How to become a Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter 2024

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter is Also Know as

In different settings, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter is titled as

Drain Technician
Fire Sprinkler Service Technician
Pipe Welder
Pipefitter
Plumber
Plumbing Installer
Residential Plumber
Service Plumber
Sprinkler Fitter
Steamfitter

Education and Training of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Training Required for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter in different industries are

What Do Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter do?

Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
Inspect, examine, or test installed systems or pipe lines, using pressure gauge, hydrostatic testing, observation, or other methods.
Plan pipe system layout, installation, or repair, according to specifications.
Attach pipes to walls, structures, or fixtures, such as radiators or tanks, using brackets, clamps, tools, or welding equipment.
Modify, clean, or maintain pipe systems, units, fittings, or related machines or equipment, using hand or power tools.
Select pipe sizes, types, or related materials, such as supports, hangers, or hydraulic cylinders, according to specifications.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
Install pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances such as dishwashers or water heaters, or fixtures such as sinks or toilets, using hand or power tools.
Install automatic controls to regulate pipe systems.
Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
Keep records of work assignments.
Direct helpers engaged in pipe cutting, preassembly, or installation of plumbing systems or components.
Fill pipes or plumbing fixtures with water or air and observe pressure gauges to detect and locate leaks.
Maintain or repair plumbing by replacing defective washers, replacing or mending broken pipes, or opening clogged drains.
Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.
Anchor steel supports from ceiling joists to hold pipes in place.
Estimate time, material, or labor costs for use in project plans.
Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
Inspect structures to assess material or equipment needs, to establish the sequence of pipe installations, or to plan installation around obstructions, such as electrical wiring.
Install green plumbing equipment, such as faucet flow restrictors, dual-flush or pressure-assisted flush toilets, or tankless hot water heaters.
Cut openings in structures to accommodate pipes or pipe fittings, using hand or power tools.
Inspect work sites for obstructions or holes that could cause structural weakness.
Install fixtures, appliances, or equipment designed to reduce water or energy consumption.
Install pipe systems to support alternative energy-fueled systems, such as geothermal heating or cooling systems.
Weld small pipes or special piping, using specialized techniques, equipment, or materials, such as computer-assisted welding or microchip fabrication.
Operate motorized pumps to remove water from flooded manholes, basements, or facility floors.
Repair hydraulic or air pumps.
Repair or remove and replace system components.

Qualities of Good Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.

