10 years slinging wrenches in plumbing and I'm finally hanging it up

been doing this plumbing gig for a solid 10 years now, mostly residential re-pipes and water heater swaps in the Chicago area my whole career. started out as a green apprentice snaking drains with a cheap Ridgid at Home Depot, now I've got my own van loaded with Milwaukee tools and SharkBite fittings. but damn, my back's shot from crawling under old houses all day, and the long hours mean I missed too many of my kid's games. saw a post on r/Plumbing about guys burning out and it hit home, plus someone in Plumbers United was ranting about the same thing. thought I'd share my story, maybe help some young bucks avoid the same mistakes. gonna miss the crew and the satisfaction of a job done right, but it's time to move on.

man, 10 years is a good run, but yeah the back pain catches up quick.

screw the PE firms scooping up every mom and pop shop, they ruin what we built.

i feel you on missing family time, it's the worst part of this trade.

retiring sounds nice, but what the hell do you do next?

congrats on calling it quits before it wrecks you completely.

watched a few Essential Craftsman vids on work life balance, wish I'd seen em sooner.

don't quit yet, try PEX-A over copper to ease the physical load.

frustrated as hell with the endless overtime, good on you for bowing out.

lol, remember that time I pulled a snake out of a high rise and it was another snake? this job's full of stories like yours.

same boat here, 12 years and counting the days.

rough, but proud you made the call for your health.

what's your plan after? teaching apprentices or something?

gotta vent, the inspectors here make every job a nightmare.

hate seeing good plumbers walk away, but I get it.

my shoulders are toast from torquing fittings all day.

damn, 10 years flew by, time flies when you're knee deep in crap.

been there, took a year off and never went back full time.

frustrated with the lowballers undercutting us all the time.

we all feel that burnout, hang in there or enjoy retirement.

switch to commercial, less crawling but more BS meetings.

helpful tip: get into consulting, use your experience without the grind.

i know a guy who went into tool sales, makes bank now.

solid advice, avoid the tankless installs if your back's bad, they kill you.

i feel ya, missed my son's graduation last month for a leak call.

lol, plumbers retiring? next you'll say unicorns exist.

try yoga or something for the back, saved my career.

we're all pissed at the younger generation not wanting the dirt.

hate the physical toll, but the pay kept me in.

those old houses in chicago are death traps for your body.

screw the long hours, life's too short.

frustrated with finding reliable help, makes it worse.

the industry's eating itself with all the consolidation.

man, your story hits close, considering the same.

we feel you brother, take care of yourself.

big corps ruining the trade for independents like us.