How To Become A Service Plumber: What It Is and Career Path

What is a service plumber and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

As a society, we've come a long way from the days of outhouses and pumping water at the well. If asked, many people would probably say that one of their favorite modern inventions is indoor plumbing. However, pipes sometimes get clogged and plumbing sometimes breaks down, but luckily service plumbers are there to come to the rescue.

A service plumber is a little different from a construction plumber. While a construction plumber helps install pipes and lay out plumbing systems in construction sites, service plumbers repair existing plumbing systems in homes or businesses. That means that service plumbers need to have great customer service skills, since they spend a lot of time interacting with people.

Like construction plumbers, service plumbers need to know a lot about plumbing. They need to be able to identify problems and fix tanks, faucets, pipes and more. Most plumbers learn the trade by working as an apprentice to a master plumber or going to a trade school.

ScoreService PlumberUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,946

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.02%

Asian 1.85%

Black or African American 8.77%

Hispanic or Latino 19.44%

Unknown 4.20%

White 64.72%

Gender

female 2.04%

male 97.96%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a service plumber

Explore service plumber education requirements

Most common service plumber degrees

High School Diploma

52.0 %

Associate

18.4 %

Diploma

9.5 %

Start to develop specific service plumber skills

Skills	Percentages
Plumbing	34.71%
Residential Service	8.85%
Customer Service	5.92%
HVAC	5.21%
Customer Satisfaction	5.09%

Complete relevant service plumber training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New service plumbers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a service plumber based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real service plumber resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed service plumber usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed service plumber in most of states. 33 states require service plumbers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Certified Master Plumber
Maryland	Specific course required	State exam required	PLUMBER
Arkansas	-	State exam required	Journeyman Plumber
Colorado	-	State exam required	Journeyman Plumber
Connecticut	-	State exam required	Plumbing & Piping Unlimited Journeyperson

Research service plumber duties and responsibilities

Can skillfully pipe and support copper, cast iron, black and galvanize pipe, PVC and PEX.
Own CompanyExpertly repair general plumbing components such as toilets, urinals, faucets, hose bibs, and drains.
Plumb waste water lines for toilets and urinals.
Assist in caulking pipe joints to properly seal them.

Prepare your service plumber resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your service plumber resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a service plumber resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable service plumber resume templates

Build a professional service plumber resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your service plumber resume.