Tools Used by Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Acetylene torches
Adjustable slip lock nut wrenches
Adjustable wrenches
Air compressors
Air operated grinders
Air pressure gauges
Air wire brushes
Air-acetylene torches
Allen wrenches
Alternating current AC welding equipment
Amp meters
Angle air grinders
Augers
Automatic levels
Backhoes
Ball peen hammers
Bandsaws
Basin wrenches
Basket strainer wrenches
Bench chain vises
Bench yoke vises
Bibb seat tools
Block and tackle equipment
Bolt cutters
Box end wrenches
Brazing equipment
Butane torches
Cable saws
Calipers
Caulking guns
Centering head tools
Chain falls
Chain tongs
Chain wrenches
Channel lock pliers
Circular saws
Claw hammers
Cleanout plug wrenches
Cold chisels
Combination squares
Compound leverage wrenches
Comprehensive water gauges
Compression sleeve pullers
Copper cutting machines
Crescent wrenches
Crowbars
Cutting torches
Deburring tools
Desktop computers
Diagonal cutting pliers
Direct current DC arc welder
Direct tap machines
Drain cleaning cables
Drill presses
Drophead dies
Dump trucks
Dumpy levels
End pipe wrenches
Explosimeters
Faucet handle pullers
Faucet stem and cartridge pullers
Flaring tools
Flat blade screwdrivers
Flat head screwdrivers
Flow gauges
Forklifts
Four-in-one keys
Framing squares
Gas leak detection devices
Gasket cutters
Generators
Hacksaws
Hammers
Hand hacksaws
Hand spinners
Hand tachometers
Heat guns
Heavy duty drain cleaning machines
Heavy duty water pressure gauges
Hex wrenches
Hole cutting tools
Hole saws
Hollow core socket wrenches
Hydraulic cranes
Hydraulic valve turners
Hydrostatic testers
Impact hammers
Impact screwdrivers
Impact wrenches
Inductive clamps
Inner/outer reamers
Internal wrenches
Jackhammers
Jam-proof ratchet threaders
Ladders
Laser alignment tools
Laser levels
Laser printers
Lathes
Leak-testing gauges
Levels
Light pickup trucks
Line locators
Loaders
Locking pliers
Magnetic circle layout tools
Magnetic locators
Manlifts
Manual pipe benders
Manual ratchet threader sets
Material-hoisting slings
Maximum reading water pressure gauges
Measuring tapes
Metal cutting dies
Metal cutting taps
Metal hand saws
Metal inert gas MIG welders
Mini hacksaws
Mini tubing cutters
Moisture meters
Monkey wrench sets
Mud pumps
No hub torque wrenches
Non-contact infrared thermometers
Notebook computers
Null locators
Nylon strap wrenches
Offset grinders
Offset pipe wrenches
Ohmmeters
Oilers
One stop wrenches
Oxyacetylene welding equipment
Pavement stompers
Pedestal grinders
Pedestal sink wrenches
Personal computers
Personal digital assistants PDA
Phillips head screwdrivers
Pipe bending mandrels
Pipe bending tools
Pipe cutters
Pipe extractors
Pipe fabrication shears
Pipe flange aligners
Pipe flaring tools
Pipe freezing kits
Pipe lasers
Pipe taps
Pipe threaders
Pipe threading machines
Pipe vises
Pipe welding vises
Pipe wrenches
Pipeline jacks
Pit depth gauges
Plasma cutting guides
Plastic nut basin wrenches
Plastic pipe/conduit die heads
Plumb bobs
Plungers
Pneumatic pipe bevelers
Pneumatic wire brushes
Pocket levels
Polyvinyl chloride PVC cutters
Polyvinyl chloride PVC saws
Pop-up plug wrenches
Portable grinders
Portable welding machines
Power drills
Power hacksaws
Power hammers
Power pipe cutters
Power pipe threading machines
Power sink machine drain cleaners
Power spinners
Pressure gauges
Pressurized water pigs
Propane torches
Pry bars
Pulleys
Quality control QC welders' gauges
Radius markers
Rapwrenches
Rasps
Ratcheting box wrenches
Ratcheting polyvinyl chloride PVC cutters
Reamers
Rebar locators
Receding threaders
Reciprocating saws
Right-angle drills
Rodders
Roll groovers
Root ranger jetter nozzles
Rotary hammers
Rubber strap wrenches
Safety harnesses
Scaffolding
Screwdrivers
Seat dressers
Seat wrenches
Sectional drain cleaning machines
Sewage pumps
Sewer tapes
Shears
Shielded arc welding tools
Shower valve socket wrenches
Shut-off keys
Single-cut mill saw files
Six-step faucet seat wrenches
Skip loaders
Slip joint pliers
Soil pipe cutters
Soldering equipment
Spiral ratchet pipe reamers
Split bubble levels
Spud wrenches
Stands
Staple guns
Stationary grinders
Stillson wrenches
Straight pipe wrenches
Straight-fluted pipe reamers
Strainer wrenches
Strap wrenches
Sump pumps
Swaging tools
Tablet computers
Tapping tools
Telescopic inspection mirrors
Telescoping basin wrenches
Thread repair files
Threading machine die heads
Three-way pipe threaders
Tin snips
Tirfors
Toilet augers
Torch cutter guides
Torpedo levels
Transit levels
Transmitters
Trenchers
Tripod vises
Tristand chain vises
Truck cranes
Trutest smoke detectors
Tub drain removers
Tube bending springs
Tube crimping tools
Tubing cutters
Tuggers
Tungsten inert gas TIG welding equipment
Two way radios
Two-hole pins
Ultrasonic leak detectors
Universal nut wrenches
Utility knives
Utility pumps
Vacuum gauges
Vertical bandsaws
Vibration analyzers
Video diagnostic tools
Vise grip pliers
Water heater element removal wrenches
Water jetters
Water meter keys
Water pressure gauges
Water pump pliers
Water pumps
Water samplers
Water stoppers
Welders
Welding clamps
Welding hoods
Wide roll pipe cutters
Winches
Wire tracers

Technology Skills required for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

AEC Design Group CADPIPE
Atlas Construction Business Forms
Autodesk Building Systems
Bentley Systems AutoPIPE
Bookkeeping software
COADE CAESAR II
Computer aided design CAD software
Database software
Drawing and drafting software
Elite Software DPIPE
Elite Software FIRE
Elite Software HSYM
Elite Software Plumbing CAD
Elite Software Spipe
Elite Software Sprinkler CAD
Email software
Estimating software
FastEST FastPipe
FastEST software
Heat loss calculation software
Horizon Engineering Sigma Plumbing Calculator
Insight Direct ServiceCEO
Internet browser software
Intuit QuickBooks
Job costing software
Klear Estimator
KRS Enterprises Service First!
Maintenance management software
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Word
Pipepro Pipefitting
Piping construction costs estimation software
PipingOffice
PricePoint
Quicken
Quote Software QuoteExpress
Spreadsheet software
Vision InfoSoft Plumbing Bid Manager
ViziFlow
Watter Hammer Software Hytran
Wilhelm Publishing Threshold
Wintac Pro
Word processing software

US Universities

How to become Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter in 2024