Posted on 10/16/2008 8:53:21 AM PDT by reaganaut1
How much can a good, hard-working plumber earn in a year? I have no idea. Maybe some Freepers do.
What are some other unglamorous jobs, that don't require a college degree, that pay well?
Heating and Air retailor and installers. I got a friend and he live HIGH on the hog. I’m a physician and he is the one living in a Mansion with lot of land. I know he put in my heating and cooling system and it cost 3.5 months of my take home pay.
***What are some other unglamorous jobs, that don’t require a college degree, that pay well?***
My response was to the above question. Machinists are paid rather well, for someone who doesn’t have a degree. (When they are not on strike, of course)
Pick up the Yellow Pages and call a Plumber and ask him for an estimate to come out and unclog your toilet.
They’ll probably quote you $75.00 - $100.00 an hour, one hour minimum.
Plumbers who work on new housing/commercial buildings will charge the same.
I used to work in the trades many years ago.
Plumbers make good money, but they work hard for it.
Go climb under the crawl space of your home and try wrenching rusted out, stuck pipes.
Do it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week at minimum, for 20+ years.
This is liberal elitism at it’s best, or should I say, it’s worst.
They don’t have a clue as what the average American worker does and how hard they work.
They are used to collecting Government money for doing very little.
The Unions don’t help either - they overcharge, threaten to shut down non-union jobs, even threaten, intimidate and vandalize commercial and residential properties that are being built if they are non-union jobs.
I remember when I worked in the trades, the unions would send their thugs over and threaten the “General” (The General Contractor) if he didn’t hire them.
The “General” would have to get a court order barring them from the property, from picketing withing 1,000 feet of the job site, would have to hire Security so the wiring wouldn’t get ripped out overnight, etc...
That’s what the Unions, led by the Dems, do to people like “Joe the Plumber”
Remember a few years back in Philadelphia when those Union thugs beat up those Clinton protesters?
I live near San Francisco, and if you’re a non-union tradesman in SF, the only work you get are the $#!TTY jobs that they won’t take because they involve hard work and/or low profit margin.
My Brother was a Union Painter in SF and can tell you stories you wouldn’t believe.
Some company’s only round up to the half hour or rarely the quarter hour, not always the full hour as you said.
I don’t think that you know much about the service plumbing business, but you do keep throwing more and more made up figures out there.
Next time you eat breakfast out, estimate the diner’s gross, ignore the owner, and then go tell the short order cook how rich he must be based on your figures.
depends on what kind of HVAC you chose to go in your house as well as what size (tonnage) the unit/s are. Did you go with the recommended high SEER rating to help cut energy costs over the life of the system? How many zones (systems) are in your house? A high efficiency, 2 zone house with indoor air quality additions such as uv lights and media filters can run upwards of 35,000 on a new installation home, for a change out maybe 18,000-22,000. This equipment is expensive, as well as the 410A refrigerant they use. Copper is going nuts on the market as well which adds significantly to costs. Hope this helps
depends on what kind of HVAC you chose to go in your house as well as what size (tonnage) the unit/s are. Did you go with the recommended high SEER rating to help cut energy costs over the life of the system? How many zones (systems) are in your house? A high efficiency, 2 zone house with indoor air quality additions such as uv lights and media filters can run upwards of 35,000 on a new installation home, for a change out maybe 18,000-22,000. This equipment is expensive, as well as the 410A refrigerant they use. Copper is going nuts on the market as well which adds significantly to costs. Hope this helps
depends on what kind of HVAC you chose to go in your house as well as what size (tonnage) the unit/s are. Did you go with the recommended high SEER rating to help cut energy costs over the life of the system? How many zones (systems) are in your house? A high efficiency, 2 zone house with indoor air quality additions such as uv lights and media filters can run upwards of 35,000 on a new installation home, for a change out maybe 18,000-22,000. This equipment is expensive, as well as the 410A refrigerant they use. Copper is going nuts on the market as well which adds significantly to costs. Hope this helps
There are fewer and fewer people that know a trade, I don't know the first thing about business management, I don't own a tie, I can't sit still in a meeting, but I can find what makes the toilet not flush, or lights go out. (hopefully not the same thing). The fewer people that know a trade the more in demand my work will become, and the more I can charge for it.
so sorry about the multiple posts! Did not alert that my response had been submitted, and earlier today my posts were not being posted at all? Anyone else having this issue?
