Drain technician vs plumber helper

The differences between drain technicians and plumber helpers 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 plumber helper. Additionally, a drain technician has an average salary of $59,122, which is higher than the $43,893 average annual salary of a plumber helper.

The top three skills for a drain technician include plumbing, sewer lines and CDL. The most important skills for a plumber helper are hand tools, plumbing, and cast iron.

Drain technician vs plumber helper overview

	Drain Technician	Plumber Helper
Yearly salary	$59,122	$43,893
Hourly rate	$28.42	$21.10
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	25,624	21,963
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 58%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Drain technician vs plumber helper salary

Drain technicians and plumber helpers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drain Technician	Plumber Helper
Average salary	$59,122	$43,893
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $89,000	Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	American Residential Services	ENCON Heating
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between drain technician and plumber helper education

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

	Drain Technician	Plumber Helper
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 58%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Drain technician vs plumber helper demographics

Here are the differences between drain technicians' and plumber helpers' demographics:

	Drain Technician	Plumber Helper
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.9% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between drain technician and plumber helper 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.

Plumber helper example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Install lavatories, help install urinals and commodes, roof drains and hose-bibs.
Assist journeyman plumber with measuring, cutting, brazing and sweating copper and copper fittings.
Perform solder brazing, some rough work with acetylene torch and grinders and various cutting implements.
Used tools of the trade; pipe cutters, cutting torches, pipe threading and pipe bending machines
Operate equipment such as cutting torches, threading machines, grinders, beveling machines and round up clamps.

Drain technician vs plumber helper skills

Common drain technician skills

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

Common plumber helper skills

Hand Tools, 36%
Plumbing, 18%
Cast Iron, 18%
Ladders, 9%
PEX, 5%
Sewer Lines, 2%