# Texas tradesman license



## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

Why does Texas have a Tradesman license? Why not just have the apprentice, journeyman, and masters licneses? Also you need 24 hours of classes before taking the Trandesman and 48 before taking the journeymans exam. If you use the 24 hours for the tradesman can you then turn around and use these same 24 hours towards the journeymans?

What classes are you guys in TX taking for your 48 hours towards the Jmans license? One group offers classes but they dont total 48 hours so that seems odd. Why not offer the 48 since you need 48? http://www.phcc-tx.org/UserFiles/File/Spring 2011 Combination Schedule for email distribution.pdf


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

The tradesman license allows the holder to work on one and two family dwelling only.

I think you can take plumbers contuning ed to occur 6 of the needed training hours.

Check the Texas State board of Plumbing Examiners website for full detail of the training courses and good luck.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

theloneranger said:


> Why does Texas have a Tradesman license? Why not just have the apprentice, journeyman, and masters licneses? Also you need 24 hours of classes before taking the Trandesman and 48 before taking the journeymans exam. If you use the 24 hours for the tradesman can you then turn around and use these same 24 hours towards the journeymans?
> 
> What classes are you guys in TX taking for your 48 hours towards the Jmans license? One group offers classes but they dont total 48 hours so that seems odd. Why not offer the 48 since you need 48? http://www.phcc-tx.org/UserFiles/File/Spring 2011 Combination Schedule for email distribution.pdf


These are new requirements. I believe the hrs are not the continued ed. hrs, but more like formal hrs related to plumbing, similar to a union training program. The hrs will substitute for in the field hrs that have been increased. I have had my masters for 29 yrs, and glad of it.


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

slickrick said:


> I have had my masters for 29 yrs, and glad of it.


Very impressive. :thumbup:


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

Well I want to take the tradesman exam in April and I figured it out. I need 24 hours broken down as follows. 10 hr. OSHA class, 8 hr. code class ( took it Monday ) and a 6 hr. continuing education class. Does that equal 24? :blink:


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

theloneranger said:


> Well I want to take the tradesman exam in April and I figured it out. I need 24 hours broken down as follows. 10 hr. OSHA class, 8 hr. code class ( took it Monday ) and a 6 hr. continuing education class. Does that equal 24? :blink:


You really need to clarify that it is acceptable, if you have any doubt. I know their # by heart 1-800-845-6584 toll free


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

I went to the state plumbing website and pulled all the information from there.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

theloneranger said:


> I went to the state plumbing website and pulled all the information from there.


Good deal. These changes come out with them not thinking it all the way through most of the time. When it came out, it sounded much worse.

Keep us posted on how it goes. I have a son that is close to being able to get his tradesman.


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## luv2plumb (Apr 30, 2010)

theloneranger said:


> *Why does Texas have a Tradesman license?* Why not just have the apprentice, journeyman, and masters licneses? Also you need 24 hours of classes before taking the Trandesman and 48 before taking the journeymans exam. If you use the 24 hours for the tradesman can you then turn around and use these same 24 hours towards the journeymans?
> 
> What classes are you guys in TX taking for your 48 hours towards the Jmans license? One group offers classes but they dont total 48 hours so that seems odd. Why not offer the 48 since you need 48? http://www.phcc-tx.org/UserFiles/File/Spring 2011 Combination Schedule for email distribution.pdf


It was created for large resi. plumbing companies. With the Tradesmans license the companies can pay lower rates than a Journeyman and still turn out the same amount of houses if not more.


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

luv2plumb said:


> It was created for large resi. plumbing companies. With the Tradesmans license the companies can pay lower rates than a Journeyman and still turn out the same amount of houses if not more.


 LOL, I thought it had something to do with the almighty dollar. I bet the people collecting money for all those classes are cleaning up. They aint cheap. :furious:


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

slickrick said:


> Good deal. These changes come out with them not thinking it all the way through most of the time. When it came out, it sounded much worse.
> 
> Keep us posted on how it goes. I have a son that is close to being able to get his tradesman.


Sounds good. Glad to hear your son is following in your footsteps. How far is Gilmer from Ft.Worth and in what direction?


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

theloneranger said:


> LOL, I thought it had something to do with the almighty dollar. I bet the people collecting money for all those classes are cleaning up. They aint cheap. :furious:


 
Them classes are not cheap, I saw a list of them at the supply house. The classes posted were not even test prep cources, and those are really expensive. I am just glad I dont have to take all them.


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

easttexasplumb said:


> Them classes are not cheap, I saw a list of them at the supply house. The classes posted were not even test prep cources, and those are really expensive. I am just glad I dont have to take all them.


 Your lucky. For part of the 8 hour class the teacher read from the code book. I would have rather had a root canal done. It was indeed 1 of the most boringist days of my life, if thats even a word - boringist. Only 16 more hours to go.  I say hire a chick in a bikini to teach this stuff.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Do you mean to tell me that all the hype about the education hrs. are no more worthwhile than cont. ed. that we waste our money and time on?


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

theloneranger said:


> Your lucky. For part of the 8 hour class the teacher read from the code book. I would have rather had a root canal done. It was indeed 1 of the most boringist days of my life, if thats even a word - boringist. Only 16 more hours to go.  I say hire a chick in a bikini to teach this stuff.


