Pipefitter Apprentice – Commercial Hydronics

Pipefitter Apprentice — Commercial Hydronics

Rockville, MD | Full-time | Field-based across MD, DC, and VA

Quality Air Services | Rockville, MD
$1,000 SIGNING BONUS

$400.00 at 6 months · $600.00 at 12 months

$30 – $40 per hour, based on apprenticeship year and skill

Must have completed OR be currently enrolled in an approved pipefitting, plumbing, HVAC, or mechanical apprenticeship program

About Quality Air Services

Quality Air Services is a Rockville, Maryland HVAC and mechanical contractor serving the DC metro. We do the harder hydronic work most contractors won’t touch. Dual-temperature riser pipe replacements in occupied multifamily and commercial buildings. Fan coil unit replacement at scale. A national pipe-freezing program that lets us isolate valves on live systems without draining a building. Non-union shop. We promote from within.

We’re looking for a Pipefitter Apprentice in a formal apprenticeship program (or someone who recently completed one) to join one of our field crews and finish your training on real commercial work.

What You’ll Get Here

• Real commercial hydronic work. Copper press, solder, brazing, steel threading, valve package work, riser tie-ins. Live-system isolation you’ll watch early; you’ll run pieces of it as you progress.
• Path to journeyman pay with us when you complete your program.
• Registered apprenticeship employer in MD and DC. We know how to work around your program’s class hours and curriculum.

What You’ll Do

• Cut, prep, fit, and assemble commercial mechanical piping. You put the pipe together. The lead checks the work — he doesn’t do it for you.
• Copper work. Press, solder, sweat, braze — you make the joints yourself.
• Steel pipe. Thread, ream, join. Tie new to existing on riser replacements.
• Install valve packages on FCUs and AHUs. Isolation valves, control valves, strainers, thermometers, PT ports, manual air vents.
• Pressure testing and leak checks per spec and code.
• Read mechanical drawings and work from them. Plan, section, iso.
• Material staging, jobsite setup, daily clean-up. Containment in occupied spaces.
• Professional conduct around residents and building staff. Most jobs are in occupied buildings.
• Field notes for the foreman’s daily log. Sketches, redlines, quantities.

What You Need

• Year 2 or later in an approved apprenticeship program, OR recently completed. Pipefitting, plumbing, HVAC, or mechanical. UA, ABC, MCA, or other DOL-registered program. Required. In your note: which program, your status, what year you’re in. (Year 1 apprentices, this pay band is above starting level — we hire at a lower band for first-year guys. Watch for a separate posting.)
• You can put pipe together yourself. Press copper joints, solder, sweat, braze. Thread and join steel. We’re not paying $30–$40/hr to cut and prep.
• 2 years actively working commercial jobsites. You’ve turned wrenches on real systems, not just run parts or staged material.
• Reads mechanical drawings — plan, section, iso — and works from them without being walked through every step.
• Takes ownership of your tasks. Lead points you at the work; you execute and get it right.
• Shows up on time. Every day.
• Lifts 50 lbs. Works in tight spaces. Climbs ladders. Stands most of the day.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• OSHA 10 preferred, or you’ll certify within 30 days.

Top of the Range

• MD or VA journeyman license in plumbing or HVAC. Not required. Moves you toward the top of the range.
• Prior pipefitting or commercial plumbing helper experience.
• Copper press, soldering, brazing exposure.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.
• Trade school or vocational training on top of your apprenticeship program.

Compensation

• Hourly: $30 – $40 per hour, based on apprenticeship year and skill set.
• $1,000 signing bonus, paid in three installments: $400.00 at 6 months, $600.00 at 12 months.
• Overtime as available, paid time-and-a-half.
• Health insurance, 401(k) with company match, paid time off, paid holidays.
• Schedule that works with your apprenticeship program’s class hours.
• Company-provided PPE and standard tools. Bring your own hand tools.
• Clear path to journeyman pay when you complete your program.

Schedule

Full-time, Monday through Friday. Project hours typically 7am–3:30pm. We’ll coordinate around your apprenticeship class schedule. Occasional night or weekend work during critical cutovers — paid at premium rates.

How to Apply

Send us your resume and a short note. Tell us which apprenticeship program you’re in or completed, what year you’re on (or when you finished), and why you want to work with our shop. We pay attention to that note.

Quality Air Services is an equal opportunity employer and a registered apprenticeship employer in MD and DC. We value craftsmanship, safety, transparency, and growth on every job site.

Pay: $30.00 - $40.00 per hour

Experience:

• actively working commercial jobsites: 2 years (Required)

License/Certification:

• driver’s license and reliable transportation. (Required)
• Journeyman Plumber (Required)
• Journeyman HVAC (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $30 - $40