CERTIFICATION

THE IMPORTANCE for a CERTIFIED PLUMBING ENGINEERS (CPE) EXAMINATION

A licensed Engineer means a lot of things to a lot of people. For many engineers, it’s a rite of passage and a career-defining achievement that opens up opportunities and solidifies their professional reputation, much like tenure for someone in academia. It allows them to stamp and seal engineering drawings for approval by a public authority.

For many employers, it’s a sign of seriousness about a career in engineering, a justification to bill more for services and a marketing tool to win projects. For many clients, it’s a reassuring indication of competency in a given engineering discipline. And for the increasingly competitive building design and construction industry, it is becoming an expectation of those who practice engineering.

The Licensed Engineers are prevalent among most disciplines needed to design a building — the Civil, Structural, HVAC, Electrical and Fire Protection Engineering fields are well-represented with licensed Engineers. However, Plumbing Engineering seems to be lagging behind its counterparts. 

A number of past lawsuits around plumbing system design flaws found fault with an engineer of record (the one who stamped the drawings) who was not competent in plumbing engineering. With these challenges, the industry has begun to acknowledge the complexity of modern plumbing design, but there is still a lack of registered engineers in the plumbing discipline. 

Additionally, younger engineers are less likely to see plumbing as an attractive career path — this is a growing concern in the profession as more experienced engineers are retiring with not enough incoming ones to replenish the ranks. However, a group in APEP Inc. is taking steps to change this.

Developing the Certified Plumbing Engineer (CPE) Examination is another monumental effort of APEP Inc. we do not expect to begin until this year. It is one of the final steps in what has been a marathon of an undertaking and one that more and more professionals see as worthwhile for the Recognition of “Plumbing Engineer” title.

When the plumbing depth option is finally available, it will mark one of the biggest developments the industry has seen in decades. It will be a major milestone in earning plumbing engineering the credence, respect and recognition it deserves.