# Plunbers worth more?



## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

What is a *Plunbers *?


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

Welcome to the forum.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

william1978 said:


> What is a *Plunbers *?


One who plunbs.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Of course "plunbers" are worth more. They have to deal with people's poo.


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

drsparky said:


> One who plunbs.


 Gotcha. Now I see.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I was working with a plumber on a lift pump that was not working. We removed the cover on the sewer cistern and I about gagged. He looked at me and said "that's the smell of money, it sent my kids through private college and paid for my house on the lake."


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## doug1 (Nov 13, 2009)

oops, I mean plumbers, but I'm sure you guys knew what I meant.

If they're worth more, how much more?

Doug


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

doug1 said:


> oops, I mean plumbers, but I'm sure you guys knew what I meant.
> 
> If they're worth more, how much more?
> 
> Doug


 I knew what you meant. IMO plumbers are not worth any more than us.


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

I don't think they are worth more. Imo , electrical is much more technical. But, not many people are willing to clean out a clogged sewer either.


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

NolaTigaBait said:


> I don't think they are worth more. Imo , electrical is much more technical. But, not many people are willing to clean out a clogged sewer either.


:no: I'm certainly not.


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## Grimlock (Aug 4, 2009)

There is a reason why all the pipes are drawn on the plumber’s drawings and no conduits/wire are drawn on the electrical drawings... We are the "thinking trade" and I personally think we are more valuable. They may get a little poop on them every now and then but how many do you know that take the risks we do on a daily biases just to bring some bread home to the kids.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

I had a GC give me a stack of plans on a home one time. In those plans, he had a list of what he thought the trades were gonna charge him.(I don't think he intended to give me this) He had plumbers at $125 an hr,,,,,,and electricians at $100 an hr. That never made sense to me.


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## Kevin J (Dec 11, 2008)

NolaTigaBait said:


> I don't think they are worth more. Imo , electrical is much more technical. But, not many people are willing to clean out a clogged sewer either.



Yeah, especially considering the long list of diseases that can come from contact with feces. Buddy of mine works for a large plumbing contractor, and when he went to the interview, they included in his info packet a list of on the job risks. He gave me a copy of this list. Makes me think twice about plunging or snaking my own plumbing.

Adenovirus
Campylobacter infection
Coxsackievirus (hand-foot-mouth disease)
Enteroviruses
E. coli infection
Giardia infection
Rotavirus
Salmonella
Shigella
Tapeworms
Toxoplasmosis
Spinal Meningitis


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

For some reason every plumber I have met seems to think they are better than electricians lol There is a lot more to plumbing than most people think though. But its definately not as complicated as our trade can be.

I have heard that the reason plumbers can charge more is that there are a lot less plumbers than there are electricians.


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## Shado (Jan 1, 2009)

mcclary's electrical said:


> I had a GC give me a stack of plans on a home one time. In those plans, he had a list of what he thought the trades were gonna charge him.(I don't think he intended to give me this) *He had plumbers at $125 an hr,,,,,,and electricians at $100 an hr. That never made sense to me*.


Probably has something to do with the fact that electricians prices are all over the place...and plumbers seem to stay pretty close and high.


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

And around here anyways, there seems to be a lot more fly by night electricians than plumbers.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Plumbers are much tighter with pricing that we are. If you call around, you will find only a couple of dollars difference on job specific quotes such as fixture changes, drain cleaning and whatever else they do.
Also,
When water floods a house, people will pay anything to get it repaired and most of the time the home owner can get their insurance company to pay for repairs or enough of a claim to make money on it.
When a toilet get stopped up or overflows and the HO isn't willing to jump on a plunger, they will pay whatever they are billed.

If the lights go out, they call five electricians and hire the cheapest one. Either they someone that doesn't know their costs or someone that has no overhead and never will.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Maybe I should just go back to being a plumber. This is the trade I love, but it seems that so many electricians have lowballed us, its turned this trade into a joke. Getting 40 hours a month isnt cutting it... going to have to do something soon.

~Matt


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## steelersman (Mar 15, 2009)

Grimlock said:


> how many do you know that take the risks we do on a daily biases just to bring some bread home to the kids.


it's "basis", not "biases".


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## thekoolcody (Aug 30, 2008)

steelersman said:


> it's "basis", not "biases".


Word Nazi? Where is Peter D.?


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## mainlug (Jul 29, 2009)

Never understood why some people think a plumber is worth more than an electrician.

Once had a plumber tell us if we'd smear some of that brown stuff on one of our receptacles they'd call us for sure everytime they had a problem.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

It's very simple. People don't typically fix electrical problems until they are in meltdown mode. Sometimes this can take months or years to occur. In the meantime they will run an extension cord or even attempt a fix themselves to just make it work, or simply live with the problem for a while. 

However, a non-functional toilet, shower, or boiler is something that needs immediate attention and people are willing to pay top dollar to get them up and running ASAP.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

As soon as the NEC starts requiring combination afci main breakers at all dwellings we are going to become kings. This probably is not so far fetched. Once all the lights go out we get the calls...


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## wingz (Mar 21, 2009)

cdnelectrician said:


> And around here anyways, there seems to be a lot more fly by night electricians than plumbers.





jrannis said:


> Plumbers are much tighter with pricing that we are. If you call around, you will find only a couple of dollars difference on job specific quotes such as fixture changes, drain cleaning and whatever else they do.
> Also,
> When water floods a house, people will pay anything to get it repaired and most of the time the home owner can get their insurance company to pay for repairs or enough of a claim to make money on it.
> When a toilet get stopped up or overflows and the HO isn't willing to jump on a plunger, they will pay whatever they are billed.
> ...





Peter D said:


> It's very simple. People don't typically fix electrical problems until they are in meltdown mode. Sometimes this can take months or years to occur. In the meantime they will run an extension cord or even attempt a fix themselves to just make it work, or simply live with the problem for a while.
> 
> However, a non-functional toilet, shower, or boiler is something that needs immediate attention and people are willing to pay top dollar to get them up and running ASAP.


Ditto to all the above.


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