Electrical Training DUH.

[lightspeed]

Why is it that some of the newer technologies related to being an electrician, are so difficult to obtain training on, this is the reason why in my opinion we make less than plumbers and some others including hvac, we have to know so much about them, like boiler controls, hvac controls, also fire alarm systems, fiber optic splicing, telecom, and burglar alarm programming, the information is not readily available, and they do not have to know anything about our trade to perform there work, this is assanine. ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE,I have been in the trade many years, and the more time goes by, the more confusing things are getting, is there not any intelligece in our field, or is there only KNOW MORE and PAY LESS. PLEASE HELP US.

 

[ptonsparky]

A bit frustrated today?

 

[hardworkingstiff]

... this is the reason why in my opinion we make less than plumbers and some others including hvac,....

I don't know where you get that we make less. I know a plumber down the street from me and I can tell you, I make more than he does. He does residential mostly, I don't do any residential work. I do mostly atypical work.

If you don't like the pay, get another skill set. That's why I have a GC license with a building classification and a fuel distribution classification as well as an electrical license.

A friend of mine (who is a dock builder) once said "I like Lou's motto, I work for money!". :grin:

 

[brian john]

I could care less what somebody else makes, actually I am glad they make a good living. I care about what I make and what I take home. Cut my taxes a bit and I'll take more home.

 

[Rewire]

Usually you have to deal with the manufacturer of the specific product.If you want to do alarm systems you need to deal directly with a company like Brinks they will have a class for a fee and you then can be an authorized tech.Same with generators.

 

[lightspeed]

rewire

rewire

Rewire, thanks for the tip, tat is a good idea, I am going to get in touch with Brinks.

 

[lightspeed]

To hardworking stiff

To hardworking stiff

I don't know where you live but, a dose of reality, plumbers make more money for what they do, and they do not cut throat each other, electricians are never on the same page for a quoted project, I think they have a better more standardized way of quoting work,(plumbers do) and they are more in line with each other, on the other hand, call 5 electricians and the quotes can vary greatly. RIGHT?

 

[nhfire77]

Rewire, thanks for the tip, tat is a good idea, I am going to get in touch with Brinks.

Brinks changed their name to Broadview Security a few months ago.

Broadview just got bought up by ADT. You can become an authorized ADT dealer.

Personally, I wouldn't, but that's me.


Plumbers around me make as much or more, but I am OK with that. I don't want to touch "waste pipes" , but that's just me

 

[brian john]

Rewire, thanks for the tip, tat is a good idea, I am going to get in touch with Brinks.

You want to make less money get into residential alarms.

 

[brantmacga]

I don't know where you live but, a dose of reality, plumbers make more money for what they do, and they do not cut throat each other, electricians are never on the same page for a quoted project, I think they have a better more standardized way of quoting work,(plumbers do) and they are more in line with each other, on the other hand, call 5 electricians and the quotes can vary greatly. RIGHT?

that pretty well sums up my area.

but the thing about my state, and town, is that electricians outnumber hvac contractors 5-1, and we outnumber plumbers 10-1.

 

[growler]

but the thing about my state, and town, is that electricians outnumber hvac contractors 5-1, and we outnumber plumbers 10-1.

Yes this is very true but as soon as we start getting central air and indoor plumbing I expect that ratio will change somewhat.

A little hillbilly humor there.

 

[wireguy8169]

Cut Throats

Cut Throats

I do not begrude anyone for the wage they make compared to mine. I can not count the amount of times that I have quoted a price for a job and the customer would call me back a day or so later and say "my neighbor can do it for half that" and normally I would say "no problem have a nice day". So if a guy can do the same job I can for a lot less what can I do. I hate that someone that is not liscense or insured is doing the work, but when they do have the proper credentials and they low ball a bid that is called competition and on some bids there are safe guards against that but overall not.Usually the only persons throat they are cutting is their own in the long run. Its unfortunate but nothing that can be done about it. Least not that I know of...

