In response to the dire need for new people in the plumbing trade, Pfister Faucets created American Plumber Stories, a video series starring real plumbers and showing the work they do and the lives they live. The series explores how they got started, their advice for future plumbers, and—importantly—the rewards that come with the trade.
The series is the brainchild of Spencer Brown, Pfister’s Director of Sales. In the course of his work Brown met plumber after plumber struggling to recruit new team members, and sometimes struggling to pass on a successful business. “I just kept wondering, what we, as a brand, could do to help them out,” Brown said. “I kept saying, if you could just tell your story, more people would want to be a plumber.”
That’s where the name of the series had its origin. When the pandemic hit, Brown used the time and found the resources to turn the series into a reality. “One thing we found making these stories is that plumbing is a passion for these people,” Brown said. “They just love their job and as they talk about that they start to open up about the rewards of the profession.”
Acclaim and Support
Since its launch in 2021 the series has received high acclaim from both within the industry and without. At the 45th Annual Telly Awards American Plumber Stories won the Silver in the Best in Public Interest and Awareness category, the Bronze in the Non-Scripted Online category, and the Bronze for the Editing Online category.
The series has also gained industry partners in companies such as Oatey, RIDGID, Nibco, Cintas and AprileAir and in organizations like the International Code Council (ICC) and the Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors (PHCC) National Association.
The series recently launched its 5th season. Charismatic country music star (and Army Reserve soldier) Craig Morgan returns as the show’s host. “This year, Pfister’s American Plumber Stories is heading to my second home state of Alaska and beyond, and five seasons in, it remains an honor to share these stories of inspiring men and women on the frontline of the worldwide plumbing trade," Morgan said.
Going International
In addition to Alaska, season five will also present stories from Hawaii and around the world.
Maui – In the season premiere, we meet a recently retired plumber who lost his house and everything he owned in the Lahaina fire disaster. The set-back motivates his son Raymond to recruit the next generation of plumbers to help build Lahaina back.
Australia – Martin is the “Crocodile Dundee” of the plumbing industry in Tasmania. He specializes in servicing remote locations that he reaches by helicopter and small bush planes.
“We had an opportunity with the International Code Council. They were big fans of American Plumber Stories and reached out to me and wanted to be involved,” Brown explained. ICC proposed a remote plumbing specialist in Tasmania, doing interesting applications with rainwater capture.
Alaska – This episode explores the beauty of the state, and what it’s like for Bill to work as a plumber in an extreme climate. It also takes a look at what a plumber’s downtime can look like. “Bill is a boxer,” Brown said, “and he happened to have a fight scheduled one of the nights we were filming.”
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada – This episode tells the inspirational story of Mary Anne who employs an all-female team of plumbers. Her 100K+ social media followers know her as @the_ladyplumber (on Instagram).
“I don’t know any other way to describe Mary Anne besides bada**,” said Brown. The episode that highlights her will be, according to Brown, perhaps the most powerful, emotional story the series has told. “It’s going to be different from what people see from her on social media,” Brown said. “They're going to learn from her. It'll be something completely inspiring and motivational.”
Salinas, CA – In this installment, we meet plumbing instructor Jorge who helps rehabilitate convicts by teaching them the plumbing trade inside the Soledad State Prison, a medium-security prison incarcerating 4,000 inmates.
“The plumber that's teaching the class could make a lot more money doing something else, but he's committed and he's young, and he's built an amazing program,” Brown said—comparable to other top-level programs in the state. Not only does it keep the inmates constructively occupied, it gives them better chances for success once they’ve served their sentences and return to society.
Victorville, CA – Meet the Motherflushers, a team of young plumbers who are working to change the perception of the plumbing trade via social media. “Evan with Replumb is only 22 years old, the same age as my son,” Brown said, “and he has 1.9 million total followers. Just amazing.”
All three of the Motherflushers (Evan, Ty and Jacob) stumbled into the plumbing trade almost by accident, making the story of their success an engaging one that will definitely appeal to younger viewers.
How to Watch – and Participate
For more information and to watch the new episodes of American Plumber Stories, visit www.americanplumberstories.com. (The site also has a store with hats, sweatshirts and more sporting the APS logo.) The YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/@AmericanPlumberStories.
Interested plumbers who would like to share their stories can do so by visiting www.americanplumberstories.com/pages/i-am-an-american-plumber .