What Do Boilermaker Do?
Occupation Description Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.
Life As a Boilermaker
- Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.
- Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.
- Straighten or reshape bent pressure vessel plates or structure parts, using hammers, jacks, or torches.
- Shape seams, joints, or irregular edges of pressure vessel sections or structural parts to attain specified fit of parts, using cutting torches, hammers, files, or metalworking machines.
- Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
- Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
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Boilermaker Needed Skills
When polled, Boilermakers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Types of Boilermaker
- Boilermaker Pipe Fitter
- Boiler Shop Mechanic
- Boiler Service Technician
- Boilermaker Fitter
- Assembler
Boilermaker Job Outlook
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 17,200 jobs in the United States for Boilermaker. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 8.7% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,500 new jobs for Boilermaker by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 1,900 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Boilermaker are Arizona, Connecticut, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Mississippi, Idaho, or Delaware. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Boilermaker Salary
Boilermakers make between $37,610 and $89,940 a year.
Boilermakers who work in Kentucky, North Dakota, or Pennsylvania, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Boilermakers in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $56,540 |
| Arizona | $60,740 |
| Arkansas | $47,500 |
| California | $70,120 |
| Colorado | $70,520 |
| Connecticut | $68,250 |
| Florida | $59,240 |
| Georgia | $62,070 |
| Illinois | $69,030 |
| Indiana | $71,600 |
| Kentucky | $76,340 |
| Louisiana | $60,720 |
| Maryland | $61,910 |
| Massachusetts | $64,610 |
| Michigan | $71,930 |
| Minnesota | $64,360 |
| Missouri | $51,420 |
| Montana | $65,250 |
| Nebraska | $76,620 |
| Nevada | $38,930 |
| New Jersey | $68,640 |
| New Mexico | $60,310 |
| New York | $69,820 |
| North Carolina | $62,370 |
| North Dakota | $81,500 |
| Ohio | $71,840 |
| Oklahoma | $54,610 |
| Oregon | $61,350 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,380 |
| South Carolina | $60,590 |
| Tennessee | $66,380 |
| Texas | $57,480 |
| Utah | $60,290 |
| Virginia | $57,310 |
| Washington | $65,900 |
| West Virginia | $68,270 |
| Wisconsin | $58,020 |
| Wyoming | $69,440 |
What Tools do Boilermakers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Boilermakers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Windows
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Computer aided design CAD software
- SAP software
Becoming a Boilermaker
Learn what Boilermaker education requirements there are.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Boilermaker?
Who Employs Boilermakers?
Boilermakers work in the following industries:
Similar Careers
Those thinking about becoming a Boilermaker might also be interested in the following careers:
Are you already one of the many Boilermaker in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: Phasmatisnox via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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