# A constructive discussion of electrician versus plumber



## finakat (Jun 7, 2011)

Not trying to create any animosity here; just hungry for knowledge...

I want to hear it from the real electricians, why or why not would it be better to apprentice for licensed electrician versus license plumber...my nearest goal is to hopefully someday run a one or two man show; but i do also have a love for the huge construction sites and all the good, bad, and ugly that comes with it..lol

Right now, I have a choice to do both, so please give me input...about the pay, consistency of work, e.t.c....explain why or why not you would choose electrician over plumber

Thanks
Tommy


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

A Sparky most likely doesn't have to deal with poop.:whistling:thumbsup:


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

If you are only looking at pay, you will probably have better luck being a plumber.


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

The best advice anyone can give you is to do what you love to do. It has nothing to do with money.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

griz said:


> A Sparky most likely doesn't have to deal with poop.:whistling:thumbsup:


We just deal with everyone else who THINKS they know everything about electricity. :whistling


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## ChrWright (Jul 17, 2007)

Try both and see which one you enjoy more.

As Kent said, do what you love. Understanding the business side of contracting is far more important to your long term success than the nuts and bolts (wires and pipes) of what you do. 

Consistency of work, pay, etc. are more about your ability to market and promote yourself than about which trade you choose. Love what you do first and foremost. Either trade will offer equal opportunities for someone who has a fire to dig in and make a successful business of it.


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## kcremodeling (Nov 8, 2009)

KentWhitten said:


> The best advice anyone can give you is to do what you love to do. It has nothing to do with money.


If that were the case we might not have _any_ service plumbers. Some people just love to make money, that's why we have people in every industry. I would love to take on nothing but high end trim jobs, unfortunately those types of jobs have become scarse. At some point you have to factor in they type of lifestyle you want to provide for yourself and possibly your family.

If you are willing to do the dirty jobs, I would choose plumber. Either way, your prob gonna have to wear a shirt. :whistling


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## olligator (Nov 23, 2007)

For me it's a no-brainer: electrical. First, my background and education support it. Second, I actually enjoy it. A few other reasons...

- seems like less headaches when focusing solely on one trade, where as a gc I have to wrangle all of the job headaches at once.
- it may sound arrogant, but many more people are scared of electricity and are unwilling to mess with it; this is a built-in business opportunity

Regardless of my own bias towards electrical, I think that you have to really be in to whatever you choose. Which trade do you like more? Which trade do you think you can be more successful at as a business?


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## txgencon (Jan 4, 2011)

griz said:


> A Sparky most likely doesn't have to deal with poop.:whistling:thumbsup:


I was simply going to say, "No sh..", but you beat me to it.


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## flashheatingand (May 3, 2008)

All trades have their pros and cons. I have helped both plumbers and an electrician. The plumbing gig was far more physical. With plumbing, it's likely you will deal with a crawl space, a trench, and sewage and mud.

I think the payoff with plumbing is greater, if you want to start your own gig. But, if you don't want to deal with the conditions as mentioned above, why even bother?


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## fireguy (Oct 29, 2006)

griz said:


> A Sparky most likely doesn't have to deal with poop.:whistling:thumbsup:


Last time I stuck a screwdriver in with the wires, I thought I was going to poop from all the sparks!


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## pulpfiction32 (Feb 11, 2007)

flashheatingand said:


> All trades have their pros and cons. I have helped both plumbers and an electrician. The plumbing gig was far more physical. With plumbing, it's likely you will deal with a crawl space, a trench, and sewage and mud.
> 
> I think the payoff with plumbing is greater, if you want to start your own gig. But, if you don't want to deal with the conditions as mentioned above, why even bother?


 Im an electrician and i deal with trenches ,crawl spaces ,attics and mud . In my opinion no one works harder than an electrician. Electricians also have to be more intelligent. Plumbers need to know two things, **** flows down hill and pay day is friday.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

pulpfiction32 said:


> Electricians also have to be more intelligent. Plumbers need to know two things, **** flows down hill and pay day is friday.


