What does a service plumber do?
Service plumbers repair tanks, pipes, and water fixtures. Part of their job may include unclogging drains and toilets and handling various residential plumbing requirements. They may also troubleshoot systems, diagnose problems, and collaborate with other contractors when required. Service plumbers should be able to work under pressure and be willing to do house calls after hours. Plumbers are not only experts in their trade but also offer superb customer service. They need to have a minimum of a high school diploma, interpret blueprints, and have a polite manner and excellent customer service skills.
Service plumber responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real service plumber resumes:
- 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.
- Assist in renovation of homes potable system and DWV systems.
- Join piping by means of threading, soldering and brazing.
- Can do some HVAC work replace fans capacitors limit switches thermostats excreta.
- Install, troubleshoot, repair, maintain and update residential and commercial plumbing.
- Assist in installing copper, PVC, traps, drains, garbage disposals and water.
- gas meters gas line replacement OSHA training safety sensitive fire watch, trench and excavation ppe training
- Create new troubleshoot guidelines for common plumbing issues, which result to faster and safer solutions.
- Skil at soldering and brazing of copper pipe; cutting, threading and welding of black iron piping.
- Maintain plumbing supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level and anticipate needed supplies.
- Work with home/business owners to develop strategic plans for install and repair of residential/commercial plumbing systems.
- Measure, cut, thread and assemble new pipe by use of bolts, fittings, solder, solvent or caulking.
Service plumber skills and personality traits
We calculated that 35% of Service Plumbers are proficient in Plumbing, Residential Service, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Dexterity, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Service Plumbers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Plumbing, 35%
Worked with home/business owners to develop strategic plans for install and repair of residential/commercial plumbing systems.
- Residential Service, 9%
Job description:Commercial and Residential service plumbing andConstruction.
- Customer Service, 6%
Communicated with utility providers and affected communities during service disruptions; handled customer concerns; demonstrated customer service.
- HVAC, 5%
Processed work orders to repair HVAC systems and restore functionality to malfunctioning systems; performed preventative maintenance and routine servicing.
- Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Repair or replace piping and fixtures to customer satisfaction.
- Sewer Lines, 4%
Replace and repair sump pumps, water heaters, faucets, toilets, water lines, gas lines and sewer lines.
Common skills that a service plumber uses to do their job include "plumbing," "residential service," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important service plumber responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a service plumber to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "plumbers must be able to direct workers, bid on jobs, and plan work schedules." Additionally, a service plumber resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "checked for cracks and leaks in sewerage systems provided strong customer service and communication skills. "
Dexterity. Another essential skill to perform service plumber duties is dexterity. Service plumbers responsibilities require that "plumbers must be able to maneuver parts and tools precisely, often in tight spaces." Service plumbers also use dexterity in their role according to a real resume snippet: "gained practical, hands-on knowledge and experience of all aspects of plumbing, installation, repair, and remodeling. "
Mechanical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of service plumbers is mechanical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday service plumber duties, as "plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters choose from a variety of tools to assemble, maintain, and repair pipe systems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "interpret and apply mechanical and structural blueprints for planned plumbing repairs and modifications. "
Physical strength. For certain service plumber responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical strength." The day-to-day duties of a service plumber rely on this skill, as "plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters must be able to lift and move heavy tools and materials." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what service plumbers do: "prepare written work cost estimates and negotiate contracts completed government and private non-profit housing projects with various vendors to strengthen community. "
Troubleshooting skills. A commonly-found skill in service plumber job descriptions, "troubleshooting skills" is essential to what service plumbers do. Service plumber responsibilities rely on this skill because "plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters find, diagnose, and repair problems." You can also see how service plumber duties rely on troubleshooting skills in this resume example: "service plumber specializing in the installation and troubleshooting of tankless water heaters and water softeners. "
The three companies that hire the most service plumbers are:
- Benjamin Franklin Plumbing38 service plumbers jobs
- EnviroSafe Demil10 service plumbers jobs
- F56 service plumbers jobs
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Compare different service plumbers
Service plumber vs. Fire control system installer
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a service plumber are more likely to require skills like "plumbing," "residential service," "customer service," and "customer satisfaction." On the other hand, a job as a fire control system installer requires skills like "cctv," "jacks," "tms," and "control systems." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that fire control system installers earn slightly differ from service plumbers. In particular, fire control system installers are 8.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a service plumber. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Service plumber vs. Drain technician
Each career also uses different skills, according to real service plumber resumes. While service plumber responsibilities can utilize skills like "residential service," "customer satisfaction," "service calls," and "backflow," drain technicians use skills like "cdl," "customer training," "water heaters," and "install valves."
Drain technicians earn similar levels of education than service plumbers in general. They're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Service plumber vs. Water softener installer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from service plumber resumes include skills like "hvac," "customer satisfaction," "sewer lines," and "backflow," whereas a water softener installer is more likely to list skills in "pipe threaders," "control valves," "water quality," and "certifications. "
Water softener installers typically earn similar educational levels compared to service plumbers. Specifically, they're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Service plumber vs. Plumbing technician
Types of service plumber
Updated January 8, 2025
