Plumber shortage creates wait list for some services

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) – There is no business like the plumbing business these days.

“Our phones are ringing this morning,” said Tommy Ervin.

Winter storm Uri has come and gone, leaving a trail of broken pipes and broken equipment. Ervin knows this because he lives it every day.

“We didn’t know it was going to be that difficult,” he said.

He owns Ervin Plumbing & Supply in Odessa. As customers travel long distances – in some cases over 100 miles – to purchase supplies, the company struggles to maintain inventory.

“You know, we had people from Ft. Stockton and Monahans are looking for parts, ”said Ervin. “They were all over town, this, that and that stuff. We just did our best. “

But it’s not just a supply bottleneck.

“It’s pretty obvious that we have a shortage of plumbers,” said Ervin. “I’m going to let my boys work 80 hours a week, and that’s about it.”

The lack of sanitation is a national problem. After the winter storm, Governor Greg Abbott waived certain regulations to allow apprentice plumbers to do plumbing repairs.

“I have six licensed plumbers and three helpers,” said Ervin. “There were times when the helpers take the pipes apart and wait for the technicians, the licensed plumbers, to go in and actually do the repairs.”

Ervin sees that this will change in the future.

“We’re starting to see some people who are in their mid-20s who are interested in plumbing and somehow know what’s going on and what health issues we’re dealing with,” he said.

At the moment the future looks busy.

“In a few months, we’re still going to be fixing issues we encountered today.”

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