powerplant/pipe welder

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I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN CHECKING INTO A apprenticeship AT A POWER PLANT COMPANY. I WOULD LOVE TO READ SOME INPUT ON HOW GOOD OF A JOB A POWERPLANT PIPE WELDER IS,AND WHAT KIND OF LIVING COULD BE MADE IF YOU MAKE THIS A CAREER???IF YOU HAVE ANY WORK EXPEIRENCE IN POWER PLANT,OR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF THIS WORK..THANKS
Reply:I knew a guy who was a welder at the local nuclear plant.  He was kicking down 100K a year or more, traveling to different plants all over the country doing repairs and upgrades, usually stayed a few months at each one.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Who is the power plant company?
Reply:If you have the chance, DO IT!This experience alone is priceless.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:The company is westinghouse...you have to complete there school which is 20 weeks long with no pay..thats the kicker.after you get certified then you have to sign a contract for 2,000 hrs of service [1 yr,for 18.00 per hr].... After that year you are open to get a huge raise...if you decide to stay 1 more year you can get your journeymans ...during that first year of service they can send you anywhere that westinghouse needs welding done...what do you all think about this??? This would be great school,great experience,traveling with perdiem,,,,but on the down side 18.00 per hr is not that great for a pipe welder,your always gone,i guess you will get real good a using a grinder and doing the work nobody wants to do.  Tell me what you all think?????????????????????
Reply:I'm not a welder, but have worked for a large electrical utility for the past 26 years, in nuclear, hydro and fossil. For 15 of those years was an electrician and the past 10 have been on the operations side of things. While I can only speak for the outfit I work for, in general there are no longer just pure welders in the maintenace departments any longer. Another words on only limited occasions will you actually be welding. In fact in the plant I am at the couple of guy's in maintenace who do weld, the company has not even kept up there R stamp for the last several years. So if we have a tube leak or some thing of that nature we have to call a contractor in. If you are intrested in strictly welding would be better to go with a contractor who performs outage work at these types of plant. And generally this requires working out of a union hall. Of course that will require traveling which may or may not appeal to you. As DR33 said though 100K+ is easily obtainable, if you willing to work the OT, if you work for a good utlities in house maintenace department.  Hope this helpsDaKK
Reply:Well this company told me that they maintain their own outage work all over the usa,and outside the us also..they may also send you to where ever they have welding need. I live in kentucky and have reached a brick wall in pay,and welding knowlege at my company.westinghouse is now owned by toshiba. I was just thinking all day,every day about the possible pros,and cons if i make this move...
Reply:I see you would be working for Westinghouse. They are an OEM who have sold generators, turbines and even nuclear reactors all over the world. They manufacture the equipment and then sell it to utility companies who actually own and operate it. Of course the owners can and do contract to Westinghouse to perform maintenance and outage work. Sounds like you would be traveling around performing outage or other emergent work at various plants as they went into planned and unplanned outages. If you are asking what an outage is like at a power plant.....I would best describe it as organized and some times disorganized chaos. it usually entails long hours for the workers involved ($$$$) but working those long hours can get real old.DaKK
Reply:If you can stand the traveling and have an understanding Wife you can do it. If your 25 to 35 no wife go for it. I was 25, fresh out of the military, married no kids yet. Have supper kids, boy, girl could afford to send them both to college. This is a golden opportunity DON'T MISS IT! I did it for AT&T for 33 years (not a welding job, but a good company). Great retirement to boot. This is a job without college, and make college money. Just remember... Hard work, Common sense, will get you everything in life! A little luck helps too. This is a Win, Win choice.VernLast edited by Vern2; 12-06-2009 at 07:02 PM.
