Earn More MoneyApril 29, 2021May 31, 2021

How Much Money Can A Plumber Earn?

Hello again and welcome to another article! We’ve covered many topics on this website. However, one of our favorite topics to speak on is trade jobs. This is for a few reasons. However, one of the main reasons is because trade jobs are often overlooked due to the fact that they’re not holistically covered throughout high school. The fact of the matter is that trade jobs can earn your much more money than a typical job and cost less money to get into. However, most of them are very hands-on.

This is why we’re going to go through one of the many trade jobs and see what it involves. This includes what they do, how to become one, and how much they make. However, in this article, in particular, we will specifically talk about plumbers and how much they can earn. When many people think of plumbers, they imagine someone who fixes toilets in residential homes. However, there are many different avenues that a plumber and venture into. With that being said, let’s dive deeper into this article.

What Do Plumbers Do?

As mentioned above, many people think that plumbers just fix toilets in residential areas. Although this can be true, there are many different avenues that can be explored within the world of plumbing. Typically, there are three main focuses when looking to get into plumbing. The first is commercial plumbing. Next, is residential. Lastly, we have those plumbers who choose to specialize in service and repair. Since we can’t assume that everyone knows what each of these plumbers does, we will give a brief description of each. That way, people who are reading this article and have no idea what plumbers do will be caught up to speed.

Plumbing Avenues

First are the commercial plumbers. Commercial plumbers work on large buildings. For example, all the piping and water distribution done in the TD building would have been done by commercial plumbers. Contrasting residential plumbers, they work in large teams. These teams consist of many people with varying jobs. Some work on piping, others work on plans, etc. These companies are typically contracted out by the developers of the building. However, unless you own the company that gets contracted out, you will most likely be working for them. This can either be through sub-contracts or an hourly employee.

Next is the residential plumbers. These people work on piping, water distribution, maintenance, etc within residential homes. This includes sewage systems. Often times, you will see one person coming to your house and doing repairs/maintenance. However, depending on the project or the work that needs to be done, multiple people will be sent. These workers are usually sub-contracted or hired hourly/salary similar to the one within the commercial sector.

Lastly is the service and repair plumbers. There are the plumbers you call to do repairs. While residential/commercial plumbers can do repairs, oftentimes they mainly focus on bigger projects. Therefore, it’s best to look at this job type as a category of plumbing. This is due to the fact that repair plumbers do residential and commercial projects but focus solely on repairing.

If any of this peak your interest or sound like something you’re interested in, I implore you to do further due diligence. This is due to the fact that plumbers, regardless of their avenue, have many responsibilities. This article’s aim is to give a general view on what they do, how to become one and how much they make. However, looking for information with a further analysis will be beneficial.

How To Become A Plumber?

To become a plumber, there are a few options that you can follow. However, what many people do is check to see what the demand is for plumbing within their area. That’ll help you choose a more lucrative path. There are a few ways to do this. However, the easiest way to search up your particular job with Job Bank Canada. For the sake of this article, let’s say you found your match and are ready to dive into the world of plumbing.

First, you will almost always need a high school diploma or GED. This is one thing that is usually mandatory when looking for employment as a bare minimum.

After that, you will need a plumbers training certificate. This can be gained in a few ways. First, you can go to college and work within a plumbing program. Many schools in Ontario have this. You’ll get theoretical and practical experience. You will need approximately 720 in-school plumber training. Once you’ve acquired this by attending some sort of plumbing school, you can move onto being an apprentice. Once you’ve become an apprentice, your job is to soak up as much information as possible. That’ll allow you to become proficient at your job. Once you’ve accumulated over 8,000 hours (approximately 5 years with everything included), you will need to take an exam. This exam will cover everything that is critical within your field. Subjects such as safety and fundamentals.

After the exam is passed you’ll be certified. This means you can find work with a company, start your own business, etc. The sky is the limit. However, working for a company is recommended to start as starting a company requires a lot of investment, capital, and experience. Many customers look for experience and longevity when choosing a company.

How Much Money Do Plumbers Make?

Before we get into how much money you can earn as a plumber, it is important to note that when you’re an apprentice, you will still be getting paid. This means that, although it’s less than what you’ll be earning when you’re certified, you will still make a living. This is the beauty of trades. It requires less investment and you can jump into your field fast than most university degrees will allow.

Now, let’s take a look into how much plumbers earn. Plumbers can earn quite a substantial amount of money, some exceeding $100,000. However, that is not reflective of the average. While commercial and residential plumbers can earn varying amounts, to keep it simple, we will look at the average salaries of journeymen plumbers. Journeymen plumbers are just those who’re certified to work as a plumber.

Above is a picture depicting how much money you can potentially earn, on average, as a journeyman plumber. $32.98/h or approximately $70,000 per year. While this is the average, you can expect to earn less than this when you first become a plumber. However, depending on the company, you could start off at a higher income. The average is not reflective of what you will exactly make. Chances are, once you’ve gained enough experience and developed your skills further, you’ll earn more. However, if what you’re looking for is money, you would most likely earn the most from owning your own plumbing business.

This carries a lot of investment, time, experience, and risk. However, with high risk comes a higher reward. As an owner, you’ll be in charge of all day to day activities and contracts that are handled. The more work you have, the greater your income will be. While you will be the last one to get paid, if you’re managing your business and gaining enough business, you’ll be the one who earns the most.

Shameed Chris Khan

Shameed is just a man on a mission to help those around him gain financial success. Obsessed with writing about all things finance, this GTA native is constantly learning and sharing his experiences with others.