How to become Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter in 2024

Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter Help plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, or pipelayers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.

Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter is Also Know as

In different settings, Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter is titled as

  • Plumber's Helper

Education and Training of Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Education Required for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Degrees Related to Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Training Required for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

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

What Do Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter do?

  • Cut or drill holes in walls or floors to accommodate the passage of pipes.
  • Measure, cut, thread and assemble new pipe, placing the assembled pipe in hangers or other supports.
  • Mount brackets and hangers on walls and ceilings to hold pipes, and set sleeves or inserts to provide support for pipes.
  • Requisition tools and equipment, select type and size of pipe, and collect and transport materials and equipment to work site.
  • Fit or assist in fitting valves, couplings, or assemblies to tanks, pumps, or systems, using hand tools.
  • Assist pipe fitters in the layout, assembly, and installation of piping for air, ammonia, gas, and water systems.
  • Excavate and grade ditches, and lay and join pipe for water and sewer service.
  • Cut pipe and lift up to fitters.
  • Disassemble and remove damaged or worn pipe.
  • Clean shop, work area, and machines, using solvent and rags.
  • Install gas burners to convert furnaces from wood, coal, or oil.
  • Immerse pipe in chemical solution to remove dirt, oil, and scale.
  • Clean and renew steam traps.
  • Fill pipes with sand or resin to prevent distortion, and hold pipes during bending and installation.
  • Perform rough-ins, repair and replace fixtures and water heaters, and locate, repair, or remove leaking or broken pipes.

Qualities of Good Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • 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.
  • Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
  • Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
  • Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • 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.
  • Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
  • Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • 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.
  • Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
  • Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
  • Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
  • Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
  • Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
  • Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.

