Any Pipefitters out there?

I am a steamfitter, from what I understand that's pretty much a Canadian term. Just wondering if there are any other pipefitters out there? Wondering how the work is looking in the pipefitting trades in your area? Kinda slow around here. I am a member of the United Association, which is a North America wide union, may have to do some travelling for work here soon.

Just wondering how it is everywhere else?

 

I work at an ammonia plant with quite a few pipefitters (welders), we keep them plenty busy.
We actually just had to contract out for some work on one of our vessels cause we didn't have enough poeple.

 

That is mostly the work I do, Larger commercial jobs. I am a fitter for the welders right now, in my 4th year of 5 as an apprentice. When I'm done I will have my welding ticket as well and my plumbing license. Just did a bunch of work on ammonia lines and tanks at a nuclear fuel plant in port hope Ontario. pretty dangerous place. The plant actually supplied the uranium for the bombs dropped in WW2 on Japan.

 

Ya fairly stinky too.
What do they use the ammonia for? Is it for cooling?
About the only welding I do is exhaust, just put flowmaster on my denali. Not so pretty welds. It is deffinatly an art

 

I do like welding, but not sure I could do it every day all day lol. I believe the ammonia actually went into making the fuel, this particular building was making UO2, but they made other types on site as well. Yeah there was a big release there and had to evacuate till it was contained, not hard to tell when there is some in the air with the smell.

 

You use a mig welder for that exhaust?
Was it steel? or stainless?

 

Ya, with gas. Ya just steel. Gonna do my new deisel prob this week.
Straight pipe, no emisions in wyo

 

Nice, emissions are brutal here, but it's definitely required. If you have access to a oxy/act torch, its probably the easiest way to weld up stainless exhaust, and all you need for filler is a metal coat hanger, no lie lol. but mig is good too.

 

The pipefitters union local 597 out here in chicagoland is hangin in. Family owned business for 25 years is still pushin 40 hours/week for about 10 techs.

 

That's good to hear. I'm thinking of heading to western Canada when the site I'm on is completed lots of work in Saskatchewan and a little in Alberta right now, but things are quiet.

I'm out of 463 in Oshawa Ontario