Is plumbing complete pants

[hammers4spanner]

Is anyone here actually happy with their job ??
Every plumber I know who has been doing this for a decent level of time utterly hates this trade .
Must admit I'm included in that bunch , nearly 30 years of this and it grates me .

 

[Harvest Fields]

I love my job and will be doing it until I retire. But I’m a heating engineer first and foremost really.

 

[rpm]

There are good days and err, not so good days. Find a lot of it depends on the customer tbh.

 

[Harvest Fields]

There are good days and err, not so good days. Find a lot of it depends on the customer tbh.

And the previous engineers work

 

[Welder]

Every plumber I know who has been doing this for a decent level of time utterly hates this trade .

Inventing TapMedic has meant me moving from the tools.

Like you, I had begun to despise dealing with the general public. Their ridiculous and unsustainable demands and unwillingness to understand our perspective or advice, coupled with always assuming we are lying b4stards, sapped my willingness to get out of bed, or return calls or even show up on occasions. You kinda think, sod it! if I'm treated that way I'll behave like they expect me to. I loved many many of my customers, and still go to help when they call me, but I found it took 10 good ones to offset the negative impacts of an arseh0le.

I also found dealing with the major merchants more & more frustrating. For most it was all a 'transactional' relationship. By that I mean the, 'right I've got your money now go away' attitude. That was why I moved to independants.

However, interestingly, some of them are now growing into that mindset as they are swallowed up. Personally I feel it's a lack of connection by management that drives it. Bringing people in to 'run' the business who have no idea of the business, means you lose the critical success factor of that connection.

 

[Scott_D]

A trade means you don’t have many transferable skills. You have spent so many years doing the same thing you are kind of stuck.
Unless you want to go and start at the bottom of the ladder again.

 

[Welder]

Just wrote this. Thoughts?

Recently on a help forum I frequent, a tradesman of over 30 years shared his slide into what can only be described as ‘loathing’ his trade.

Dishearteningly, he is an archetypal ‘good guy’. He is a truly gifted individual, someone who chose his trade, someone who enjoys giving not someone who failed to get a job asking, “Do you want fries with that?” that we see presented today.

You know, it saddens me deeply, but I get his point. When you are continuously treated with utter contempt, considered dishonest, unprofessional and a work shy ‘thicko’ for most of your working life, is it any wonder that people revert to type as a form of defence? Is it any wonder that no one, certainly no one of any level of emotional intelligence, wishes to put themselves up for this global crucifixion – customers, suppliers, media et al?

One can argue till one is blue in the face about the chicken or egg of the situation. The fact is, the physical skills the UK needs to literally run on an hour by hour basis are dying out as the talented, experienced tradespeople get out – regardless of reasons why.

Let’s just contemplate the consequences of, say British plumbers, withdrawing their labour. How might it impact YOU? Most of you reading this will think, no problem. You’d be wrong. Very wrong. Whilst you may not be immediately impacted, as soon as vital infrastructure reliant upon plumbing skills breaks down then millions are impacted simultaneously. Let’s look at a little, very far from exhaustive list.

• No hot water

Bathe in cold water
Many businesses closed​

• No cold water
  No bathing at all
  No toilets at all
  Many businesses closed
• Blocked drains
  100s or 1000s impacted
  NO ONE connected can flush their toilets
  NO ONE connected can throw stuff down the drains
  All businesses connected must close
• Sewage treatment works closed
  100,000s impacted
  NO ONE connected can flush their toilets
  NO ONE connected can throw stuff down the drains
  All businesses connected must close
• Hospitals closed
  Plenty of deaths directly attributable
• Food production halted
  Preparation not possible
• Food distribution slows to crawl

Yes, the humble trades person doing their job has a massive positive impact on UK PLC and its continuation. Without those essential skills people die. Businesses & consumers need to rethink the way they treat people because if they don’t then the consequences are laid bare above.

 

[Last Plumber]

There are obviously days where if crying would help you'd do it but I think that goes for every Human in every walk of life.

In general though, I enjoy it. I am more on Heating than anything else and the majority of my work is commercial.

 

[Welder]

the majority of my work is commercial.

In my experience that def helps Last. A level of professionalism & less daft emotions

 

[Ted808]

Maybe we should start a campaign to educate the general Joe about the value of plumbing and the endless challenges we face to earn a crust. Recently I went to join in fancy smanxy place, a Gardner trimmed the hedge, the kid was having guitar lessons, the other had gone off horse riding, the cleaner was polishing the door knobs, the dietician was preparing the next meal, the ..... You get the point. The heating was on full wack. I changed a 2port motor only- in and out in under an hour and they questioned the cost?!

 

[Best]

I would genuinely be much better off working in a ‘low paid’ job like Tesco.
I now get stressed at jobs that what I once thought of as straightforward. Some customers do annoy me, usually the folk who make unreasonable demands.
Plastic push fit plumbing and pointless qualifications have ruined the trade imo

 

[townfanjon]

My existing customers who I have looked after for years are just ace , its the new ones coming through that are making the job hard , these checkatrade type sites have not helped , where they tell us what they are paying .
I have plans to change direction in the next couple of years .
If I had my time again , hair and good looks which I have neither , I would be a gigolo, my dream job .

 

[rpm]

And the previous lousy engineers work

That's one part I enjoy, putting wrong right.