Hogwash. As someone who practices both, as well as other specialties, I can attest to the fact that sometimes each is very simple, and sometimes each is exceedingly complex, just as with all the other building trades.

No single trade inherently deserves more respect than another. They are all necessary in order to produce the results we need at the end of a job.


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## Doubleoh7 (Dec 3, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> Hogwash. As someone who practices both, as well as other specialties, I can attest to the fact that sometimes each is very simple, and sometimes each is exceedingly complex, just as with all the other building trades.
> 
> No single trade inherently deserves more respect than another. They are all necessary in order to produce the results we need at the end of a job.



In nearly three years of business, nearly all of my work has been on old construction. Old construction can be very difficult for an electrician. But, I suppose that is true for plumbers as well. Most of the service upgrades I have done have been very complex to meet code. I wish the economy was better. Roping new houses is a piewalk compared to old work.


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

finakat said:


> Not trying to create any animosity here; just hungry for knowledge...
> 
> I want to hear it from the real electricians, why or why not would it be better to apprentice for licensed electrician versus license plumber...my nearest goal is to hopefully someday run a one or two man show; but i do also have a love for the huge construction sites and all the good, bad, and ugly that comes with it..lol
> 
> ...


Although there’s good and bad in everything, IMO, plumbing would be an excellent trade to get into if possible, but if I were just starting out all over again, I would go directly into HVAC/R, emphasis on R, and maybe have electrical as a secondary background trade, as opposed to the other way around.
For now and the foreseeable future, I personally would recommend that you completely avoid electrical as a single, primary trade, unless you live in a major metropolitan area where there is still a lot of steady heavy commercial construction going on or can work yourself into an exclusive niche area, like industrial controls.


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## Walt F (Aug 9, 2011)

*Three things you need to know to be a plumber*

1. Payday is on Friday. :thumbup:

2. "stuff" flows downhill. :nuke:

3. Don't chew your fingernails!:thumbdown

I am an electrician and I find it to be very satisfying.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

I worked in security before going into general electrical. Luckly, I had some background in physics and mechanical engineering. 

If I stayed in just general electrical contracting, it would be pretty tough right now. Way too much competition, both from hacks on one end, and, large corporate contractors on the other. Most electricians around here have concentrated on residential, which is the toughest market of all right now -- no money and too many hacks. 

But right off the bat, I did low voltage work, which is: security systems, access control, CCTV, Wireless LAN, Microwave, Telco, Networks and similar stuff. That is what really pays the bills. Now with IP based systems, we are in a good place with all my computer background and networking. 

But, in discussing this topic with my wife, looking at the pro's and con's of electrical vs plumbing, it seems that when an HO or Apt Manager has a plumbing problem, it is usually an emergency that needs attention now. Sometimes you can ignore an electrical problem or find a way around it, but not so much when your pipes are clogged or your toilet overflows. So, if the focus is on residential, plumbing may be a better choice.


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## bobbyho (Jun 14, 2008)

Maybe more emergency calls being a plumber? Plumbing emergency, plumber gets the call. Electrical emergency it usually goes to 911. I think a lot of people will forget some of the crazy stuff plumbers have to deal with such as gas. I wouldn't want to be the one who messes that up.


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## bob_cntrctr (Jan 30, 2008)

One element of decision - I think electrical code changes a lot more than plumbing code - not that plumbing code doesn't change, just that I think electrical code experiences a lot more change - which has pros and cons. If you like the idea of having to keep learning all your life, this may be a good thing. If having to follow endless, relentless, code changes sounds like a drag, it may not.


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## smasher666 (Aug 29, 2011)

*Rub a dub*

While plumbers make pretty good money <because no one wants to play with poo poo.> Its better to be an electrician. <because no one wants to play with poo poo. http://www.odinelectric.net


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