# Better suited trade



## 415frisco (Oct 25, 2014)

Hello, 
Im new to this site and im eager to get some good advice from professionals towards the carpentry and sprinkler fitters trade. im recently indentured in the carpentry union as a apprentice and was offered a sprinkler pipe fitters apprenticeship in a couple months i would like to know any of your thoughts were to help me make a solid decision.


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## JR Shepstone (Jul 14, 2011)

Last I heard, in my area, the pipe fitters practically negotiated themselves out of any work in the near future because of their contract. 

I'm not being biased,unless you want to do the same job day in and day out, go be a carpenter. 

More diversification. More opportunities to expand into a niche market. Also more in-depth general knowledge.


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## Texas Wax (Jan 16, 2012)

What makes you want to do either?

I'm all about the carpentry, that's me, not you. The pipe fitters trade is good also. Your in the aprentiship for carpentry here's a few realities about sprinkler pipe fitting.

Do you like the smell of the cutting oil/fluid? You will smell like it, however there's nothing cooler than threading pipes.

Do you like the skanky smell of stagnant water that's sat in pipes for decades? LOL Plumbers have it worse tho.

Do you like working on ladders/lifts all day long?

Do you enjoy being wet? occasionally with skanky smelling water?


Always believed the sprinkler guys are in greater demand than Union Carpenters. They tend to drive better vehicles and the sprinkler companies seem to have better vehicles and Uniforms. A bit more proffessional looking at least.


Beyaond that look at journeyman pay, beni's ect and compare. Both can be good trades, but what would you rather do for the rest of your life - being a tie breaker


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## elementbldrs (Sep 26, 2010)

Im here in SF like you, and work with the sprink fitters everyday. I was raised a carpenter, but a carpenter on wood. Most union carps in the city are on commercial work therfore really framers on cold formed steel not my type of work. The sprinks however seem to be solid in thier trade. Above poster was spot on with the conditions of the job. Truth be told though, very monotonous, you will look forward to the far and few days you get to build the fire pumps and such.


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## 415frisco (Oct 25, 2014)

415frisco said:


> Hello,
> Im new to this site and im eager to get some good advice from professionals towards the carpentry and sprinkler fitters trade. im recently indentured in the carpentry union as a apprentice and was offered a sprinkler pipe fitters apprenticeship in a couple months i would like to know any of your thoughts were to help me make a solid decision.


***appreciate any other advice***


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## saynever (Jan 6, 2009)

I'm in the sparky union and see the other trades day in and day out. 
It's gonna depend on your local economy who might have more work long term. 

I can tell you that I personally would never wanna be a sprinkler fitter. They leave at 3:30 always covered in black, be it threadin oil, skunk nasty water, pipe dope and or a combination of all three. 

It can't be anything but monotonous. All trades have tasks that can be repetitive but as mentioned before, unless you get to install the fire pumps on the regular it looks to me to be very same old same old day in and day out. 

It's also kinda thankless until it saves lives as well. No one is gonna walk into a building and say "wow, these sprinkler heads look great!" A lot like electrical work where most of our work gets burried in the wall under rock. 

Now I'm not gonna say this is right or wrong etc, but it'll be hard to find side work sprinkler fitting. If your a carpenter, even a commercial steel stud, rock, and form kinda carpenter, those skills easily translate into residential side work. If it comes down to feeding your family or not, most of the union and non union guys have done it in some form. 

Not to mention the carpenters in my area have been stealing quite a bit of traditional iron workers' work with the advent of new technology. (Steel decking and the like that used to be welded and now being shot down with guns. Some of the Carps even weld now.) Again not here to debate right or wrong but just saying.:whistling


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## shanewreckd (Oct 2, 2014)

My question is why are you asking complete strangers what you should be doing with your life? Pick the one that interests you, shag the rest. I'm a union nail banger, I would say be a carpenter. But that's my biased opinion of the trades, I'm clearly in the best one. Think of it this way, pick one, if you don't like it, nothing is stopping you from going back and picking the other.


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## ubcguy89 (Mar 23, 2013)

If I was you I would move to pa and become a steam fitter


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Sprinkler companies are going crazy looking for pipefitters here in s.f. right now. There's no question that there's the work for now.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Be a "sparky"
$150.00 in tools and more money.
carpenter 
$150,000 in tools and less money.


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## saynever (Jan 6, 2009)

Haha. $150 in tools for a sparky? Maybe 1st year apprentice. 

I could see carpenter contractor vs electrical contractor ...tho I doubt many carps price tuggers and table benders on the regular. :whistling


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## Andrew6127 (Aug 14, 2012)

Boiler Operator.


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## JR Shepstone (Jul 14, 2011)

Elevator operator.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

saynever said:


> Haha. $150 in tools for a sparky? Maybe 1st year apprentice. I could see carpenter contractor vs electrical contractor ...tho I doubt many carps price tuggers and table benders on the regular. :whistling



That's pocket change. Chit a good siding break costs that much. Just about every shop tool costs that much. And you need 50 different ones.


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## D.S.I. (Jul 23, 2011)

Stunt cock, decent pay, hang out with the Stars, show of your stuff. Easy on the body.


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