There is a shortage of skilled plumbers. With an aging infrastructure and dwindling trade workforce, the demand for plumbers has never been greater. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that plumbing jobs will increase at a faster than normal rate over the next 10 years. With the right training, you could enter and build a scalable career in this high-demand field.
If you want to work as a plumber, the Foundations of Plumbing course will teach you the fundamental, job-ready skills relevant to the plumbing and piping industry. In this self-paced course, you'll learn how to work on modern plumbing systems from in-depth course material developed by industry experts and employers. By course completion, you will possess the specialized skills and technical knowledge needed to start a career in plumbing.
Instructor(s):Adam Seek
Adam Seek has more than 25 years of experience in the plumbing industry. He is a licensed plumber, pipefitter, instructor, and maintenance/service technician with an excellent track record of success in safety, quality control, planning, development, and project management. His career in plumbing started at a young age, when he first joined his family's plumbing business. He then went on to a four-year program where he was awarded for his aptitude and academic achievements.
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 10 or later.
- Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
- Access to state-wide plumbing codes is beneficial to building familiarity with the codebook.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
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Lesson 1
- Plumbing History, Codes, and Principles
- Tools of the Plumbing Trade
- First Aid and Safety
- Basic Math for Plumbing
- Water Supply, Water Sources, Waste Disposal, and Sewage Disposal
- Mechanical Properties and Protection of Building Materials and Structure
- Piping Materials Used in Plumbing Work
- Joining Methods for DWV and Pressure Piping
- Squares, Square Roots, and Basic Geometry
- Plumbing Fixtures
- Faucets and Related Devices
- Valves
- Water Heaters
- Building Plans, Drawings, and Scale Rulers
- Sketching
- Communication and Skills Professionalism
- Pipe Joining Techniques
- Special Applications of Plastic Pipe and Fittings
- Introduction to Welding
- Soldering, Brazing, Cutting, and Gas Welding
- Piping Materials, Sources, and Distribution for Potable Water
- Water Pipe Sizing: Main-and-Branch and Individual Run Systems
- Water Heaters and Hot Water Distribution
- Cross-Connection Protection and Pipe Identification
- Sewers & Sewage Disposal Methods
- Drainage Fixture Units
- Building Drains
- Stacks
- Applied Plumbing Mathematics
- Applied Geometric Concepts
- Properties of Water and Air
- Venting Plumbing Drainage Systems
- Sump Pumps, Sewage Pumps, and Sewage Ejectors
- Plumbing Traps
- Fixture Supports
- Hoisting and Rigging
- Safety Concepts
- Rough-In Sheets, Single Line Drawings, and Isometric Drawings
- Venting Plumbing Drainage Systems
- Winning Customer Service
- Customers Revealed
- Customer Expectations
- Customer Service: Why Do It?
- The Decline (and Revival) of Customer Service
- Moving Forward with the Four P's
- Traits of Outstanding Customer Reps
- Measuring Customer Service
- Customer Service Communication
- Helping Upset Customers
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