training during your high school by attending a technical or vocational high school that offers courses in plumbing.
Many people want to choose the first route, i.e. getting an apprenticeship with a professional plumber because you can start earning while you learn the skills. However, it is somewhat difficult to get one directly if you don’t have any prior experience in this field. A professional plumber would prefer to attach a person with some prior knowledge of the trade so that they are helpful in the execution of projects.
The other route is getting a formal training in this trade from a training center or local community college. Many local community colleges in Arizona offer classes in plumbing trade, for example, Pima Community College in Tucson, Gateway Community College in Phoenix, East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa. You just need to sign up at your local community college and exhibit your interest in particular training. The trade classes are also offered by vocational training centers. These trainings prepare you to easily get an apprenticeship position with a licensed plumbing professional as you have already got some training in this trade.
Vocational Training Programs
Most of the community colleges offer 1-year diploma or certificates programs, and 2-year associate degree programs. Some of the colleges also offer 4-year associate degree program.
It takes about 4-5 years to complete training and apprenticeship to become an independent plumbing professional.
License Requirements
In order to practice plumbing as professional or contractor, appropriate licenses are required from Arizona Registrar of Contractors in C-37, C-37R, or K-77 categories, whichever is applicable according to the scale of work. The licensing requirement is 2-5 years of training and work experience, and passing an examination conducted by the relevant licensing authority.
Works Done by a Plumber
The works required to be done by a plumber include, but not limited to, installation, maintenance, and repair of pipes that carry in fresh water, and take out waste water from the building, install and replace water heaters, fixtures in the kitchens and bathrooms in homes and offices. The industrial plumbers need to be more technical and should be capable of reading blueprints, locating piping routes and marking, fitting industrial pipes, valves, and other accessories, etc.