Drain technician vs journeyman plumber

The differences between drain technicians and journeyman plumbers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a drain technician and a journeyman plumber. Additionally, a drain technician has an average salary of $59,122, which is higher than the $54,678 average annual salary of a journeyman plumber.

The top three skills for a drain technician include plumbing, sewer lines and CDL. The most important skills for a journeyman plumber are plumbing, hand tools, and work ethic.

Drain technician vs journeyman plumber overview

	Drain Technician	Journeyman Plumber
Yearly salary	$59,122	$54,678
Hourly rate	$28.42	$26.29
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	25,624	10,869
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Drain technician vs journeyman plumber salary

Drain technicians and journeyman plumbers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drain Technician	Journeyman Plumber
Average salary	$59,122	$54,678
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $89,000	Between $36,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	American Residential Services	Constellation Energy Partners
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between drain technician and journeyman plumber education

There are a few differences between a drain technician and a journeyman plumber in terms of educational background:

	Drain Technician	Journeyman Plumber
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Drain technician vs journeyman plumber demographics

Here are the differences between drain technicians' and journeyman plumbers' demographics:

	Drain Technician	Journeyman Plumber
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 1.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between drain technician and journeyman plumber duties and responsibilities

Drain technician example responsibilities.

Used various equipment and tools to unclog drains, camera pipes, install urinals and toilets.
Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
Perform trench work, laying pipe, building underground manholes.
Assemble many pieces for custom bags and cushions utilizing good body mechanics.
Install pvc pipe, copper lines and flexible hose for residential water systems.
Remove and replace broken tile section or pipe, using caulking compound and cement to form watertight joint.

Journeyman plumber example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Operate equipment such as cutting torches, threading machines, grinder, soldering and brazing.
Install and join copper, PVC, black iron and cast iron pipe and fittings below grind and above grind.
Work on sanitary sewer, rain leaders, and condensate lines using cast iron, PVC, and copper pipe.
Replace plumbing fixtures, water heaters, gas and electric, filtration systems, dishwashers, and service piping to structures.
Perform complete plumbing installations from rough-in to finishing according to Minnesota codes.

Drain technician vs journeyman plumber skills

Common drain technician skills

Plumbing, 52%
Sewer Lines, 11%
CDL, 9%
Commercial Buildings, 7%
Customer Service, 4%
Water Heaters, 2%

Common journeyman plumber skills

Plumbing, 20%
Hand Tools, 19%
Work Ethic, 12%
Drainage Systems, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Pipe Fittings, 4%