Reply:5 weeks of working for fee and then only 18/hr and a 2 year contract and travel required.. doesn't sound like a good deal to me.   Paid training for at least minimum wage and no contract would at least be half way fair.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:i'm 28,was in the usmc,and now live in ky..i worked hard and i'm at the top now..i work in a sheet metal union but i want more welding skills,money,and something a can take more pride in doing, a pipe welder to me is a very skilled job.and then maby nuclear pipe welder is the king..i think i would be better off at westinghouse...i would have better training,more skills,and way better work experience...i'm a hard worker and have had a lot of sucess in life but i'm not ready to stop in some factory making someone else rich.i want to buy my family whatever i want for christmas and not always worried about money..i could set back at my job and get lazy and not even get fired b/c it's union...i don't want to turm into those people at all. i'm just looking for advise in the move i'm about to make?????????ofcoarse i don't live beond my means either. work is my main hobby now and fishing is what i do for fun..i just have more drive to work in a factory knowing i can do better.every day at work i think about all this.i know their is always bad along with anything good and i'm willing to accept it this way.my wife and son will understand,,,,,or someday i guess..i'm not a drinker,bar hopper,or all that stuff..the USMC got all that out of my system..i put everything into my career now and i'm just want all the info i can about westinghouse [powerplants] View Conversation Edit Report
Reply:Nothin wrong with learning and doing pipe welding, it's a very skilled discipline within welding.  I just think you can get alot better compensation deal for pipe welding than what's being offered.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I agree..they will give you the school, work experience,and pay of 18.00 after you finish school.then atfer you finish the school with 1 year experience then you are open for negotiation for real money.thats just the best thing i can find right now. Being from kentucky 18 per hour is not that bad of a offer..i guess that helps out from my outlook on it..the cost of living is cheap here,but i feel like there is not alot of opertunity here also..thats just my opion.i'm doing well here but like i said,i have hit a brick wall,,,,,,no chance to learn any more welding skills at my current job,and topped out also..i'm kinda a factory robot now.16.85 per hour is where i stand right now,ut no retirement or benifits to really bragg about.
Reply:I've been looking into the program at the WEC welding institute myself. Up to this point it has only been via their internet site, but still enough info to have me intrigued. I plan to contact them tomorrow to find out more specifics about the program and the reality of the post training/apprenticeship employment opportunities. In my life I have also peaked out with salary and personal growth in my profession. I've been working as a custom woodworker/cabinet builder for the last seven years and unfortunately there is only so much one gets paid for this kind of work. At thirty-one i'm also looking for a new, lucrative career that won't take me forever to get to a decent wage. Welding has been an interest of mine for a long time and fortunately I know an old timer pipe welder that has taken me under his wing and started teaching how to weld. From what i've heard though, it can be difficult breaking out as a welder in the oil and gas industry. One of the main things that has caught my interest about this program is that it appears to allow for a lot of hands on experience at no cost, and also comes with a guaranteed job making decent money, that will only go up significantly within a short time. To go to any other trade school for welding can cost from about $6,000-$16,000 and does not come with a job guarantee afterwards. From the limited perspective of WEC Welding that I have it seems to be a no-brainer. Depending on the finer details, the only thing stopping me will be the  future wife and some other logistics. If it won't be a detriment to your marriage, I think I would get all the facts and then go for it. Please keep me posted on what you decide...
Reply:Go buy some pipe, rods and gas, teach yourself. Then in 3-4 months go back to them and tell them you want to test out. Bigger money sooner.I'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.
Reply:Kind of surprises me that Westinghouse is doing their own outage/maintenance work, especially since 20% of them is owned by a very large EPC company with their own maintenance division.  I'm not sure if Westinghouse will be self-performing any of the welding on their new nuclear modules, either.
Reply:Hey Wareagle!You can't go wrong getting into the nuclear industry.  The amount of work that will be coming out in the next 10 years is going to be huge.  I know there are people that are dead set against nuclear, but nobody wants to go without electricity if the wind's not blowing or the suns not shining!  There are around 40-50 proposed project's in North America at this time.  It sounds like the training program will be a bit of a challenge (not paid, low wage contract), but keep in mind they are giving you the knowledge base and experience to create a career for yourself.  In my opion, based on your situation, I'd go for it.  Good luck with what ever you choose to do.
