Water Filtration Education

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pmt plumbing

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Hello I saw your post on this forum. I was wondering if you could help me out with a few questions I have concerning WQA and its certifications. I am a P-1 licensed plumber in North Carolina. I have recently began installing residential water filtration equipment for a new company in Jacksonville, NC. Im interested in forwarding my knowledge and education in this feild. Would WQA be a good place for me to do this? Which certification should I start with? Is the Certified installer track good or should I go straight to CWS? What kind of business do you have or do you work for municipality water dept? How do WQA Certifications help your business? Again Im a small business owner just looking for wqays to set my business apart and gain the eduction and knowledge to do this. Thanks for your time. Does anyone have used WQA Study Litt. for sale. Particuarly CI Study Kit. Thx

Peter M. TenEyck
PMT Plumbing
 

ditttohead

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The WQA has its main tradeshow coming up in April. I would recommend attending this. All of the major companies are represented there, and the education and training seminars are top notch. I believe you have to achieve a CWS certification before any other certifications can be done, but I could be wrong. CWS is the best starting point as it requires an in depth knowledge of all the basics of water treatment. You will need to get the study material as it is unlikely that you could pass the course without considerable studies. After that, Certified installer, then specialties, Ozone, UV, Sanitization, Filtration etc. Ignore anyone who tries to say that licenses, and certifications are stupid, this usually comes directly from the people who dont have licences or certifications. :)

http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/wqa/wqa13/public/enter.aspx for information on the WQA convention
 

Mikey

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First, if anybody knows anybody involved in the WQA website Dittohead referenced, tell them that their PDF registration link points to an old markup version of the 2012 form. They have thoughtfully not provided any links to contact the webmaster (or anyone else).

Now on to the thread subject. I'm strictly an amateur DIYer, but I like to know what I'm doing. I checked out the WQA education offerings a while back and decided they were too pricey for me, but I did buy the WQA "Water Treatment Fundamentals" book off that well-known auction site just to get the lay of the land.

I am impressed. There's a sound scientific grounding, and a comprehensive look at the field. It has almost encouraged me to spend the big bucks and start along the CWS path. If the convention were to be held in a more convenient venue for me (Orlando would be great), I would attend, but the travel expense for a week is prohibitive. If you can write this off for business purposes, I think it would be an excellent place to start and a very valuable experience for you.

I have mixed feelings about licenses and certifications. I hold multiples of these in several fields, and don't hold these in lots of other fields I dabble in, so can speak out of both sides of my my mouth. On balance, all they do is show the world that at one time in your life you were able to pass whatever exams were required to obtain them. I know of folks who have certifications but are absolutely incompetent in the field, and I know others I consider experts who hold no paperwork whatsoever. If your chosen field requires a license, the decision whether to get one or not has been made for you; if not, it's up to you. In the latter case, as a (former) hiring manager, I looked upon anyone who had voluntarily gone through the certification process in a more favorable light than one who had not, all things being equal. BUT a certification alone means squat without the ability, skill, and enthusiasm to back it up -- and these sometimes show up without the certifications.
 
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Gary Slusser

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Hello I saw your post on this forum. I was wondering if you could help me out with a few questions I have concerning WQA and its certifications. I am a P-1 licensed plumber in North Carolina. I have recently began installing residential water filtration equipment for a new company in Jacksonville, NC.

Im interested in forwarding my knowledge and education in this feild. Would WQA be a good place for me to do this?

Which certification should I start with?

Is the Certified installer track good or should I go straight to CWS?

What kind of business do you have or do you work for municipality water dept?

How do WQA Certifications help your business?

Again Im a small business owner just looking for wqays to set my business apart and gain the eduction and knowledge to do this.

Thanks for your time. Does anyone have used WQA Study Litt. for sale. Particuarly CI Study Kit. Thx

Peter M. TenEyck
PMT Plumbing
I don't know who's post you saw but I'll assume it wasn't me, because I'm not a "professional" as described by some here.

I was a WQA member way back in the late 1980s. I found it to be very expensive and over hyped for what I wanted to do. That wasn't to impress other WQA members or the uninformed public by dazzling them with a bunch of letters after my name.

If you can't market yourself and grow your business without the letters after your name. I say save yourself a bunch of time, money and aggravation and don't get into water treatment because you won't survive. And that will negatively impact your plumbing business reputation.

So what do you want to do in or with water treatment?
 

Rjh2o

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The WQA is a great place to start. You can order one of their books on water treatment to study application, water chemistry, etc. and get a great jump on your competition with knowledge and experience that otherwise would require many years of trial and error and a lot of misinformation in the process. The Certified installer program is a great place to start for you. Then progress on to the CWS levels. It is not necessary to go to the conventions for certification testing. Frequently they have testing available in your state when there are enough requests for a testing session. Contact them directly for certification options.
I know I learned a great deal during each of my certifications and continue to learn as I keep up my certification annually. Even after 25 years in the industry.
RJH2O
 

Gary Slusser

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pmt plumbing, you don't get experience by reading books and taking tests.

If you want to be a fulll blown dealer, don't buy from factory reps or plumbing supply houses. Find a good water treatment supplier and then you can lean on their knowledge and experience and go to their training sessions. You find them in industry magazines like Water Conditioning and Purification and/or Water Technology etc..
 

Rjh2o

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pmt plumbing, you don't get experience by reading books and taking tests.

If you want to be a fulll blown dealer, don't buy from factory reps or plumbing supply houses. Find a good water treatment supplier and then you can lean on their knowledge and experience and go to their training sessions. You find them in industry magazines like Water Conditioning and Purification and/or Water Technology etc..

You gain "experience" by applying what you've learned and the knowledge that comes with that. Part of that experience/knowledge comes from learning from others. Which I expect many have done from this forum. It sounds as though this gentleman is already considered a "professional"in his plumbing profession. It only makes sense that he would seek out the help/opinion of water treatment professionals to further his knowledge of water treatment. This is by definition the sign of a professional, one that continues to learn and improve their knowledge/skills so as to assist those in need of their skill set. During your 30 + years Gary I am sure many of your customers were dependent on your professionalism to assist them with their water treatment problems and application advice.
Being considered a professional in your field should not be taken lightly as it requires constant learning and the humility to accept that you may not always have the answers, but do know where to go for help. Other professionals in your field.
RJH2O
 

Gary Slusser

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Many people that are good at book learnin' can't (or won't) apply that knowledge when it comes time to turn wrenches and get their hands dirty. IOWs they lack mechanical and troubleshooting ability. And thereby they have no experience, just info and no self confidence.

Now IF the WQA had a mechanical hands on part in addition to the books, I'd see them as more than simply training sales people.

My definition of a "Professional"... someone that wants you to pay whatever they want you to pay, for whatever it is that they want you to own. That type person usually does whatever it takes to go along to get along within their 'profession' and their motto seems to be, 'I'll look the other way and scratch your back if you do the same for me'.
 

Rjh2o

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Wow! There truly is NO sunshine on the dark side of the moon. You have my sympathy on your dark, cynical, retired demeanor.
Let there be LIGHT!
 

Tom Sawyer

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You either are or you aren't or you're a hack. Tell you what though, next time you need a doctor why not go to an unlicensed one ?
 

ditttohead

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The letters behind the doctors name are stupid, I can read online and do anything a doctor does, cheaper and better from my current Wal Mart parking lot. :)
 

Tom Sawyer

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I've branched out into dentistry and breast augmentation for good looking girls only
 
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