Bridget O'Shaughnessy Journeyman Plumber, ASSE 5110 Pittsburgh, 15203, United States [email protected] · (412) 555-0190
11 September 2026
Mr. Tomasz Kowalczyk Service Manager Steel City Plumbing and Heating Pittsburgh, United States
Application for Service Plumber, Steel City Plumbing and Heating
Dear Mr. Kowalczyk,
I am applying for the Service Plumber post at Steel City Plumbing and Heating. I hold a journeyman plumber license from the Allegheny County Health Department, #JP-8802, and an ASSE 5110 backflow prevention assembly tester certification, and I have spent the last five years running a solo service truck on residential and light commercial work.
The number I would put forward is the ticket history. I closed 1,240 tickets last year at a 3.1% callback rate, averaging $612 a call across 5 to 7 calls a day. Within that, I replaced 186 water heaters including 41 tankless conversions, cleared and camera-inspected 340 drains, and located 22 sewer laterals that we then repaired or lined. I also test and file 210 backflow assemblies a year for 38 commercial accounts, and every report last year went in inside the water authority's 30-day window.
I noticed Steel City has been adding commercial maintenance agreements rather than chasing one-off calls. That is the part of this trade I want to be in, because the backflow filings alone give you a schedulable reason to be back on every one of those sites once a year. I would be glad to own that calendar, and I am comfortable carrying an apprentice while doing it.
I work to the International Plumbing Code as adopted under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, I hold OSHA 30 and confined space cards, and I will take the on-call rotation. I can start on two weeks' notice. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Bridget O'Shaughnessy
Summary
A plumber cover letter names your license tier and number, which of the four kinds of plumbing work you do, the certifications that widen your scope, and one number from the truck. This guide gives you a full adaptable letter, the openings that work, and how the letter changes between a service company and a mechanical contractor.
Plumber cover letter examples by experience level
A plumber cover letter is a one-page letter that says what your license lets you do, which kind of plumbing work you actually do, and one number from the last year of it.
Service managers and mechanical contractors are not reading for character. They are deciding whether to put you on a truck or on a job, and those are two different decisions made from two different letters.
Guide to a plumber cover letter
This guide and the corresponding plumber cover letter example will cover:
- How to structure the letter, paragraph by paragraph
- Why the license tier and the work type belong in the first two lines
- What a real number looks like for a service plumber
- Why backflow and medical gas certifications belong early, not in a list at the end
- How the letter changes between a service company and a mechanical contractor
How to write a plumber cover letter
| Paragraph | Its job | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | The post, your license tier and number, the kind of work you do | 2 to 3 sentences |
| Evidence | One kind of work, one number, one period of time | 4 to 5 sentences |
| Fit | Something real about the company, and what you would take on | 3 to 4 sentences |
| Close | Certifications, code, availability, thank you | 2 sentences |
Say the tier, the county and the work type in the first two lines
Plumbing licensing is often local rather than statewide, so "licensed plumber" tells the reader almost nothing. Write the tier, the issuing body and the number: "Master Plumber, Allegheny County Health Department #MP-4471."
Then say which of the four kinds of work you do, because a service and drain plumber, a new construction plumber, a commercial fit-out plumber and an industrial pipefitter are four different hires. A letter that does not choose gets read as the cheapest of the four.
Put your gated certifications in that same opening if you hold them. ASSE 5110 backflow testing and ASSE 6010 medical gas installation are billed separately, so they belong where the reader is still paying attention.
A plumber cover letter example you can adapt
Dear Mr. Kowalczyk,
I am applying for the Service Plumber post at Steel City Plumbing and Heating. I hold a journeyman plumber license from the Allegheny County Health Department, #JP-8802, and an ASSE 5110 backflow prevention assembly tester certification, and I have spent the last five years running a solo service truck on residential and light commercial work.
The number I would put forward is the ticket history. I closed 1,240 tickets last year at a 3.1% callback rate, averaging $612 a call across 5 to 7 calls a day. Within that, I replaced 186 water heaters including 41 tankless conversions, cleared and camera-inspected 340 drains, and located 22 sewer laterals that we then repaired or lined. I also test and file 210 backflow assemblies a year for 38 commercial accounts, and every report last year went in inside the water authority's 30-day window.
I noticed Steel City has been adding commercial maintenance agreements rather than chasing one-off calls. That is the part of this trade I want to be in, because the backflow filings alone give you a schedulable reason to be back on every one of those sites once a year. I would be glad to own that calendar, and I am comfortable carrying an apprentice while doing it.
