Steamfitter/Pipefitter Red Seal Exam Prep (Online)

Steamfitter/Pipefitter Red Seal Exam Prep Overview

The Steamfitter/Pipefitter Red Seal Examination Preparation Course has been designed to prepare students to challenge and successfully pass the Red Seal Examination for Steamfitter/Pipefitter. The Red Seal Occupational Standard for this trade is carefully followed to ensure that students are fully prepared to meet the requirements of the examination. 

This course is for participants who have the requisite theoretical and practical knowledge and have been pre-approved to challenge the Red Seal examination. The course will guide candidates and help prepare them to become Red Seal Certified. 

Topics Covered/Learning Objectives

• Common Occupational Skills 
• Layout, Fabrication and Piping Installation   
• Rigging, Hoisting, Lifting and Positioning 
• Low and High-Pressure Steam and Condensation Systems  
• Heating, Cooling and Process Piping Systems 
• Renewable Energy Systems 
• Commissioning, Start-up and Turnover 

Students will have eleven weeks to complete the course.

Admission Requirements

None

Becoming a Steamfitter/Pipefitter as a Career Choice

Steamfitters/Pipefitters lay out, assemble, fabricate, maintain, repair and service equipment and piping systems carrying water, steam, fluids, gases, chemicals and fuel in various systems such as heating, cooling, lubricating and process piping systems.

What Do Steamfitters/Pipefitters Do?

They read and interpret drawings, specifications and codes to determine layout, type and size of pipe, and tools to use. They measure, cut, thread, groove, bend, solder, braze, assemble and install metal, plastic and fiberglass pipes, valves and fittings. As well, they must be able to join and secure pipe sections of related equipment. They check systems for leaks.

The system must be tested and commissioned to verify the quality of work and to confirm that the system is functioning to design specifications. They use welding, cutting, shaping, soldering, threading and brazing equipment to join pipes and fabricate sections of piping systems. Areas of specialization in this trade include maintenance, quality control, rigging, fabrication and installation of various types of systems and specialty piping.  Steamfitters/Pipefitters work both indoors and outdoors at physically demanding tasks that often require working at heights.

Required Skills

Steamfitters/Pipefitters must have mechanical aptitude, manual dexterity, mathematical skills, an ability to read and understand complex instructions and an ability to do careful and exacting work. They sometimes work in uncomfortable or cramped positions. The work can also be physically demanding.

Career Options

With experience, steamfitters/pipefitters may advance to positions such as foreman, contractor, owner, superintendent and instructor.

Current Trends

Steam systems are being installed less frequently in office and commercial facilities. However, these systems are still prevalent in facilities utilizing central heating plants such as hospitals and college/university campuses. Steamfitters/Pipefitters work in many sectors including pipelines, nuclear energy, mining, petro-chemical, natural gas, sawmills, offshore oil and gas, shipbuilding, automotive, pulp and paper, commercial and institutional. In some jurisdictions, steamfitting/pipefitting work is increasing in certain sectors, such as gas plants and shipbuilding.

Due to changing demands on the industry and an aging workforce, there may be a requirement for more steamfitter/pipefitters in Canada. Plastic pipe is increasingly being used in residential, commercial and institutional sectors for certain applications. In industries such as pulp and paper, shipbuilding, mining and chemical, there is an increase in the use of specialized materials. New materials are becoming economically feasible, driving changes in structural design, especially in industrial and institutional sectors.

Renewable energy systems such as geo-exchange, geothermal, solar, radiant, refrigeration, heat recovery and central cooling plants are becoming more prevalent. There are new technologies for water heating such as low-mass boilers, on-demand (flow-through) hot water systems, condensing boilers, biomass, high-efficiency boilers and co-generation boilers. Heating and cooling systems are becoming increasingly hybridized making it less clear where one system ends and the other begins. There is an increase in the use of hydraulic/pneumatic/electric cutting and bevelling tools for pipe-end preparation. Hydraulic/pneumatic/electric tensioning and torquing equipment is also becoming more common in the trade.

There is an increase in the use of flame-free pipe press-connection technology, which increases efficiency and safety. There is an ongoing trend towards the use of computers for reports, schedules, ordering material, completion of forms, rendering drawings (computer-aided design or CAD), system analysis and service, and control of heating/cooling systems. The use of digital equipment for the trade such as smartphones, laser and digital layout equipment such as total station and GPS technology is increasingly important for trade activities. Modularization and prefabrication is becoming more common and the installation of these materials requires fewer field runs.

Note: Before registering for any Red Seal Exam Preparation courses, please contact your local trades authority to confirm your eligibility to write the relevant Red Seal Exam.