Reply:no one has told this guy abut how hard the actual work is....i work for a juice manufacturing plant(tropicana) and do alot of maint and welding ..pipe..aseptic..structural..etchot as hell..dirty...cold...wet....heavy as hell...noisey... sometimes god awful environments..not like shop work. my life is threatened a least once a week from  entering confined spaces..gaseous environments..chemical exposures..steam hazards   to not even mention the reg risks of weldingjust some thought since it sounds like he is a shop worker..not kockin in any way..just sayin is allgary
Reply:btw..makin 18 or 25 isnt that big a deal..youll make the 100k cuz youll be workin so much o.t. yer life will be nuthin but work..all that cash aint comin from a 40 hr week....lived out of a suitcase much...how bout 40/nite hotels in the middle of nowhere...it aint so greatgary
Reply:Westinghouse has two facilities that I know of for training specifically for nuclear pipe welding with the one in Tennessee having opened this year and they are planning to open 5 more most likely because there are currently 17 applications sitting on a desk in DC for new nuke plants.  Some how I doubt that spending 3 - 4 months practicing at home is going to measure up to the quality demands required for nuclear piping.20 weeks isn't a bad deal and it shouldn't be hard to find some local work to cover you while your in school.  Working for $18hr for a year isn't bad but it could very well be less as its easy to get overtime and make that 2K hours dwindle if you do it right but it would definitely be worth it to stick around for another year to get the journeyman.  I'm seriously looking at doing the same thing myself once I finish schooling where I'm at now to get better training with pipe than what I'm getting now.  Another thing to consider to is depending on where you live at during that first year that hourly wage could be on the upper end of local income and if its Tennessee then you'll be living well.
Reply:Competitive times, do what you can to get a start in the industry, even the guys on 100k a year didn't start on that rate....Steven,Check your messages....
Reply:The right jobs will get you 100k in 6 months if you like to travel. I would be hesitant to sign anything that kept my wage that low for so long. Apprentices that can weld pipe get full scale where I am which is 41.09. Do the math and thats about 80k on 40 hours. Doesn't take too much overtime to get to 100k. Look into UA.org and see if you can get into a program. Be willing to move if you have to. There is some good advice on this forum and it does seem like there will be some Nuke plants coming up in the not so distant future. Sure people dont want them, but when operated correctly they are clean and green. A close friend of mine just came off an Alaska job in which his take home pay was 3k per week. Sure it was a 6 ten job but he also got 105 per day sub for all seven days. I dont know what the scale is in KY, but it seems to be better on the west coast.Good luck.
Reply:There may not be a choice about new plants specially on the nuclear medicine field with all the plants a hair shy / at /over the mandated life span and with the shut down of the maple leaf project in Canada and this years shut downs of two other facilities for emergencies and maintenance it set back allot of medical procedures that require nuclear isotopes.
Reply:With the recently signed legislation, pipe-welding with regards to the power industry has never looked better. 18-25 an hr is pretty darn low for a traveler. I've worked at WSI and their minimum is >$31 and more if the jurisdiction is has a higher scale not to mention the generous per diem. They'll have you traveling the globe however. As far as the nukes go, you may spend 8hrs on a 6" weld waiting on the CWI/X-ray process. You may take the elevator to the work area and pick up enough radiation to get sent packing. A friend of mine had to leave a speedglas behind because it got too hot after he laid it down on a grate!Obama signed the legislation that gives the EPA expanded authority over the environmental regs and removes the need for Congress to approve the regs. The coal burning powerhouses are very high up on their priority list. This will be very good for all the trades involved in the power industryLast edited by regularfella; 12-08-2009 at 02:33 PM.
Reply:Thank you all for the info...i'm just waiting on the phone call!!! 1 year will pass fast and i love welding.means alot when you love your job. I'm sure the experience i will get will be priceless. Hopefully their will be alot of nice old timers to teach you in trade for doing all the hard dirty work!!!!like i said i can't get this opertunity out of my head so i'm waiting on that phone call!!!!!!!!!!!Good Luck with it. I think it's a good oportunity. If nothing else it will get your foot in the door to this industry. And one thing for sure theres money to be made in the electrical utility bizz. Advice I would offer is when you are working at the various plants try to develop a relationship with the in house folks at those plants, If they know you and like you then they will ask for you and also down the road if you want to settle down and just work at one plant will have people pulling for you from the inside. Good luck with itDaKK
Reply:I called them and they said there was a one year waiting list to get into the program. Are you already on that list?
Reply:I work for manitoba hydro up here in canada and love it. Ive been all over manitoba at our various hydraulic (dams) and our coal fired boiler plants which were alot of fun. Ive done alot of high pressure maintainence work along with all sorts of various fabrication projects ranging from heavey equipment repair to all sorts of structural work. With this company ive allocated 4 different pressure tickets which i must maintain and i love the variety of work, not to mention not everyone can say they've worked in these places. I love my career as a highpressure welder at a powerplant!