I work to the International Plumbing Code as adopted under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, I hold OSHA 30 and confined space cards, and I will take the on-call rotation. I can start on two weeks' notice. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Bridget O'Shaughnessy
Openings that work
| Instead of | Use |
|---|---|
| I am a reliable plumber with years of experience | I hold a journeyman plumber license from the Allegheny County Health Department, #JP-8802 |
| I am writing to apply for your plumbing position | I am applying for the Service Plumber post and have run a solo service truck for five years |
| I take pride in quality work and customer service | I closed 1,240 tickets last year at a 3.1% callback rate, averaging $612 a call |
| I would be an asset to your company | I noticed Steel City has been adding commercial maintenance agreements rather than chasing one-off calls |
What counts as a number in this trade
| Kind of evidence | What it looks like in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Ticket volume | 1,240 tickets last year at 5 to 7 calls a day |
| Quality | 3.1% callback rate over 1,240 tickets |
| Revenue | $612 average ticket, quoted and closed on the truck |
| Specific work | 186 water heaters replaced, 41 of them tankless conversions |
| Certification output | 210 backflow assemblies tested and filed for 38 accounts |
| Construction | A 4-story, 62-fixture office fit-out roughed and trimmed, no corrections at rough |
Service company or mechanical contractor: two different letters
For a service company, lead with calls a day, callback rate, average ticket and the certifications that create repeat visits. For a mechanical contractor, lead with fixture counts, materials, coordination and inspection results, because they are buying schedule certainty. For a hospital or institutional employer, lead with ASSE 6010 medical gas and your brazing currency. Name the code you work to, since the IPC and the UPC are different documents. Say whether you will take on-call.
Do not write "licensed plumber" with no tier, body or number. Do not imply you can test backflow or braze medical gas without the current certification, because both are verified. Do not leave gas fitting ambiguous when your jurisdiction permits it separately. Do not send a letter with no company name in it. Do not call yourself hardworking or reliable; every letter in the folder does.
Where the openings are, and where the separation is
Employment of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding 34,500 jobs, with about 42,000 openings projected each year over the decade (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections). The median annual wage was $63,800 in May 2025.
The industry spread is modest: $63,010 at plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, where 65 percent of the trade works, against $71,660 in government and $65,770 in manufacturing (BLS, May 2025).
So the letter cannot lean on which industry you are in. It has to lean on what you can be sent to do, which is why the certification line and the ticket number carry the whole opening.
Length, format and sending it
One page, four paragraphs, 250 to 400 words. PDF unless the portal says otherwise, named for yourself and the post: bridget-oshaughnessy-service-plumber-cover-letter.pdf.
Address a person. Service managers and owners are usually named on the company's own site, and "To Whom It May Concern" on an otherwise specific file reads as a letter sent to twelve companies.
Keep the figures identical to your resume. Our plumber resume example is built on the numbers used here, and if you are still logging apprenticeship hours, the electrician apprentice resume example shows how to write that stage in any trade.
Key takeaways
- Give the license tier, issuing body and number in the first two lines, because licensing is often local.
- Say which of the four kinds of plumbing work you do.
- Put ASSE 5110 and ASSE 6010 in the opening if you hold them, not in a footer list.
- Pick one number: tickets, callback rate, average ticket, fixtures or filings.
- Name the code you work to, since the IPC and the UPC differ.
- Say whether you will take the on-call rotation, because it is paid and hard to staff.
- Address a named person and keep it to one page.
Write your plumber cover letter in 10 minutes.
Plumber cover letter questions, answered
How long should a plumber cover letter be?
One page, four paragraphs, 250 to 400 words. Service managers read these between dispatches, and length does not read as effort in this trade.
Do I need a cover letter if I am applying to a service company?
Attach one wherever there is a field for it. The application form collects the same fields from everyone. The letter is the only place you can say your callback rate, which certifications you hold, which municipalities you pull permits in, and whether you will take on-call.
Should I put my license number in the letter?
Yes, with the issuing body. Plumbing licensing is often county or city rather than state, so the body matters as much as the number, and a letter that lets someone verify it in ten seconds reads as a file with nothing to hide.
How do I write the letter with no service history yet?
Write the apprenticeship as work. The years with a registered master plumber, the classroom hours, the materials you have joined, the fixture counts, and what you can already do alone. Then say which direction you want: service, construction, or commercial. A newly licensed plumber who knows which one they are aiming at is easier to plan a truck around.
Is it worth mentioning backflow or medical gas if I am not certified yet?
Only if you have a date. "I sit the ASSE 5110 examination in March" is useful; "I am interested in getting backflow certified" is not, because everyone is. If you have neither, say which one you would take first and why it suits their account base, which at least shows you read what they do.