coppertalk

By Harold Moret, CDA Project Manager and Piping Applications Specialist

Harold Moret, CDA Project Manager and Piping Applications Specialist, has worked in the construction field for more than 25 years. He was a home builder and worked for a plumbing manufacturer before joining the CDA five years ago.

I’m based in Atlanta, but I don’t consider the southeast my only service area anymore. At the CDA, we’re branching out and training people all across the country. When we go to a city, we talk to several industries, not just one. And now I’m offering training for both the architectural and plumbing industries.

I’m also involved with the plumbing industry’s trade associations – the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association, the United Association of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and HVAC Service Techs, and the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC). We get together and share industry information and I do training classes and installation seminars for their members. Most involve the proper installation of copper piping systems.

We like to target the apprentices because it’s an advantage for them to understand the right way to do things the first time. Historically, the plumbing industry has always been one of those trades you learned at the job, where knowledge and skills were handed down from one generation to the next.  This hand-me-down knowledge is not always correct, as it tends to easily focus on time saving rules of thumb or myths.  So if we catch young people in the early part of their careers, we can stop bad habits before they start.  We teach them the industry standards. It’s not just our way of doing things, we’re actually teaching them ASTM International standards. ASTM has been around for more than 100 years and it was formerly known as the American Society for Testing & Materials.  It’s a trusted source for technical standards covering products, materials, systems and services.

I’ve always liked working with my hands, but there comes a time in life when it’s not as easy to do. That’s why this job is a good fit for me. I like to give back to people just entering the industry. When I went to school in the 1970s, we could take mechanics and carpentry and other trades. There isn’t as much emphasis on skilled trades and vocational schools today. But if you’re good, you apply yourself and you stick with it, there are good careers that keep you connected to the industry and allow you to give back.

In my classes, I talk to people about the benefits of copper tubing over plastic tubing or piping. Plastic is an alternative – it’s not rigid, and many people think that because it doesn’t take as much skill to install that means it’s a better option.  As with most things, cheaper isn’t always better in the long run.  Copper lasts, that’s why it’s been used for such a long time.  No matter what material you use, the skill of the installer plays a big part in that – that’s why we focus so much on training.  When I first started teaching copper joining, it was all about lighting up a torch and soldering or brazing systems together.  While that hasn’t gone away, more and more people are now using quick, easy, long-lasting joining systems that don’t require a torch so more of our training focuses on these new methods that once again put copper ahead of the competition.

We want people to know that copper is an excellent material for plumbing. It has a long-term proven performance record. Its joints can withstand pressure and temperature changes and it performs well in all weather. And copper meets or exceeds building codes in all 50 states. If you’d like more information on the CDA’s educational programs, email me at hmoret@cda.copper.org.