Who'd you take the class from?


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

theloneranger said:


> Sounds good. Glad to hear your son is following in your footsteps. How far is Gilmer from Ft.Worth and in what direction?


150 mi. east, near Tyler, Longview.


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## theloneranger (Apr 24, 2010)

slickrick said:


> Do you mean to tell me that all the hype about the education hrs. are no more worthwhile than cont. ed. that we waste our money and time on?


A total waste. They covered basic math for almost 2 hours. It was math I think I had in 5th grade maybe even 4th. It was a complete waste of time. Then we watched an hour video on plumbing recorded off of Modern Marvels. I had seen this video twice on TV already. I dont know WTF to expect from the remaining classes. Maybe we can get nap time and go play on the merry go round. :laughing:


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

All this talk about continuing education reminds me, I need to go take it ugh.:sad:


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## luv2plumb (Apr 30, 2010)

easttexasplumb said:


> All this talk about continuing education reminds me, I need to go take it ugh.:sad:


Not only do I have to take it every year but also every three years for MEDGAS, Multi-purpose Resi. Fire Sprinkler, and Backflow.....Gotta love it :thumbup:


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## Schedule40 (Aug 5, 2010)

Having recently taken all these classes myself, I would highly recommend Johnny kurten to anyone! Highly informative classes, the best price I could find, and if you start on a Monday you can fulfill all required 48 hrs in a single week. (phcc was offering it broken up by several weeks, in several distant locations!)


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

It,s always about the $$$$:furious:


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Schedule40 said:


> Having recently taken all these classes myself, I would highly recommend Johnny kurten to anyone! Highly informative classes, the best price I could find, and if you start on a Monday you can fulfill all required 48 hrs in a single week. (phcc was offering it broken up by several weeks, in several distant locations!)


Johnny used to be with the State Plumbing Board. Very good guy.


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## d78coots (Mar 30, 2009)

slickrick said:


> Johnny used to be with the State Plumbing Board. Very good guy.


Could not agree more. He actually made the required osha class bearable. I had to sneak his class in because the osha class my company provided for us (insurance purposes same class) was not "board approved." 

Wish I had taken all of the required classes from him as compared to PHCC which was an agonizing 18 hour waste of my life.

Now, Lone Ranger, after you have taken all of these requirements and take the actual test, you are gonna feel a nice slap to your face.

They have severely dumbed down the test. My tradesman test before the change was easier than the journeyman test I took four months ago.

No more brazing on the test, you only have to solder three quarter inch coupling with a supplied roll of solder. Two fixtures removed from dollhouse and no more venting on dollhouse either. Sheesh.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

d78coots said:


> Could not agree more. He actually made the required osha class bearable. I had to sneak his class in because the osha class my company provided for us (insurance purposes same class) was not "board approved."
> 
> Wish I had taken all of the required classes from him as compared to PHCC which was an agonizing 18 hour waste of my life.
> 
> ...


How many fixtures are their for tradesman, no more venting?


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Schedule40 said:


> Having recently taken all these classes myself, I would highly recommend Johnny kurten to anyone! Highly informative classes, the best price I could find, and if you start on a Monday you can fulfill all required 48 hrs in a single week. (phcc was offering it broken up by several weeks, in several distant locations!)



That's who I use. I actually "like" :blink: going to his classes. I highly recommend him too.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

You don't have to vent the doll house? wtf? Do you not have to plumb the second floor?


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## d78coots (Mar 30, 2009)

Will said:


> You don't have to vent the doll house? wtf? Do you not have to plumb the second floor?


You'll plumb up to your fixtures only; first and second story. So don't make the mistake I did which was to order my vent fittings and pipe on the first takeoff.

After you plumb to your fixtures, you'll call the examiner over and "explain" to him how you plan to run them and in what size. That's it.

I don't know if they reduced the number of fixtures for the tradesman test. I would assume so since they did it with the journeyman.

Of course, you will have to run one vent full-size (four inch since you can only order that and two inch) to match up with the cross sectional area of the drainage.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Budget cuts.


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

I took the Tradesman and the Journeyman tests. I think the Tradesman test had like 6 less questions(no ADA questions on the Tradesman). The doll house was pretty much the same I think.


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## d78coots (Mar 30, 2009)

Will said:


> I took the Tradesman and the Journeyman tests. I think the Tradesman test had like 6 less questions(no ADA questions on the Tradesman). The doll house was pretty much the same I think.


How long ago did you take those tests?


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

slickrick said:


> Budget cuts.


 
Did the price of plastic straws go up. :whistling2:


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

easttexasplumb said:


> Did the price of plastic straws go up. :whistling2:


No. But the paper they give you to stick in the fittings to keep everything in the doll house from falling apart did.....so did the price of twisty ties....


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

oh I see, good thing they own all those big ole copper dwv fittings.


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## TallCoolOne (Dec 19, 2010)

luv2plumb said:


> It was created for large resi. plumbing companies. With the Tradesmans license the companies can pay lower rates than a Journeyman and still turn out the same amount of houses if not more.


Agreed. 

It's also the consumer in Texas can get a cheaper price for work. Thanks TSBPE......


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