Plumbers install and maintain the water, gas, and drainage systems that every building in Canada depends on — from new home construction to large commercial and institutional projects.
Spend the morning laying out water supply and DWV systems in a new home's framing stage. You're reading blueprints, cutting and fitting pipes, and securing them to joists. This is skilled spatial work.
After lunch, install gas piping for the kitchen range, water heater, and fireplace. You're pressure-testing each line and checking fittings for leaks. Gas work requires precision and safety.
Working on a multi-storey commercial building, you're installing cast iron and PVC drain systems. This is coordinated work with other trades, using rigging to hang stacks.
Install floor drains, wall-hung fixtures, flush valve systems, and urinals in a hospital. Commercial fixtures require higher capacity and proper rough-in coordination.
Respond to a 2 a.m. call at a commercial property. A supply line has burst, flooding a ceiling. You diagnose the issue, shut off water, and plan a repair. Emergency service work pays premium wages.
Use a drain camera to inspect a clogged commercial line. You locate the blockage and recommend the best solution, often high-pressure jetting for aggressive cleaning.
New construction and service/repair. Strong path to self-employment.
Large buildings, hospitals, schools. Steady union work.
Natural gas and propane systems. Requires separate gas ticket.
Emergency calls, commercial contracts. Shift premiums apply.
Crossover into fire protection systems.
License to pull permits and run your own company.
DWV basics, pipe cutting and joining, fixture rough-ins. Trade school covers plumbing code fundamentals. ~$22–$26/hr
Commercial plumbing, water systems, gas piping introduction. ~$28–$36/hr
Complex systems, medical gas, Red Seal prep for 306A. ~$37–$44/hr
Red Seal certified. Full independence across Canada. $38–$56/hr
Lead plumbing crews on commercial projects. $50–$65/hr
Licensed to pull permits and run your own company. $80k–$250k+
Workplace hazardous materials information system. Required day one.
MandatoryBasic emergency response certification.
RecommendedMandatory for any gas work — B or A ticket depending on province.
MandatoryFor commercial work involving elevated platforms and roofs.
RecommendedFor sewer and tank work. Safe entry procedures.
RecommendedMandatory for commercial backflow work.
MandatoryNational Plumbing Code of Canada — the most tested subject on 306A Red Seal.
Drain/waste/vent sizing, trap requirements, venting methods, gradient calculations.
Pipe sizing, pressure, velocity, hot/cold distribution, cross-connection control.
Natural gas/propane piping, load calculations, appliance connections, pressure testing.
Flow rates, pipe sizing charts, fixture unit calculations, pressure drop.
Plumbing plans, riser diagrams, fixture schedules, isometric drawings.
Read the Study Guide for a focused summary of everything tested on your exams, then lock in your knowledge with timed Practice Exams by apprenticeship year.