# This will make you sick!



## 1plumb4uall (Jan 6, 2010)

In Jan 2009 The stae of Iowa took over Plumbing and Mechanical licensing. Before that we had to have journeyman and master licenses in every city including contractors licenses and bonds in every city. Sounds good right? Well applying for your state licenses wich had to be done before jan 2010 there was a few options, 1- you could apply by showing the tests that you have passed in each trade, including proving that you have taken a re-education class for each trade, including all copies and dates etc, Or 2- you could qualify for a license in each trade Plumbing, HVAC, Ref, Hydronics either Journeyman or master licenses if you could prove that you had 5 years experience in such trade! Yup all unlicensed contractors could recieve their licenses with out any tests as long as they paid for the licenses.
The way it use worke here we tested in our largest city Des Moines and then most other cities reciprocated our Des Moines licenses. Now this work experience option expired Jan 2010. IT WAS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO ALL OF US who worked our butts off and then studied and took out exams and hey I had to take one of them twice.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Doesn't bother me that much. Just because a guy has a license doesn't mean he can plumb,it just gives him the right to plumb. Plenty of people with a license who dont know shiot or are such a social misfit that they cant get along with anyone long enough to keep a job or work for the public. What I'm trying to say is getting a license has always been the easy part of plumbing.


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## Flyin Brian (Aug 22, 2009)

TheMaster said:


> Doesn't bother me that much. Just because a guy has a license doesn't mean he can plumb,it just gives him the right to plumb. Plenty of people with a license who dont know shiot or are such a social misfit that they cant get along with anyone long enough to keep a job or work for the public. What I'm trying to say is getting a license has always been the easy part of plumbing.


I disagree on the part where you say that obtaining a plumbing license is the easy part of plumbing,but that's just my own opinion.

b.t.w. how'a kitty?


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Flyin Brian said:


> I disagree on the part where you say that obtaining a plumbing license is the easy part of plumbing,but that's just my own opinion.
> 
> b.t.w. how'a kitty?


Ok cool we can disagree to disagree:thumbsup: It was easy for me personally. I took the test when I was 18(I may have been 17) and had never picked up a code book and made a 64.....70 was passing. I took it because it was in the city as our test travels around the state every 3 months and wanted to see what the test was like...I was a kid. I waited 6 months and took it again after getting a codebook and really opening it. I scored in the high 80's. On my masters test I blew it out the water and scored in the top 1% of people who had ever taken the test at that time. Scored almost perfect. Thats why I say its easy...and the fact that I know some real live idiots with plumbing license.
Thanks for asking about kitty! Shes doin great!:thumbsup:


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

I agree that getting the License is the easy part. Being successful, well, that takes what I call hard "work".


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## Flyin Brian (Aug 22, 2009)

I see where your comeing from i just never look at anything as being "easy".


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Whether the test was easy or hard is now irrelevant with entry into the contracting end of the trade now being almost automatic. Increased competition, especially from people who don't know how to run a business, is definitely not a good thing, especially in these times.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Being a Master plumber is easy
Mastering plumbing is hard!


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

I agree that getting the license is the easy part. I have known guys in both Maryland and Missouri that have taken the plumbing test and their only qualification was that they worked for a Plumbing contractor for the allotted period of time. The only thing they did for the contractor is one was a dispatcher and the other a salesman. Both of them probably could not tell you the difference between a sloan flush valve and a gate valve.:laughing:


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## robthaplumber (Jan 27, 2010)

Bill said:


> Being a Master plumber is easy
> Mastering plumbing is hard!


 I'll second that.


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

I cant remember the scores, but the math on both tests about got me, math was my weakness.But after 3 trys on JM, 2 on Master but I got um, way back in 70s


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## plumber boy (Feb 5, 2010)

TheMaster said:


> Doesn't bother me that much. Just because a guy has a license doesn't mean he can plumb,it just gives him the right to plumb. .




thats the problem, it gives everybody else a bum wrap......


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## niteowl (Mar 2, 2010)

don't know which state you live in but here in florida i believe it's truelly hard to pass the state license test now. now it takes 2 days of testing with 4 parts and you have to pass all 4 parts. i believe 16 hours of testing. thank the lord i took it back when i could remember what i had for lunch. i got a 57 97 98 test scores but back then they averaged your test scores so i passed with a 84. i take my hat off to anyone who can pass the test today.:thumbup:i also agree with those that say that the license doesn't make you a good plumber or a good business owner. that is only told to you by your customers.


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## M5Plumb (Oct 2, 2008)

Can you say bonding litigation???



Plumbus said:


> Whether the test was easy or hard is now irrelevant with entry into the contracting end of the trade now being almost automatic. Increased competition, especially from people who don't know how to run a business, is definitely not a good thing, especially in these times.


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## Mike Jessome (Aug 7, 2008)

I know some guys that just barely passed the test and can outplumb other guys that near aced it by far


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## beavercreekhc (Mar 15, 2010)

ya iowa does make the state license easy to obtain as of last year, but i've noticed that a lot of these cities have become more strict on the plumbing and mechanical contractors to get rid of some of those guys who just "paid" for the license. there is a lot of loop holes yet in the state license that hopefully get worked out and i think it will be a great thing. heak of a lot better paying for a license in each city for both mech and plumbing every year. just can't wait til the state issues the contractor license.


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## 907plumber (Mar 13, 2010)

Here in Alaska we have to jump through some hoops and go through the process to get our licenses. 

Step 1. You have to be accepted and enrolled in a Federal licensed Apprenticeship program. 

Step 2. Complete 8000 hours of OJT, then pass the state test to get your Journeyman card. this allows you to work all across the state except the municipality of Anchorage.

Step 3. Obtain your state card, work 2000 more hours and obtain your Municipality license.

Step 4. Hold your Journeyman cards for 2 years, Get 3 forms of qualification signed and notarized by Mechanical industry proffessionals verifing your experience and qualifications , then take another test to get your state administrators license. then you can take your municipality administrators. But the first one is only residential endorsement. After that you continue to rack hours then move through two more levels of endorsment finally reaching your unlimited license.

The system we have here is a real bear to get through, but Im glad we have it. Really helps weed out the competition. And makes our licenses very valuable.

Without this system I wouldn't have got the job I have today. I just wish that our enforcement would step it up. These requirements are grossly ignored and you constantly see just journeyman or worse yet handymen advertising on craigslist for plumbing jobs.

Anyway Id be ticked if they made this system more lax than what it is. 

That federal apprentice thing just took effect when I started. Theres still a few Career apprentices out there who got grandfathered in


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