 

[Welder]

Maybe we should start a campaign to educate the general Joe (public?)

That is exactly what I'm involved in elsewhere (see my posts elsewhere about Trade Talks & Nathan Gambling).

One of the things we ALL need to do is value ourselves, our knowledge & our abilities far more than we do. What do I mean by that? Currently most trades people let themselves be defined by how much the ill informed and the narcissistic 'wish' to pay. Most of the time that payment falls far short of the value it delivers. This then drives everything, including our self esteem down.

The reality of the job we do is that it is incredibly hard and incredibly valuable as talked about earlier. So, don't undersell yourself. Have the confidence to turn jobs down unless they pay the real value of it.

To be honest, I'd dearly love to organise a week long stoppage of all plumbing work to watch the literally catastrophic impact on society. Then the buggers might sit up & respect us. The French would do it, why haven't we the balls?

 

[Welder]

That's one part I enjoy, putting wrong right.

But its not often you are really thanked for it is it Kev?

 

[rpm]

But its not often you are really thanked for it is it Kev?

Toiled not working
Toilet fixed
What was it?
XY and Z was wrong, all fixed now
Thank you
In general people are really thankful, maybe the nature of the work though.

 

[Ted808]

Another thing the customers don't get is that at times it's literally our lives we put on the line for them, my bl888dy knees are knackered because I'm often on them for hours at a stretch, because some clever clogs hid all the pipes in a dark corner and that's exactly where the leak is!

 

[sammathias]

Love my job. Always known I wanted to be a plumber since I was 12. Would gate to do anything else.

 

[Ted808]

Businesses & consumers need to rethink the way they treat people because if they don’t then the consequences are devestating........

YES exactly! I believe in Australia the Plumbers have social status equal to brain surgeons- ok maybe a little exaggeration... but you know!! Here it's... ' that part is 20quid cheaper on the net' and labour --- well 250 a day in London is way way too much- NOT if you consider all the down time- driving to and fro in standstill traffic, the amount of time you can work physically (ok so that gives away that I'm not a spring chicken but hell who does want to work 50hour weeks anyway).. it's just gone banana's and I love my job. I love being the fixer of important things that people can't do without. Finding just the right part can take time even though I might only be on the job an hour sometimes it can take ages finding the right shower cartridge- tho' Dave has sorted that out now...
After 20 odd years in the trade sadly I'm feeling a bit jaded now

 

[Welder]

Love my job. Always known I wanted to be a plumber since I was 12. Would gate to do anything else.

Does that mean you feel respected each day for the work you do? You get paid on time every time without digs at your charges?

 

[Aire]

I love my job too, obviously has it's good and bad days and some customers really push your patience to the limits, but I never wake up dreading going to work, always a new place and a new job to go to, I've met many weird and wonderful characters on my travels . But I've only been doing this 14 years, and still not self employed. I'll update my answer in about 10 years

 

[Deleted member 96286]

Been at this since 1982, and still learn something new every day. Plumbing has changed a lot over the years, some of it good, some of it not so good (depending on your opinion) and the industry is continually evolving. Prices are coming down and competition is increasing here as more are getting into the trade, plus due to the economy and freeze on wages, few customers have five grand to throw at a bathroom now or any home improvements for that matter. Still, I'd rather be a plumber than sitting at home looking at four walls and watching Jeremy Kyle on day time television as some of my unemployed mates are forced to do. However it does take a lot out of you, especially your health. I worked with lead a few years back and had to get regular blood tests for lead poisoning, and I've inhaled just about every form of asbestos and toxic fumes going, before health and safety became stricter as it is now, plus my knees and finger joints are fecked in cold weather due to strain being put on them. I fell ten feet off a ladder three weeks ago and skelped my head off a door on the way down and ended up with yet another hospital visit. The CT scan was well let's just "interesting" as to what they found as damage sustained from over the years. Still, I would happily keep going for another ten years as a plumber if my body keeps going.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I was about a month old in 1982 mate

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I was about a month old in 1982 mate

Count your self lucky I wasn’t even born yet

 

[Deleted member 96286]

I was about a month old in 1982 mate

Aye pal, I'm an auld fart now and feel it too

 

[Scott_D]

I was about a month old in 1982 mate

You must have had 2 paper rounds as a kid. Both uphill

 

[Deleted member 96286]

Fifty Four years young. As long as they keep pumping me with Hobgoblin and Scotch Whisky, I'll make it to Fifty Five, well maybe, just maybe.

 

[Harvest Fields]

You must have had 2 paper rounds as a kid. Both uphill

Tell me about it. The time I did in the military didn’t help.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I’ll have your Hobgoblin. You can stick your Scotch where the sun doesn’t shine. I will keep my Bourbon thanks.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I’ll have your Hobgoblin. You can stick your Scotch where the sun doesn’t shine. I will keep my Bourbon biscuits thanks.

 

[Harvest Fields]

Funny you Mr Corbs

 

[Welder]

Count your self lucky I wasn’t even born yet

Bl00dy whippersnappers

 

[townfanjon]

Bl00dy whippersnappers

Snap

 

[king of pipes]

Makes me feel like the grandad of the bunch i have been strangling pipes of one sort or the other for 40 years its provided a good standard of living for myself and my family, I have been divorced though and it has taken its toll on me physically , but if I had my time again I would not choose another trade , I just couldn't do the same thing in the same work environment day in day out. Cheers kop