Plumber Envy?

[David Nereson]

 << . . . .

It's true that plumbers take a lot of heat on the list, but I
suspect that it's because the profession is such a universally
recognized prime example of a low skill requirement high pay
job. I dare say I could learn and do a plumber's job in
considerably less time than he could learn and do mine, but
that didn't have anything to do with my mention of plumbers.
. . . . . .>>
Ron N

	I've often pondered that in justifying my rates.  I wouldn't necessarily
classify plumbing as "low-skill."  You could probably learn basic plumbing
in a few months and do a passable job at the simpler, more common plumbing
repairs after 6 months or maybe a year or two's experience.  As a
homeowner, I've had to do some basic plumbing myself.  But it's almost
never leak-proof the first time I assemble it and turn on the water.  I
always have to take something apart to re-align this or that, re-solder a
joint, or put on more teflon tape or pipe thread dope, whatever.  And I
usually end up making more than just one trip to the hardware store.
	But an experienced journeyman plumber who has 20 years' or more
experience, similar to any other trade, will be familiar with old washers,
dryers, sinks, drains, disposals, etc., and will know what's common and
what's odd-ball, and what was used back then and why, how to take them
apart, what can be salvaged or re-used and what can not, what needs to be
replaced in order to be up to code (without having to go buy or check out
a book), and he'll probably do the job in less time and get it right the
first time.  It's not all simple.  There's brass fittings, black pipe
fittings, copper fittings, PVC, ABS, valves, unions, compressions
fittings, steam, water, gas, kitchens, baths, showers, tubs, old clay
drain pipe with melted-lead joints, cast iron pipe, modern PVC or ABS or
whatever, and the various sealants, adhesives, -- it goes on and on --
just look at all the parts and stuff in the plumbing aisles of any Home
Depot.
	Yes, there might be a bit more learning and a few more years' experience
involved to get to the level of a concert tuner/regulator/voicer, but I'm
guessing not a whole lot more.
	Plus, our work is relatively clean.  Yes, we work with some toxic
chemicals and risk Hantavirus when cleaning out mouse-infested pianos, and
some pianos are downright filthy.  But we don't have to pull out
foul-smelling black muck from toilet drain pipes, skin our knuckles on a
nut when the wrench slips, or run snakes down drains and pull out nasty
clumps of hair, tampons, toilet paper, human waste (thereby risking AIDS
or other infection), or be a contortionist under a dark basement utility
tub with water dripping down our neck, or don wading boots to slog through
a flooded basement.  We don't regularly lift items as heavy as cast-iron
sinks, bathtubs or toilets.
	I don't know -- I think plumbers earn their money.  It's often a nasty
job unless you only install brand-new stuff in new construction.  And they
often have to make calls on weekends or in the evenings.
	(Until you've walked a mile in their shoes . . . . )
	--David Nereson, RPT