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Building trades

Plumber

Plombier

Installs and repairs cold water, hot water, heating, drainage, and sanitary systems in homes, apartments, offices, and industrial buildings.

Advantages

  • The trade is essential in every type of building.
  • Work can include installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
  • A plumber can specialize in bathrooms, heating, or renewable systems.
  • Problem-solving makes the job varied and practical.
  • Good plumbers are needed for both new projects and emergency repairs.

Disadvantages

  • Emergency work can happen early in the morning or late at night.
  • Repairs often happen in tight or uncomfortable spaces.
  • Leaks and old drainage systems can be unpleasant to handle.
  • Heavy boilers or sanitary equipment may require lifting.
  • Mistakes can cause water damage and expensive repairs.

Tools

Main tools used in this job

Each card shows the English term, the French term, and one visual reference to help students recognize the item more easily.

Wrench

Pipe wrench

Cle a griffe

Grips metal pipes and threaded fittings firmly during installation and repair.

Spanner

Adjustable spanner

Cle a molette

Tightens nuts and valves of different sizes.

Cutter

Pipe cutter

Coupe-tube

Cuts copper, multilayer, or plastic pipe to exact length.

Press tool

Press tool

Pince a sertir

Makes secure press-fit connections on multilayer or copper systems.

Photo: Cschirp · CC BY-SA 3.0

Auger

Drain auger

Furet de plomberie

Removes obstructions from waste pipes and blocked drains.

Photo: Pgdp123 · CC BY 3.0

Bender

Tube bender

Cintreuse

Bends some copper or metal tubes without crushing them.

Torch

Blow torch

Chalumeau

Heats copper fittings for soldered joints.

Detector

Leak detector

Detecteur de fuites

Helps find pressure loss or hidden leaks in a system.

Photo: Pani003 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Materials

Main materials used in this job

Materials are shown with the same bilingual format so the learner can connect the right object, name, and usage.

Copper

Copper pipe

Tube en cuivre

Traditional material for hot and cold water supply lines.

Photo: Killarnee · CC BY-SA

PVC

PVC drain pipe

Tube PVC d evacuation

Plastic pipe used for waste water and drainage systems.

Photo: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0

PEX

PEX pipe

Tube PER

Flexible plastic pipe widely used for domestic water systems.

Photo: Tomwsulcer · CC0

Multilayer

Multilayer pipe

Tube multicouche

Composite pipe combining plastic and aluminium layers.

Fittings

Pipe fittings

Raccords de plomberie

Elbows, tees, reducers, and couplings used to connect pipe runs.

Photo: Ghasemimoshref · CC BY-SA

Valve

Ball valve

Vanne a bille

Opens or stops water flow in a simple and reliable way.

Photo: Dendyro · CC BY-SA 4.0

Seal tape

PTFE tape

Ruban PTFE / teflon

Seals threaded joints to reduce the risk of leaks.

Photo: Headlock0225 · CC BY-SA

Solder

Solder

Soudure

Joins copper parts when a soldered connection is used.

Silicone

Sanitary silicone

Silicone sanitaire

Seals edges around sinks, baths, and shower trays.

Insulation

Pipe insulation

Mousse isolante pour tuyaux

Protects hot pipes, reduces heat loss, and limits condensation.

Photo: Achim Hering · CC BY 3.0