Last week we attended our state mandated plumbing code update course.  Every three years the State of Michigan undergoes a new “code cycle” whereas the current code is reviewed and adjusted as necessary.  All licensed plumbers are required to take a one day code update class to learn all of the new changes to the current plumbing code.  The attendance at this particular class was pretty typical, but the average age was anything but ordinary.  Out of the 288 licensed journeyman and master plumbers attending, only about 20 of us were under the age of 40.  Even more shocking were the FOUR attendees under the age of 30! This small sampling is a fairly accurate barometer of a very serious problem that is plaguing our industry.  The skilled trades, plumbing in particular, is becoming a dying profession.  While it is true that the recession had taken a very drastic toll on the number of skilled labor positions, there is a much deeper cultural effect at work. 

The trend these days is for an all-in, all-or-nothing collegiate push.  ”They” tell us there is no way you will ever earn a decent living without the outrageously expensive college degree.  This advice has ever so slowly built a top heavy educated work force that appears to be tipping.  We are obsessed with lending billions of dollars we don’t have, to kids who will struggle for years or even decades to pay it back, for jobs that will not be so easy to come by.  As Mike Rowe from the TV show “Dirty Jobs” points out, “work smart not hard” may be the worst advice ever given.  He has even gone so far as to alter the phrase to “work smart AND hard.”   

The job opportunities are opening up in blue collar fields at an astonishing rate.  Employers are struggling to find good motivated workers.  While this is ultimately going to benefit those of us IN these professions, it is not good for the professions themselves.  Good plumbers, electricians and carpenters are going to be very difficult to come by in the coming years.  The potential for a great career and income has never been higher.  While many jobs are being phased out, outsourced and eliminated, on-site construction and repair is one thing that will never go away.  

It seems we are not doing enough to educate the coming generations on the benefits, the challenge and the incredible career potential that the skilled trades have to offer.  Working with your hands and looking back on what you have actually accomplished at the end of the day is very rewarding in and of itself.  While it is true that many of the skilled trades are very physically demanding, shouldn’t we be THANKFUL for that?  Sitting on an office chair for 8 hours may sound more appealing at first, but given the choice, I will always choose to be moving, and yes, maybe even sweating.  

If you know of anyone that may be looking for a career choice or change, I would urge them to take a long hard look into a trade.  As for myself, I would not change a thing!

Unsurprisingly, another year has passed and we are on the brink of 2014.  Hopefully the new year will be filled with new adventures, happy times and will create some wonderful memories for you and your family. Unfortunately, it will also be filled with a new hidden tax that will be passed on to you, the consumer, by way of more expensive plumbing supplies and fixtures.  In the government’s never ending quest to protect us all from ever dying, we will be faced with yet another regulation.  This time the enemy is lead.  This is by no means intended to be a political post, or even a medical one, as I am ill suited to properly explain either.  What I am intending to do, is simply pass along this new regulation that we as plumbers will be forced to follow by law (and maybe point out some of the silly aspects of it).  While I am obviously not opposed to making things safer, I am opposed to laws that have many foolish facets and do not seem to be properly thought out.  

Beginning January 4 2014, any product that comes in contact with the potable (drinking) water system must not have a lead content exceeding .25%.  All plumbing materials and fixtures must be NSF 372 certified in order to be code compliant for potable water systems.  This is mainly going to effect brass.  The lead in brass will now need to be substituted with a different allow, and all of these new alloys will be more expensive than the lead.  This means the cost of anything plumbing related that contained brass will be going up.  In most cases the cost increase will be anywhere from 15-30%.  Some faucet manufacturers have simply decided to abandon almost all brass in favor of plastic.  This is the reason most new faucets appear to be very cheap and flimsy, because they are!  Some manufacturers have opted to retool their factories and stick with brass, but rest assured, that cost will be passed on.  

While most of this appears to make sense, it is a blanket law covering all plumbing materials. Exceptions have not been made for specific items that would not ever leach lead into waters that a person would drink.  A few of these items that will be covered by the law are irrigation backwater valves which serve ONLY your sprinklers.  A hot water vacuum breaker, or temperature and pressure relief valve.  The last time I checked, most people did not drink hot water, and even if they did, these two items barely have any surface area that even make contact with the potable water system.    

The law may get even more silly when the inspector mandates that the new valves on your bathroom remodel be NSF 372 certified, but he fails to mention that your water MAIN coming into your house is a LEAD PIPE!  Of course, this only applies if you live in an old home, most likely downtown.  

Merry Christmas everyone!  Your new year MAY be blessed with a .000025% less likely chance that you will develop lead poisoning, while your plumbing WILL be going up by about 25%.  

Sometimes in the plumbing profession, things go smoothly, and according to plan.  Other times, or rather, MOST of the time, things always seem to go a little sideways.  We recently got an email from one of our most frequent and best customers explaining a few minor plumbing jobs that needed to be done on a newly purchased property.  On these older homes, it is always a good idea to take a look at them to see what we would be getting in to.  The list seemed simple enough- new toilet seat, disconnect gas line to stove and add a shutoff valve, replace kitchen sink and faucet, and replace the bathtub faucet. All of these items were pretty simple on their own, and I had explained that it should be possible to stay within his budget.  The next day I started the work and it wasn’t until I headed downstairs that things got interesting.  I noticed a few additional problems pretty quickly, such as a rusted-away tub drain and a few water lines that had been split.  Even these few problems that were visible where not enough to cause too much concern.  I promptly made my way through all of the problems that were noticeable.  All of these issues are pretty common with older homes, especially with the old galvanized steel water lines and cast iron drains.  When everything APPEARED ok, I slowly started to turn the water on, and this is when the fun began.  Within seconds, a slow drip developed, right next to my head.  The galvanized pipe was split on the seem on the top of the pipe.  Water off, repair made- #1.  When that was fixed, it was now time to try again.  I slowly turned the water on, and a little bit further down the line, I see water pouring onto the floor.  This time there was a crack in the threaded portion of the pipe.  Water off, repair made- #2.  This pattern continued for no less than 6 repairs before I eventually had to call it a day and plan on a round 2 the next day.  By the time I was able to get the water on, 75% of the house had been replaced with pex water lines.  On day number two I eventually decided to cut my (his) losses and simply start cutting most of the old water lines out.  There were a few lines that remained in the walls that were copper, so those remained in tact, even though a few of the fittings had blown apart.  What appears to have happened in this house is that it never got properly winterized and literally EVERYTHING froze, EVERYWHERE.  Now that the water was on, I had a slight bit of optimism that I was almost going to be able to get out of there.  Of course this was not the case because we are dealing with old plumbing.  The toilet would not fill at all due to a completely corroded galvanized line serving it.  I had to turn the water back off, and run a new line with a new shutoff valve to the toilet.  After the toilet was working, I turned the water on at the dual lavatories and the faucets both worked great, to my surprise!  What I was not surprised by though was the fact that the water did not go down the drain AT ALL.  After pulling the p traps off both lavs and snaking the main drain serving them, I got all of the water to go where it was supposed to.  I was even lucky enough to find a handful of hair ties, straws, toothbrushes, and toys along the way.  If you are ever considering purchasing an older home for yourself, to flip or to rent out, keep your plumbing budget plenty high in case of unforeseen problems, which are almost always going to be there.   Allow a professional plumber to take care of it for you, and save yourself days, weeks or even a lifetime of plumbing headaches.