Burner technicians -what’s going on in this industry?

I completed my 4 year Union Plumbing Apprenticeship, worked as an A Journeyman, THEN, was ready for College. It was a breath of fresh air & I took College VERY seriously 1) I was payin'. 2) I tried the Blue Collar Route.

College AND trade school made me a well rounded double threat in my industry. I recd BOTH if you can swing it. Mad Dog

went to my gas code update this morning

2024 average age of journeyman plumber 49.9

master plumber 55.1

journeyman gas fitter 56.5

master gas fitter 60.00

employment for plumbers pipefitters etc is projected to grow 2% from 2022 to 2032

the project 5% to retire each year then the increase to keep pace would be 7%

it is extremely difficult to repair stupidity.

Steamhead has a phrase that is more apropos:

"YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID"

Common sense isn't very common. Mad Dog

FACT! (Firedragon's favorite). Mad Dog

I disagree with that. In AV most installers have never had to service what they're installing so they don't understand what they have to do to make it serviceable. They don't know not t layer things such that you can't get to the thing on the bottom without spending 3 hours taking 4 other things apart, they don't understand why there needs to be enough slack in the cable to move something out of the way or pull something out of a cabinet. You learn far more figuring out why something that someone else installed doesn't work than slapping some stuff together and doing a few quick tests that don't exercise the things that actually happen in real use then leaving it for the repair techs. I think installers need to have someone that has done service running the show at very least.

I was referring to HVAC. Installing boilers. Piping, soldering, wiring, controls, setup. Furnaces and air handlers. Knocking tin, testing SP, piping exhaust flue, running drains, leveling. The AV stuff IDK.

Common sense is something some do not have

I agree with @GroundUp to an extent. There are plenty of losers in the union and out of the union. I ran a job with 8-10 pipe fitters and 4 sheet metal guys and one of the pipefitters feel asleep outside in the blazing sun. Probably had too much liquid lunch so I fired him on the spot. And he had just come back to work after being laid off for two years…….I wonder why!!!!!! And he complained no one would hire him!!! Guess riding the bench didn't teach him anything. And he complained that "black pipe is too hard" & "why wern't we using copper" It was a steam job!! We were an out of town contractor so the other local tried to stick us with him.

But you learn who the good ones are and there were a lot of them at least in my local. I learned a lot from them when I was young. Most of them did a good job and a decent days work.

Some very good comments here. The fact of the matter is the $$$.When I started late 70's The oil companies would send you to school an have you ride with an experienced tech for a few weeks or more to "learn the ropes". Due to the high cost of labor both technician an vehicle, the consumer would faint if you charged them for a mechanic and a helper to do an annual tune up like they did in the old days. Some companies stopped this practice because after the spent all the money to train the new tech. The tech would go to the competition for a few more bucks. No loyalty, no appreciation.

I work for a private vocational school now, we offer an oil heat course 120 hours 1/2 code (license prep) 1/2 hands on. I think we do a very good job but these students have the basics they still need to ride with an experienced guy for a while. Some companies I'm sorry to say throw these guys in a van and send them on their way. The equivalent of throwing them in the shark pool to teach them how to swim.

Speaking of sharks...they are rereleasing JAWS this summer......oooh.

Mad Dog