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edit: I meant Welder, not WedlerHi,I'm just wondering what the deal is with all the Combination Welder positions AKA Distribution Welder positions popping up with many of the Natural gas utilities? I have a few questions and would appreicate any info from people who have actually worked in these positions:1) What exactly do you DO?2) Is plastic welding a big part of your work? Compressor Stations? Hot Taps? All of the above?3) Travel? What's it like? How many nights a month in a hotel? Do you get a seperate room or do you have to double up with the guy you have been working 12 hours a day with? Per Diem? company truck or own vehicle?4) TURNOVER? Is it a good gig or do people do it for a short time and burnout fast?5) Do they train you the way THEY want it done or do they just hire anyone who can pass the API tests? I can't see that they'd let someone do anything these days without extensive company training due to safety and legal issues.Most of the jobs I'm seeing are union. I'm just wondering if the large numbers of combo welders I see is due to legit demand and/or retirements or due to rotten working conditions and high turnover. Any info appreciated. ThanksLast edited by pipenatgas; 11-21-2011 at 08:34 PM.Reason: spelling
Reply:I'm 798 and have been since 1979 when I was welding on a non-union job that went union and I got offered a book. Yes I'm glad I got it and yes I've had some very good times over the years. And yes things have changed alot since then. Many things for the better I must say.A combo welder usually means a welder that can weld uphill, downhill, and tig, on xray pipe. Uphill generally means 1/8" 6010 root and hotpass downhill then 7018 uphill with 3/32 rods on 6" .250" pipe. Downhill generally means 1/8 or 5/32 root then 5/32 or 3/16 out on .250 wall x60 12" pipe on a 45degree. And tig usually means uphill tig with 1/8 rod on 6" .250" pipe on a 45degree. At least thats what most test I've taken seem to be anyway. lolAs for perdiem and wages it don't matter. If you can't make those tests I've said above then you won't be drawing any of that anyway. But don't get depressed too bad. Out of all the 798 pipeliner welders I know there are only a fraction of them that can uphill, downhill, and tig weld and have the ability to pass all those tests I said. A combo welder on the pipeline is a rare thing. In a plant or in a station suitation then yes a combo welder might be more common. But on a pipeline job its DOWNHILL all the way. Union scale isn't what it used to be when I first started. I don't feel my wages have kept up with the cost of living over my 35 or so years. So I don't make the "amount" of money I used to compared to what it cost me to live, but union wages do tend to be better than non-union wages so I don't have much to complain about I guess. lolGood luck manLaterLast edited by slowhand; 11-22-2011 at 07:24 PM.
Reply:Many thanks slowhand for your reply. I appreciate all the info you provided and it was very helpful, especially the welding info. I actually printed it out for future reference. Very much appreciated: Maybe I wasn't clear but the Combination- Distribution Welder positions I was refering to were Public Utilty jobs, NOT contractor jobs. These are the guys in the Utility trucks you see driving down the road and the company you write a check to when you pay your Gas or Electric bill.Last edited by pipenatgas; 11-22-2011 at 07:49 PM.Reason: more info
Reply:Combination welder/fitter is what they are most likely refering to, must be able to fit pipe as well as weld. This is happening more and more, taking two highly skilled trades and trying to merge into on. Its very hard to find a fitters fitter anymore..
Reply:Permanent welding jobs for the gas company were a few different kinds in the old days. Distribution, transmission, and natural resources. Generally the toughest was transmission because most everything was high pressure.Combo used to mean the ability to uphill xray on pipe, downhill xray on pipe, and oxy-acy xray on pipe. Some gas companies also included mig xray on pipe (sometimes referred to as micro-wire), plastic fusion, etc. Always depending on who the gas company was and what actual position you worked for them, and how much money you made. The more ability you had your classification went up. For instance, "AAAA welder" made more money than an "A welder". The more of a combo welder you was the more you made. lol Other meanings to the combo part used to mean pipefitter, pipeline right-of-way walker, painter, mower, weed eater, contractor inspector, etc.Good luck
Reply:Thanks. That's what I thought. They seem to be merging multiple trades together. I know the interviewer asked me if I have the ability to become a heavy equipment operator, plastic welder,layout fitter, steel welder, commercial driver license (heavy trucks) ASME welder, API welder, Compressor station mechanic, and contractor inspector. I have no problem learning all of this stuff and actually would look forward to it however these are totally different trades than being a pipe welder. Many of these trades take years to learn like heavy equipment operation and pipe fitting. The unions around me require a long apprenticeship in most of these individual trades like Millright, Steamfitter, Boilermaker, Operating engineer, etc. I'm not sure what to expect but they are offering the jobs in my area and they can't seem to find people who are proficient in ALL these trades. I'm sure there are people out there who are but in my area, these are all different trades and different unions.Sounds like they are willing to train if you have a journeyman card in one of the trades listed aboveLast edited by pipenatgas; 11-23-2011 at 08:29 AM. |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:05:16