ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Plumbers >>> Electricians?

LMAO Big John. I've never seen that one before.

Dave

Did any one ever die because a plumber got something wrong?

If they screw up the venting and the house fills with sewer gas, death is a very good possibility.
Probably the easiest way a plumber could endanger live is by inadvertantly interrupting the bonding of the piping system but the electrician gets blamed for that.

Bugsy, a good pal in my teenage years, was killed as an apprentice plumber many years ago by an explosion in an industrial boiler-room. I don't remember whether it was steam or gas.
Either way, it was plumbing.

Alan

Plumbing license requirements are tougher in Illinois (state lic. rather than local), and other areas because of the danger to the public water supply. It's easy to take for granted, but cities like Chicago have had some very nasty diseases before they got it right.

Dave

Let's face it - plumbers are more together than EC's. Here you can't get ANY plumber for less than $60/hr. (and that's cheap)But, there are electricians who will work for $25/hr. WHY???? If we were as together as the plumbers, people would be saying "you can't get ANY electrician for less than $60/hr. As long as there are guys out there giving themselves away for $25/hr we're all screwed!!

The orthodontist had a plugged up sink in his office, and called a plumber to fix it. The plumber came in, and gave him a price.

Said the orthodontist, "Why, that's more than I make as an orthodontist!"

Said the plumber, "Ya, it's more than I was making as an orthodontist, too!"

Same here in NJ, all the plumbers I know make more than the elec. cont.. Some of the plumbing supply houses won't sell to the homeowner. You either have to go to a big box store, or get a plumber to get the fixture you want.

I have great respect for plumbers, but....

Friday I was called to assist a plumber troubleshoot a (sewage) lift station. Within moments I had identified the bad float.
The guy was his company's "ace" employee. Is it asking too much for him to be familiar with the panels his company sells, or to be able to identify a bad float?

I hear you maintenanceguy, I's rather pull wire anyday thatn pull a sewer rod. A lot of other guys I have worked with over the years have refused to do any plumbing, I must admit that new work is better than old work.

I have seen plenty of people get killed because somebody screwed up something in a piping job, but that may come from having done startup workin power plants and refineries.

Woking in an open shop (trades aren't divided) can really open your eyes to how ignorant people can be.