Derek runs twenty service calls on a busy day. Twenty crawlspaces, twenty shut-off valves, twenty opportunities for his hands to get torn up. The math is brutal: even small damage adds up fast.
"Residential service is different from new construction. You're constantly switching between tools, materials, and environments. Your hands never get a break."
The System
Derek's van has a hand station: tape, moisturizer, bandages, gloves. He tapes his knuckles before crawlspace work. He re-tapes at lunch. He moisturizes between every few calls.
"It sounds excessive until you've done this for ten years. Then you realize: the guys who don't have systems are the ones with destroyed hands."
The Long Game
Service plumbing pays well, but only if you can keep doing it. Derek has watched colleagues burn out — not mentally, but physically. Their hands couldn't take the pace anymore.
"I plan to do this until I choose to stop, not until my body makes me stop. That means taking care of myself today, not just chasing the next call."