Ken the Plumber

My name is Ken, I am a Registered Plumber with the Plumbing Industry Commission, and reside in Melbourne, Australia.  I have been involved in the Plumbing, Air Conditioning and Welding industry for the past 43 years, and I now want to share my knowledge of the “best” and “most interesting trade” in the Construction industry. I would encourage any young person (male or female) to start an apprenticeship in the Plumbing trade.  With so much diversification in the industry, I can personally guarantee you will have an enjoyable working life and “never” be unemployed. This website has been designed as a public information, and helpline forum for anyone.

IMPORTANT NOTE

In Australia, Plumbing is a “Licensed Trade” Only Registered or Licensed Plumbers are allowed under State Laws to engage in Plumbing works. If you have any questions or queries please email me on pipemech@bigpond.com Whether you are a Plumber or just need advice about anything, please give me a call.

My Plumbing Journey.

The year is 1964, I have just finished Form 3 (Year 9) at Preston Technical College, as it was known then.  We had to decide on our career path to set ourselves up for our final year at College (Year 10) I always had an interest in Technical Drawing and Design work, but my father convinced me to be a Tradesman in the Building Industry.  My father said “be a Plumber son, they make millions” sounded good to me. I was able to secure an Apprenticeship with a company that did general Plumbing work on New Homes, Factories, Schools and Multi-Story office blocks.  After completing my training and becoming a Licensed Plumber the company closed down, after 100 years in business. Reading through the job ads, my new employment started only two days after, working for a Mechanical Services Contractor.  I stayed with this employer for the next 12 years. It was then time to sprout our wings as they say.  My wife and I, went into business for ourselves, we concentrated on the Mechanical Services and Airconditioning field, doing most of our work in industrial complexes, food factories and manufacturing plants. Our biggest mistake was taking on a large piping contract on a 20 story building site, a nightmare from the start, union problems every second day, time wasting and the job went nine months over schedule.  After that drama, we vowed, no more working for builders. This has been my Plumbing career to date, maybe not as exciting as a stock broker or high flying world traveler, but in my opinion a TOP JOB.