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What is a Boilermaker?

Job Description & Duties 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: What Do They Do?

Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.
Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.
Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.
Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.
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.
Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.

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Skills Needed to be a Boilermaker

These are the skills Boilermakers say are the most useful in their careers:

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.

Locomotive Boilermaker
Boiler Tester
Boilermaker
Boilermaker Fitter
Boiler Reliner

Is There Going to be Demand for Boilermakers?

In the United States, there were 17,200 jobs for Boilermaker in 2016. 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.

Do Boilermakers Make A Lot Of Money?

The salary for Boilermakers ranges between about $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?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Boilermakers:

Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Windows
Autodesk AutoCAD
Computer aided design CAD software
SAP software

How do I Become a Boilermaker?

What education or degrees do I need to become a Boilermaker?

What work experience do I need to become a Boilermaker?

Similar Careers

Those thinking about becoming a Boilermaker might also be interested in the following careers:

Model Makers, Wood

Career changers with experience as a Boilermaker sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Phasmatisnox via Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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