Plumbers work on residential and light industrial piping systems, while pipefitters work on industrial, commercial, or military applications. Plumbers install fixtures and work with materials like PVC and copper, while pipefitters work with special metals and alloys for high-pressure systems. Both are needed in industries like oil drilling and refining, and licensing and certification requirements vary by state.
The difference between plumbers and plumbers is generally one of scale and skill. While both work with various pipe and valve materials, plumbers are generally engaged in residential or light industrial piping systems for potable water, waste disposal, and heating/cooling. Pipefitters, also called steamfitters, work primarily in industrial, commercial or military applications.
The skills required for plumbing jobs are broader and often more demanding than those of a plumber. A craftsman plumber is a skilled professional trained to read blueprints and work with materials such as PVC, copper, and galvanized pipes and to form and connect these pipes using wire, glue, and solder. In addition to building a network of connecting pipes, a plumber installs fixtures such as sinks, toilets, faucets, and faucets.
A pipe worker uses some of these same skills and materials in the course of his job, but he also works with special metals and alloys that can withstand very high pressures. Fitting materials such as stainless steel, high carbon steel and other alloys are often used in the processing of hazardous materials such as live steam. Connecting metal alloy high-pressure pipes requires a high degree of specialized welding skill as part of a pipe-fitting job.
A wide variety of plumbing careers are available in industries such as oil drilling and refining, merchant and navy, and manufacturing. In the petroleum industry, pipefitters build piping systems to transport crude oil great distances from oil fields to refineries, and petroleum products from refineries to metropolitan distribution centers. In marine and merchant marine applications, plumbing jobs include the installation and repair of fuel, plumbing, and ventilation systems.
Production often needs both plumbers and plumbers. Plumbers install and maintain water systems needed for drinking, washing, and waste disposal, as well as sprinklers for cooling and fire control. Pipefitters install and maintain high-pressure pipe and valve dispensing systems that can handle a variety of materials, including live steam, solvents, paints, or food processing ingredients.
In the United States, licensing for plumbers and pipe workers often varies from state to state. It is not unusual for plumbers and pipe workers to be dual certified due to overlapping apprentice skills and training. Many industrial companies require a person to have formal certification and experience and pass a welding skills test before a job offer is made. With the rise of industrial globalization, pipework jobs are regularly available around the world in oilfields, power plants, pipelines and shipbuilding.
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