day in the life of a plumber apprentice, tell me about yours

hey im 2 years in as a plumbing apprentice and my days are all over the place, started at 6am today unclogging a main line with the ridgid k-45 drum machine, that thing chews through roots like nothing. then switched to installing pex-a lines for a remodel, expansion fittings are a pain but way better than crimping. lunch was quick, some guy in plumbers united fb group mentioned roger wakefield videos helping with troubleshooting, so i watched one on my break about common pex mistakes. afternoon was swapping out a moen single handle faucet that was leaking from the cartridge, customer thought it was just dripping but nope, full replacement needed. ended up running late because traffic, but hey learning curve. whats a typical day look like for you guys?

keep a good log of your jobs, it'll make quoting easier later on.

watch for those pex kinks, had one burst on a job once and flooded the whole basement.

my days start with coffee and end with sore knees, but the moen swaps are straightforward if you have the right o-rings.

how do you handle the drum machine jams? mine always sticks halfway.

sounds like a solid day, i remember my apprentice years were nonstop learning.

boss had me snake three drains back to back yesterday, arms felt like jello.

we all been there with the late finishes, traffic sucks.

pex-a is the way to go for flexibility, stick with it.

those root clogs are the worst, ever tried the ridgid see snake for visuals?

plumbers united has some wild stories, keeps me motivated though.

hate when customers watch every move, makes me second guess.

we're all in this grind together man.

same here, apprentice life is tough but worth it.

these big corps are squeezing us small guys out with their cheap labor.

warning, don't skip the pressure test on pex installs, leaks are no joke.

what's the weirdest clog you've pulled out so far?

i feel you on the learning curve, hang in there.

customer called me out for a 'simple' leak, turned into full repipe.

we get it, days like that build character.

laughed at the traffic bit, happens every time.

never trust a diy faucet swap, always hiding damage.

us against the world with these inspector BS rules.

solid commiseration, my backs killing me too.

how long til you go journeyman?

haha, roger wakefield is a lifesaver for us newbies.

pulled a toy truck from a kids drain once, classic.

big box stores selling crap tools is ruining good work.

pissed at the overtime with no extra pay.

corporate plumbers undercutting prices, it's BS.

yeah, and the regulations just keep piling on.