You may be an experienced plumber, but your experience and knowledge are sure to be tested on the interview table. But, this is nothing to worry about if you know your work.
At an interview, it is essential to be able to gather your thoughts and offer them to the interviewer in an articulate manner.
So during the meeting, you should be able to provide answers that sound intelligent and do not attempt to evade the questions put to you.
Depending on the type of work that you are being hired for, the difficulty level of interview questions aimed at you will range from easy to very difficult.
If you are being hired by a company that sends out plumbers for residential support, you may have it easy.
On the other hand, if you have applied for a position in which you are expected to design and implement plumbing systems, you will need more than just basic knowledge.
Before you appear at an interview for a plumber position, make sure that you know what you are in for. If you have the experience of working on complex plumbing systems, you may be able to answer interview questions that require more detail.
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The following set of interview questions and answers for a plumber position will help you prepare for your interview:
Plumber Interview Questions and Answers
1. Tell us about yourself / Introduce yourself?
I am a high school graduate and a certified plumber who is working in the plumbing field for the past four years. I specialize in construction plumbing, repairing, replacing fixtures, and new installations. Also, I have six months’ work experience as a journeyman emergency plumber.
2. What is the first thing you look at before you design a plumbing system?
The first thing that I study is building a blueprint. This gives me an idea of the type and size of pipes that I need to use and procedures that I need to follow to design and eventually implement a plumbing system.
3. Tell us of one downside of a conventional water heater. Would you suggest an alternative?
While the conventional water heating system is in a league of its own, the fact that energy is being consumed constantly is a definite downside to using one.
If saving energy is what a client wants, then I would suggest a tank-less water heater that uses energy only when there is a requirement for hot water.
4. Why is hard water considered bad?
Hard water can be damaging to the skin, clothes, and even to the building.
It has excellent corrosive powers which lead to dry skin conditions, pipe scaling, excessive soap consumption, and deterioration of fixtures.
5. Have you ever had to install a shower with multiple shower heads? If yes, how did you manage to keep the water pressure high?
Yes, I have installed showers with multiple showerheads.
This does pose a problem with water pressure, but it can be managed by installing a pressure pump which can cater to several showers depending on its gauge and size.
6. Share with us a project or task you performed and found particularly difficult? How did you manage it?
A renovation project – I did last year – was particularly challenging because the building had been damaged in an earthquake and had multiple concealed leaks.
To add to the problem, blueprints of the building’s plumbing were unavailable. It took me a week to figure out the exact piping, come up with a diagram, and determine the damages only.
Then, I issued a cost estimation, and the whole project was completed in another two weeks.
7. Do you prefer PVC, ABS or copper for piping?
PVC is a better choice since copper pipes tend to rust, heat up and are time taking to install in contrast to plastic piping that is easy to install, has more excellent insulation, and is rustproof.
8. How do you address a low-pressure complaint?
I begin by checking for leaks, then check the pipe sizes they shouldn’t be too wide if there is a pressure issue, incase both the checks come in negative I’d recommend installing a pressure pump to enhance the pressure.
9. Do you own plumbing equipment?
Yes, I carry my own tool kit for basic tools.
10. Have you ever dealt with a difficult customer? Explain the situation?
Two years back, when I worked as a journeyman, we received a call. The senior journeyman and I went to resolve the issue.
There was an in-wall leakage, and we had to replace the piping. The customer insisted that we repair it.
It took a lot of time to explain to the customer that the old pipeline was irreparable and even if we managed to fix it, we wouldn’t get the pressure right. With practical demonstrations, we were able to convince him, but he was delighted by the work at the finish.
11. How do you unclog a drain?
The first step is to pass hot water from the pipes if the issue persists, we use the pipe-snaking option. If those don’t work, then we go to manual methods and sometimes we need to scrape or even replace the whole piping or a section.
12. What are pipe dopes?
Pipe dopes are used to create watertight seals at joints.