2 answers
Mateo
Student
Honolulu, Hawaii
1
Question
Asked
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What are boilermakers? what do they do? are there promotions?
Is it hard work, physically? how is the average day?
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2 answers
Ruel Mercado
Boilermaker
2
Answers
Baytown, Texas
Updated
Ruel’s Answer
The title Boilermaker covers a broad set of jobs, tasks, and skills. Depends on companies definition or need. For most of Texas oil, gas, and chemical based companies, boilermakers are multi-craft employees. Some companies look for employees that can do pipe fitting, some welding, possible quality assurance, and mechanical technician. Each job/project is different and similar then the next. Most jobs require installing, repairing, and preventive maintenance on exchangers, furnaces, towers, vessels, tanks, valves, cooling towers, piping and almost any thing that has a bolt on it. Some jobs require hazard protective suits, air supplied masks, fall protective gear, and a lot of elbow grease. You work with hand tools, pneumatic tools, electric tools, tools with high pressure, chain falls, and many other tools to do complete jobs.
As far as promotion goes in oil/gas/chemical field, most go from helper, boilermaker, journeyman boilermaker, boilermaker lead, foreman, general foreman, and possibilities as supervisor. Most companies lean towards boilermakers to become in management and leadership roles, due to the multiple jobs that they can do/know. Boilermakers work closely with many other crafts, such as, scaffold builders, instrumentation, millwrights, and process operators.
Look up NCCER Boilermaker, which is a certification on being a boilermaker in most oil fields
As far as promotion goes in oil/gas/chemical field, most go from helper, boilermaker, journeyman boilermaker, boilermaker lead, foreman, general foreman, and possibilities as supervisor. Most companies lean towards boilermakers to become in management and leadership roles, due to the multiple jobs that they can do/know. Boilermakers work closely with many other crafts, such as, scaffold builders, instrumentation, millwrights, and process operators.
Ruel recommends the following next steps:
Kelvin Edosomwan
Boiler Operator
1
Answer
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Kelvin’s Answer
A boiler is a closed vessel where you heat up water to produce steam.
This steam can be used to produce electricity, heat up buildings or cool them, sterilize equipments in hospitals and pharmaceuticals.
A boilermaker is one who produces boilers and repairs overtime or modify designs.
It is a tedious job and one need to be physically capable and ready to learn mechanical techniques.
It is mostly on the job training but you will be required to know how to read and write as you will have to study blueprints and interpret them.
A boiler Operator is one who operates a boiler, sometimes from a control room or in field. You have to go to a trade school and get certified to operate a boiler.
In Massachusetts where i live, you will have to write the state license exam to be licensed to operate a boiler.
There are 5 stages to getting to the top of the career and it can take a couple of years. Starts with the 2nd Fireman license, all the way to 1st Engineer license.
The pay is very good as even as a 3rd engineer, you can make 6 figures depending on the type of plant and location.
A boiler operator job is more critical thinking than physical, unless you are in the waste to energy sector of boiler operations.
This steam can be used to produce electricity, heat up buildings or cool them, sterilize equipments in hospitals and pharmaceuticals.
A boilermaker is one who produces boilers and repairs overtime or modify designs.
It is a tedious job and one need to be physically capable and ready to learn mechanical techniques.
It is mostly on the job training but you will be required to know how to read and write as you will have to study blueprints and interpret them.
A boiler Operator is one who operates a boiler, sometimes from a control room or in field. You have to go to a trade school and get certified to operate a boiler.
In Massachusetts where i live, you will have to write the state license exam to be licensed to operate a boiler.
There are 5 stages to getting to the top of the career and it can take a couple of years. Starts with the 2nd Fireman license, all the way to 1st Engineer license.
The pay is very good as even as a 3rd engineer, you can make 6 figures depending on the type of plant and location.
A boiler operator job is more critical thinking than physical, unless you are in the waste to energy sector of boiler operations.