Diehard
In Remembrance
Well I've already been posting awhile but thought I should introduce myself and let you know a little about my background.
I started as a plumbers helper about 65 years ago, helping my father(who was not a licensed plumber) do miscellaneous plumbing work in the neighborhoods of Boston, MA. Back then we worked on a lot of older homes and still encountered lead water services and a lot of fine threaded brass piping system.
Although back then they had the chain type cast iron pipe cutters, my father didn't own one. We(I) cut soil pipe using a chisel and hammer. You had to be careful so as not to break off more than intended. Needless to say I learned the hard way.
Since my father never owned a car. Most of the plumbing supplies were delivered to the homes but I also served as the errand boy to go for miscellaneous plumbing supplies, with my bike or wagon. What made it tough is when my father told me what he wanted me to get it was in broken English. Quite often the plumbing supply guy at the store didn't know what I was asking for. LOL
My older brother (by 14 years), who was a licensed plumbing was working in the suburbs on new homes, 6 days a week. So I started helping him on Saturdays or in the summer. Got to do a lot of copper piping, as well as cast iron leaded joints. This was not too long before the time when they switched to PVC drain piping. That made putting up those vent stacks much easier.
Don't know why but I didn't go to a plumbing trade school but instead ended up as a draftsman doing mechanical piping layouts. I ended up working for a large consulting environmental engineering firm where I quickly ended up in the Plumbing Engineering group. Took various classes in plumbing design and engineering as well as Fire Protection. Worked on water and waste water treatment plants as well as a lot of miscellaneous supporting structures. Learned as I went and particularly loved sizing all types of pumps including fire pumps, water pressure booster systems, and sump pumps. Also got to do a lot of gas systems for various industrial type equipment.
Being involved with Waste Water Treatment Plants we did a lot with backflow preventers. I got my Backflow testers certificate but never used it. Also got into surveying for cross connections, including a couple of existing hospitals, as well as surveying the Arlington National Cemetery. Quite a lot of interesting work that took me to a few other states around the country.
Being involved with work around the country, and sometimes around the world, I spent many hours reading the different codes. And sometimes even finding all the applicable codes and miscellaneous regulations was a job in itself. New York City comes to mind.
Met and worked with a lot of building, plumbing and fire protection officials over the years and found it interesting how many sometimes interpret the various codes differently.
I learned to love my work but after working at my last job for 40 years it was time for me to retire at the still youthful age of 69. That was 7 years ago.
Not until I found this site did I realize how much I had forgotten.
I started as a plumbers helper about 65 years ago, helping my father(who was not a licensed plumber) do miscellaneous plumbing work in the neighborhoods of Boston, MA. Back then we worked on a lot of older homes and still encountered lead water services and a lot of fine threaded brass piping system.
Although back then they had the chain type cast iron pipe cutters, my father didn't own one. We(I) cut soil pipe using a chisel and hammer. You had to be careful so as not to break off more than intended. Needless to say I learned the hard way.
Since my father never owned a car. Most of the plumbing supplies were delivered to the homes but I also served as the errand boy to go for miscellaneous plumbing supplies, with my bike or wagon. What made it tough is when my father told me what he wanted me to get it was in broken English. Quite often the plumbing supply guy at the store didn't know what I was asking for. LOL
My older brother (by 14 years), who was a licensed plumbing was working in the suburbs on new homes, 6 days a week. So I started helping him on Saturdays or in the summer. Got to do a lot of copper piping, as well as cast iron leaded joints. This was not too long before the time when they switched to PVC drain piping. That made putting up those vent stacks much easier.
Don't know why but I didn't go to a plumbing trade school but instead ended up as a draftsman doing mechanical piping layouts. I ended up working for a large consulting environmental engineering firm where I quickly ended up in the Plumbing Engineering group. Took various classes in plumbing design and engineering as well as Fire Protection. Worked on water and waste water treatment plants as well as a lot of miscellaneous supporting structures. Learned as I went and particularly loved sizing all types of pumps including fire pumps, water pressure booster systems, and sump pumps. Also got to do a lot of gas systems for various industrial type equipment.
Being involved with Waste Water Treatment Plants we did a lot with backflow preventers. I got my Backflow testers certificate but never used it. Also got into surveying for cross connections, including a couple of existing hospitals, as well as surveying the Arlington National Cemetery. Quite a lot of interesting work that took me to a few other states around the country.
Being involved with work around the country, and sometimes around the world, I spent many hours reading the different codes. And sometimes even finding all the applicable codes and miscellaneous regulations was a job in itself. New York City comes to mind.
Met and worked with a lot of building, plumbing and fire protection officials over the years and found it interesting how many sometimes interpret the various codes differently.
I learned to love my work but after working at my last job for 40 years it was time for me to retire at the still youthful age of 69. That was 7 years ago.
Not until I found this site did I realize how much I had forgotten.
