Plumbers are a familiar sight to most people who employ them to fix a leak or install a sink. Plumbers, pipe layers, pipefitters, and steamfitters do much more than this, however. They install and perform work on many different pipe systems from water treatment plants that service an entire town to skyscrapers to homes. They might also work on waste removal or climate control systems. Pipes are used in all of these different areas, plus they are used to hold steam to power turbine engines, or in industrial facilities to transport materials. They are also used in creating computer chips and medicines.

Most workers focus on one are to become a specialized worker:

• Pipe layers: They first dig and level trenches and then lay pipes for drainage, sewer, water, or gas systems. The pipes might be made out of cement, plastic, iron, or clay.
• Plumbers: They are involved in the installation of three things: plumbing fixtures, like sinks; appliances, like water heaters; and complex systems in individual structures. This means that instead of installing large pipes that carry water or gas across neighborhoods or cities, they install water, drainage, and sewer systems in individual houses or buildings.
• Pipefitters: They work with both low pressure and high pressure pipes that are used for commercial purposes, like hydroelectric power plants, factories, or central air conditioning or heating. They install, maintain, and repair all of these systems. In addition, they incorporate automated controls that are being used more and more to keep the systems working properly. There are different types of pipefitters as well:
• Steamfitters: They are involved in installing pipes that transport materials like gases that are extremely high-pressure.
• Sprinkler fitters: Their job is to put automated sprinkler systems in buildings as part of their fire alarm system.