Yeah, but that hourly rate charged by the plumber’s company is not what the plumber gets - far from it! That rate covers taxes, rent/mortgage, equipment purchase/replacement, support office staff wages, etc. The plumber might make $30 out of that $65-$85, if that much!
I did, and context is everything.
As I recall the "Joe the plumber" conversation, he wanted to buy the business, not already owned one.
So you answered the wrong question.
Exactly what I expect an Obamarobot would do. Always answer the wrong question, or change the subject.
Like I said, things may be different where you live. Or you may just be special.
My experience is as I stated.
I don’t think that you know much about the service plumbing business, but you do keep throwing more and more made up figures out there.
What made up figures have I thrown out? $65 to $85 an hour?
Call a plumber, company or private, and see what they quote you.
I answered the question that was asked.
What have you done other than tell me I'm wrong without backing anything you say up in any way, form, or fashion?
As a retired plumber, I can say we make a very comfortable living - if the work is available. When construction slows, so does the income.
My experience in the plumbing and pipefitting industry covered multiple jobs from simple faucet repairs to nuclear power plant construction and everything in-between.
A motto I learned during my apprenticeship...
“Your Crap Is Our Bread and Butter”
I answered on topic.
Look at the question that was posted, not the question you think was asked.
Ah, start with the insults. We know what you're trying to do now.
Always answer the wrong question, or change the subject.
As for being an Obamarobot, you might want to see this .
“Second, the question wasn’t how much can a plumber make working for a plumbing company.
A plumber in my area, working for himself, charging an average amount, before expenses and taxes, working an average year, no overtime, no weekends or holidays would make about $156,000.
I answered the question, I didn’t assume anything else, whether he worked for a plumbing company, whether he had others working under him, etc.”
============================================================ “How much can a good, hard-working plumber earn in a year?”
Looks like figures to me. If he owns the business then he is more than a plumber.
The question wasn't, "How much can a plumbing business owner make?".
Get it?
Can you dispute my figures?
““Around my neck of the woods plumbers charge from $65 to $85 an hour.
Counting a normal working day (8 hours), normal work year (2080 hours a year), and an average plumber wage, even though it’s the plumbing company that’s charging, that’s $156,000 a year.
Most plumbers I know work more than 8 hours a day so it would probably be more than that.”
You say that you know a large number of plumbers (you use the words “most plumbers I know”)well enough to know how many hours they book annually.
How many plumbers do you really know well enough to know how many hours that they work per year?
There are a lot of varibles out there that effect their wages such as if they are a union/non-union shop or working residential construction/commercial construction. One thing to remember is that all construction projects end, which means you don’t have a steady paycheck and benefits. A good residential plumber should never be out of work but commercial projects are subject to the down turns in the economy...Because of that, when I was in the trade, all of the old timers always tried to tell us young guys the same thing...SAVE YOUR MONEY
One last thing. When I first got into the Plumbers& Pipefitters union in 1979 our hourly wage was $16.64/hr and I would claim single and zero on my taxes. My weekly take home pay was $341 and my tax total was $324, but then that was under the Peanut farmers reign...
To give you a specific number - 2.
Now dispute my numbers as posted or stop nitpicking
Do you disagree that an average hourly rate in my area for plumbing work is $75 an hour?
Do you dispute that a normal work week is 40 hours?
Do you dispute that a normal work year, in hours, is 2080?
Do the math.
I answered a question to the best of my ability.
Once again, what have you done other than nitpick my answer with vague possibles?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.