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What can you tell me about being a Pipefitter?

Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:11 pm
Posted by GlobeFish
Member since Jan 2022
5 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:11 pm
19 year old here. Friend is trying to get me into it.

What kind of pay do you start off with and what can you expect 5 years down the road if you bust arse and are competent?

I'll be working working in Louisiana and at plants. Is work here generally consistent or do you have to constantly go out of state. He said we'll being working on turnarounds.

Lastly, what kind of hours can I expect. Is 5-10s the norm or 7-10s.

I'd trying googling all this but it varied so much from state to state.

Posted by kywildcatfanone
Wildcat Country!
Member since Oct 2012
119116 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:12 pm to
Have good insurance.

Posted by Displaced
Member since Dec 2011
32711 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:14 pm to
Save in feast for times of famine.
Posted by TDTOM
Member since Jan 2021
14443 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:15 pm to
quote:

Friend is trying to get me into it.


I would start by asking him.
Posted by Potchafa
Avoyelles
Member since Jul 2016
3215 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:15 pm to
They fit pipe
Posted by 777Tiger
Member since Mar 2011
73856 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:16 pm to
quote:

They fit pipe



while Jody lays pipe
Posted by notiger1997
Metairie
Member since May 2009
58122 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:17 pm to
If you are working turnarounds you probably will be working 13 days in a row at around 12 hours a day. After the day off you are back at the 13 days in a row. Pre and post TA will be a little less.

If you get good and are with the right company you can stay busy most of the year In La and fill in when needed in Texas.

The welders will blame you for all of their problems. LOL
This post was edited on 1/22/22 at 12:18 pm
Posted by NoShow
Member since Feb 2013
2339 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:17 pm to
Good honest work. Can be lucrative working turnarounds. Like what was said before-save for the down times.
Posted by jamiegla1
Member since Aug 2016
6974 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:19 pm to
everything you need to know, you can find out by watching this educational, animated video series

Refined
Posted by GetmorewithLes
UK Basketball Fan
Member since Jan 2011
19058 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:23 pm to
quote:

19 year old here. Friend is trying to get me into it.


The key is to get a steady plant job if do not want to travel. However a lot of the mechanical maint in the plants here is contract which means you will make less than you would as a company employee simply because there is a middle man involved. Not many of those company jobs around anymore.

Now my advice to a 19 yr old going into a craft would be either Electrical or Instrumentation if you have the aptitude for it. These jobs are precious commodities to plants and are often company rather than contract.
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
65635 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:24 pm to
Spoiler Alert
Your Uncle Bob is gonna die. RIP brah.

This post was edited on 1/22/22 at 12:27 pm
Posted by bgtiger
Prairieville
Member since Dec 2004
11427 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:25 pm to
quote:

GetmorewithLes


Listen to what he just told you.
Posted by LSUtigerME
Walker, LA
Member since Oct 2012
3795 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:32 pm to
quote:

What kind of pay do you start off with and what can you expect 5 years down the road if you bust arse and are competent?

Pay is pretty good for the work and requirements. However, depending on your ability and intelligence, you’ll be working around a bunch of dumbasses with a few quality guys mixed in. Unfortunately, pay won’t progress too well in 5 years unless you can advance and run a crew or pick up a more exclusive craft (welding, crane operator, E&I).

quote:

He said we'll being working on turnarounds. Lastly, what kind of hours can I expect. Is 5-10s the norm or 7-10s.

Turnarounds are 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week. You’ll usually get your 14th day off, but it’s back at it after that. It’s exhausting and gets old after a month or so. But you get paid a premium for working all the time. If you can find steady work with the occasional TA, that’s usually preferred to bouncing from TA to TA.
Posted by justjoe906
Member since Oct 2013
1369 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:34 pm to
Good respectible trade.
Posted by 777Tiger
Member since Mar 2011
73856 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:36 pm to
quote:

Good respectible trade.




the world needs pipe fitters too, Danny
Posted by UncleRuckus
Member since Feb 2013
7644 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:36 pm to
It’s a decent job but not a career. Chasing turnarounds isn’t a way to live
Posted by 850SaintsGator
Pensacola
Member since Sep 2021
2241 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:37 pm to
Imma bout to fit this pipe in your mama
Posted by Got Blaze
Youngsville
Member since Dec 2013
8736 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:40 pm to
You will start out as a Pipe Fitter Helper, and undergo 30 days to 3 months of training. Job is considered HEAVY duty which means ... Lifting, Carrying, Pushing, Pulling 50 - 100 Lbs. occasionally; 20 - 50 Lbs. frequently; 10 - 20 Lbs. constantly. Frequent climbing, handling, and reaching.

Assists PIPE FITTER (construction) to assemble and install piping for air, ammonia, gas, and water systems:

Tasks

1. Cuts or drills holes in walls to permit passage of pipes, using pneumatic drill.

2. Selects specified type and size of pipe.

3. Mounts pipe hangers and brackets on walls and ceiling to hold pipe.

4. Assists PIPE FITTER (construction) to install valves, couplings, and other fittings.

5. Performs other duties as described under HELPER (any industry) Master Title.

May Also Include:

1. May disassemble and remove damaged or worn pipe.

Wages are commensurate on your experience and the job location. DOL/BLS reported wages for Lake Charles, LA in May 2020 range from $16.33/hour (25th percentile), to $19.23 (Median). Annual wages are $28,860 to $39,990 respectively.

The turnaround might be 15 days up to several months. If you have contacts with a supervisor/foreman, you can sign on for out of State jobs and make lots of money with OT. Most PF will buy a travel trailer to live in when OOS. You get paid per diem as it is cheaper to live in a trailer vs. a local hotel.

I know a pipefitter with 20 years experience, who worked for Turner Industries and he was making approx. $40 per hour. He was always traveling OOS to make more money with OT pay on 3-4 month turnarounds.




Posted by cable
Member since Oct 2018
9639 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:43 pm to
I fit my pipe in your mom last night
Posted by 777Tiger
Member since Mar 2011
73856 posts
Posted on 1/22/22 at 12:43 pm to
quote:

I know a pipefitter with 20 years experience, who worked for Turner Industries and he was making approx. $40 per hour. He was always traveling OOS to make more money with OT pay on 3-4 month turnarounds.



everything in your post sounds awful, almost like indentured servitude, absolutely no time for a life, welcome to the Proletariat comrade!
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