Reply:http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories...s_556632.shtml  Looks like the first of 17 applications has been approved.
Reply:Originally Posted by wareaglei'm 28,was in the usmc,and now live in ky..i worked hard and i'm at the top now..i work in a sheet metal union but i want more welding skills,money,and something a can take more pride in doing, a pipe welder to me is a very skilled job.and then maby nuclear pipe welder is the king..i think i would be better off at westinghouse...i would have better training,more skills,and way better work experience...i'm a hard worker and have had a lot of sucess in life but i'm not ready to stop in some factory making someone else rich.i want to buy my family whatever i want for christmas and not always worried about money..i could set back at my job and get lazy and not even get fired b/c it's union...i don't want to turm into those people at all. i'm just looking for advise in the move i'm about to make?????????ofcoarse i don't live beond my means either. work is my main hobby now and fishing is what i do for fun..i just have more drive to work in a factory knowing i can do better.every day at work i think about all this.i know their is always bad along with anything good and i'm willing to accept it this way.my wife and son will understand,,,,,or someday i guess..i'm not a drinker,bar hopper,or all that stuff..the USMC got all that out of my system..i put everything into my career now and i'm just want all the info i can about westinghouse [powerplants] View Conversation Edit Report
Reply:Originally Posted by Sparky#1If you're in the sheetmetal union I would stick with it and find out what welding programs the have or will pay for.Sheetmetal workers wages are up there with fitters,plumbers and electricians.
Reply:Originally Posted by WHughesI respectfully have to disagree with that statement. In Washington, Pipefitters are about 10 bucks higher than sheetmetal, 7 higher than electricians, 8 higher than the ironworkers. Thats just my local, but the other 2 locals in the state are close to our scale as well.
Reply:You can make a good living as a "pipe welder" in pretty much any powerplant. I work for a waste to energy power plant company and have seen many guys pull in 100k+ consistently. I think you need to take into consideration the downsides though, like I saw mentioned earlier. Most plants perform outage/shutdown work in the spring and fall - January to April and September to early December. It is freaking COLD working on the side of a boiler in Feb. in upstate N.Y.!  Most powerplants are honestly, quite filthy. The fumes from welding alone are pretty scary but have you read any info on ash and it's effects on you - lead, cadmium, arsenic - the list goes on. 12 hour shifts on the nightshift for 45 days straight gets old. Quick. II also saw a few replies regarding the "pipewelder" job class. A lot of that has gone away lately. You are a contractor, there to do what the customer needs - not necessarily welding all the time. I am not discouraging you, I have done this line of work for 13+ years. I love it! But I am in my early 30's and my back always hurts, my knees are creaky and painful, and I work HARD. Weigh all your options and the positives and negatives. Good luck with whatever you choose!
Reply:exactly..it aint always about the money..it is fer awhile..but never being home and werking yer balls off 7 days a week gits old fast...i been doin it for 22 yrs and i dont wanna anymore..but im 45 so ill be doin it for awhile.i turn  down all the ot  if can and try to get the yungins to help me so they can ''learn'' this jobits takn its toll on me tho...didnt get married til i was 40...got alotta cool stuff...just had a kid...i work the same plant everyday now so its better but the werks still the same
Reply:I just got back from a interview at westinghouse for there wec welding school. This is the real deal!!!!!!no short cuts taken and money was no objecin building their program......it is japanese owned and their school is unreal..i mean top notch..top notch everything. I will find out more when i start the school but i'm sold on going
Reply:Good luck you'll enjoy it. I've done some work in the nuclear world and loved every minute of it, can't wait to get back in. Can't say any specifics for job related reasons but Its a good field. you pay your dues at 18/hr but the bump up is nice. It's a relatively stable field especially compared to independent contract work, like cross country pipelining.  Word for the wise. Pipe welding isn't for everyone neither is doing cut outs and mirror welding in the bottom end of a boiler or heat exchanger. The work is hard but rewarding.I woulda stayed that route, but I loved engineering so much I went on to become a welding engineer, now I do a little bit of everything including welding.