Tools Used by Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

  • Adjustable wrenches
  • Air compressors
  • Air hammers
  • Air operated grinders
  • Air pressure gauges
  • Air wire brushes
  • Aligning clamps
  • 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
  • Belting slings
  • Bench chain vises
  • Bench vises
  • Bevel grinding machines
  • Bibb seat tools
  • Block and tackle equipment
  • Bolt cutters
  • Boring machines
  • Box end wrenches
  • Brazing equipment
  • Bulldozers
  • Butane torches
  • Cable plows
  • Cable saws
  • Calipers
  • Carpenters' levels
  • Caulking guns
  • Centering head tools
  • Chain falls
  • Chain tongs
  • Chain wrenches
  • Channel lock pliers
  • Circular saws
  • Cleanout plug wrenches
  • Compactors
  • Compound leverage wrenches
  • Comprehensive water gauges
  • Compression sleeve pullers
  • Concrete saws
  • Cordless drills
  • Cordless screwdrivers
  • Crescent wrenches
  • Crowbars
  • Cutoff saws
  • Deburring tools
  • Diagonal cutting pliers
  • Die heads for plastic pipe/conduit
  • Die heads for threading machines
  • Direct current DC arc welder
  • Direct tap machines
  • Ditch pumps
  • Drain cleaning cables
  • Drain cleaning machines
  • Dredges
  • Drill presses
  • Dump trucks
  • Dumpy levels
  • End pipe wrenches
  • Excavators
  • Expanding-jaw pliers
  • Explosimeters
  • Facing machines
  • Faucet handle pullers
  • Faucet stem and cartridge pullers
  • Fill pumps
  • Flaring tools
  • Flat files
  • Flow gauges
  • Forklifts
  • Four-in-one keys
  • Gas leak detection devices
  • Gasket cutters
  • Generators
  • Graders
  • Hacksaws
  • Hand spinners
  • Hand tachometers
  • Heavy duty water pressure gauges
  • Hex wrenches
  • Hole cutting tools
  • Hollow core socket wrenches
  • Horizontal boring machines
  • Hydraulic cranes
  • Hydraulic valve turners
  • Hydrostatic testers
  • Impact hammers
  • Impact screwdrivers
  • Impact wrenches
  • Internal wrenches
  • Ladders
  • Laser levels
  • Lathes
  • Light pickup trucks
  • Line locators
  • Magnetic circle layout tools
  • Magnetic locators
  • Manlifts
  • Manual benders
  • Manual screw jacks
  • Maximum reading water pressure gauges
  • Measuring tapes
  • Metal inert gas MIG welders
  • Mini hacksaws
  • Mini tubing cutters
  • Moisture meters
  • Monkey wrench sets
  • Motor-driven brushes
  • Motor-driven grinders
  • Mud pumps
  • Narrow mouth shovels
  • Non-contact infrared thermometers
  • Null locators
  • Offset grinders
  • Offset pipe wrenches
  • Ohmmeters
  • Oilers
  • One stop wrenches
  • Optical levels
  • Pedestal grinders
  • Pedestal sink wrenches
  • Phillips head screwdrivers
  • Pigs
  • Pipe benders
  • Pipe bending mandrels
  • Pipe beveling machines
  • Pipe cutters
  • Pipe cutting machines
  • Pipe extractors
  • Pipe flange aligners
  • Pipe freezing kits
  • Pipe lasers
  • Pipe threaders
  • Pipe threading machines
  • Pipe wrenches
  • Pipelayers
  • Pipeline jacks
  • Plasma cutting guides
  • Plastic nut basin wrenches
  • Plumbers' pliers
  • Plumbers' snakes
  • Plungers
  • Pneumatic drills
  • Pneumatic wire brushes
  • Polyvinyl chloride PVC cutters
  • Polyvinyl chloride PVC saws
  • Pop-up plug wrenches
  • Portable grinders
  • Portable welding machines
  • Power drills
  • Power spinners
  • Powered tampers
  • Pressurized water pigs
  • Propane torches
  • Pry bars
  • Pulleys
  • Radius markers
  • Rapwrenches
  • Rat-tail files
  • Ratchet wrenches
  • Ratcheting box wrenches
  • Reamers
  • Rebar locators
  • Reciprocating pipe saws
  • Reciprocating saws
  • Right-angle drills
  • Rodders
  • Roll groovers
  • Root ranger jetter nozzles
  • Rotary hammers
  • Round point shovels
  • Rubber strap wrenches
  • Safety harnesses
  • Sand pumps
  • Sandblasters
  • Scaffolding
  • Seat dressers
  • Seat wrenches
  • Sewage pumps
  • Sewer tapes
  • Shielded arc welding tools
  • Shower valve socket wrenches
  • Shut-off keys
  • Six-step faucet seat wrenches
  • Sledgehammers
  • Slip joint pliers
  • Snakes
  • Soil pipe cutters
  • Soldering equipment
  • Soldering irons
  • Spiral ratchet pipe reamers
  • Split bubble levels
  • Spud wrenches
  • Staple guns
  • Stationary grinders
  • Stillson wrenches
  • Straight pipe wrenches
  • Straight-fluted pipe reamers
  • Strap wrenches
  • Sump pumps
  • Swaging tools
  • Tapping tools
  • Telescopic inspection mirrors
  • Telescoping basin wrenches
  • Test pumps
  • Thread repair files
  • Tin snips
  • Tirfors
  • Torch cutter guides
  • Torches
  • Track loaders
  • Tractor pipe carrier attachments
  • Tractors with backhoe attachments
  • Tractors with loader attachments
  • Transit levels
  • Transmitters
  • Trenchers
  • 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 pumps
  • Vacuum gauges
  • Vacuum plungers
  • Vertical bandsaws
  • Vibration analyzers
  • Video diagnostic tools
  • Voltmeters
  • Water heater element removal wrenches
  • Water jetters
  • Water meter keys
  • Water pressure gauges
  • Water pump pliers
  • Water samplers
  • Water stoppers
  • Welding clamps
  • Welding hoods
  • Wheel loaders
  • Wide roll pipe cutters
  • Winches
  • Wire brushes
  • Wire tracers

Technology Skills required for Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitter

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Word