 

[stevenje]

Why is it that some of the newer technologies related to being an electrician, are so difficult to obtain training on, this is the reason why in my opinion we make less than plumbers and some others including hvac, we have to know so much about them, like boiler controls, hvac controls, also fire alarm systems, fiber optic splicing, telecom, and burglar alarm programming, the information is not readily available, and they do not have to know anything about our trade to perform there work, this is assanine. ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE,I have been in the trade many years, and the more time goes by, the more confusing things are getting, is there not any intelligece in our field, or is there only KNOW MORE and PAY LESS. PLEASE HELP US.

The web would be a good place to start. I have found out over the years, the more you learn the more you earn.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

I don't know where you live but, a dose of reality, plumbers make more money for what they do,

Just curious, do you have a source for this statement? I am amazed at the apparent consensus on this forum that plumbers make more than electricians.

and they do not cut throat each other, electricians are never on the same page for a quoted project, I think they have a better more standardized way of quoting work,(plumbers do) and they are more in line with each other, on the other hand, call 5 electricians and the quotes can vary greatly. RIGHT?

I don't know if that's right or not. I would think that electrical work has a lot more detailed work that can be underbid. How many different ways can you run plumbing pipe? Not many. Electrical work can be installed a lot more ways than plumbing can.

I do not want this to sound arrogant (so if it does I apologize), but it is my experience that electricians are more trained in general that plumbers. It may be that electricians over think bidding where plumbers are just following the herd mentality with pricing by the fixture bidding versus electricians doing T&M bidding. It may be that there are more electricians than plumbers for the amount of work available (I know when I quit college in 1972 I decided to be an electrician instead of a plumber because I thought the work would be cleaner) which lowers the electrical pricing due to supply/demand pressures.

Does anyone have some data that supports the forum consensus opinion about plumbing contractors making more than electrical contractors?

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Just one more (rhetorical) question. If you (whomever) is having such an issue about the perception that plumbers are making more than electricians, why don't you go become a plumber?

 

[hardworkingstiff]

I found this information. It deals with the employees wages not the contractors profit though. Looks like plumbers and electricians are neck and neck. Since pipefitters and steamfitters are included in the plumbing category I would think that the actual plumber as we think of them would earn a little less than listed. The same applies to residential electricians.

http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag238.htm

Earnings by Occupation

Data series Wages, 2009
Hourly Annual
Median Mean Median Mean
Carpenters
$18.76 $21.09 $39,020 $43,870
Construction laborers
$13.76 $15.60 $28,630 $32,440
Electricians
$22.10 $24.28 $45,980 $50,490
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers
$27.71 $29.54 $57,630 $61,440
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
$22.22 $24.19 $46,210 $50,310
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

 

[hardworkingstiff]

One more thing

One more thing

After thinking about this a little more, I make most of my money from installing fuel systems (tanks, fuel piping, etc) and specialty wiring, not general electrical wiring.

Just thought I'd admit this. So, I guess maybe ..... I don't know.

 

[growler]

Just thought I'd admit this. So, I guess maybe ..... I don't know.

I don't know (for sure) either. There are several reasons that plumbers appear to make better than electrician. As Brant states there is less competition in the plumbing trade in most areas. There is also the fact that many plumbers have more experience than electricians, more time in the trade. Many young electricians only do electrical work for a few years and then move on to other things such as maintentance work, for real they they start in residential and either move on to commercial or get to old to keep up the pace of production work. Plumbers tend to start and stay in the plumbing trade. There are not that many jobs for a plumber to transfer the skills leaned over to so the are pretty much there for life.

All in all I think that an electrician and a plumber with similar time in the trade will make about the same. I would much rather do an electrical service call than a plumbing service call. If he gets a little extra he can keep it becasue he earned it.

 

[stevenje]

I would much rather do an electrical service call than a plumbing service call.

Agreed. The big difference between plumbing and electrical is I know what's going to come out of a pipe that I just pushed a fish tape into!