How to hire a drain technician

How to hire a drain technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step drain technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a drain technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new drain technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the drain technician you need to hire. Certain drain technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect drain technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of drain technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Drain Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Drain Technician	Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair pipes that carry liquids or gases to, from, and within businesses, homes, and factories.	$18-42
   Plumber	Plumbers specialize in assembling, detecting issues, maintaining, and repairing pipes and systems that can either involve water or gas distribution in a home or establishment, ensuring that they function efficiently. Additionally, Plumbers can also install various materials such as kitchen or bathroom sinks, toilets, appliances, and more... Show more	$17-40
   Service Plumber	Service plumbers repair tanks, pipes, and water fixtures. Part of their job may include unclogging drains and toilets and handling various residential plumbing requirements... Show more	$17-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Plumbing
   • Sewer Lines
   • CDL
   • Commercial Buildings
   • Customer Service
   • Water Heaters
   • HVAC
   • Snakes
   • Urinals
   • Residential Homes
   • Caulking
   • Install Valves
   • DIG
   • PVC

   Check all skills

   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.

   More drain technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the drain technician job description is a good way to get more applicants. A drain technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a drain technician in Idaho may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level drain technician. Additionally, a drain technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average drain technician salary

   $59,122yearly

   $28.42 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level drain technician salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 2, 2026

   Average drain technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$93,294	$45
   2	Oregon	$70,238	$34
   3	Arizona	$68,970	$33
   4	Washington	$67,804	$33
   5	Ohio	$65,663	$32
   6	Nebraska	$59,139	$28
   7	Minnesota	$58,650	$28
   8	Utah	$57,412	$28
   9	Illinois	$57,225	$28
   10	Kansas	$56,922	$27
   11	Virginia	$55,866	$27
   12	Texas	$53,864	$26
   13	Michigan	$53,529	$26
   14	Indiana	$53,417	$26
   15	South Carolina	$52,089	$25
   16	Tennessee	$51,255	$25
   17	Colorado	$50,174	$24

   Average drain technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	American Residential Services	$86,889	$41.77	13
   2	Cook Group	$70,340	$33.82
   3	Roto	$67,776	$32.58	4
   4	A.B. May	$63,939	$30.74
   5	Triple A RV Center	$63,627	$30.59
   6	TLC Plumbing	$63,366	$30.46
   7	F.H. Furr	$63,250	$30.41	1
   8	Williams Plumbing / Williams Civil Construction	$62,411	$30.01
   9	Wind River Environmental	$61,940	$29.78	11
   10	Air Pro Inc	$61,241	$29.44
   11	Benjamin Franklin Plumbing	$61,130	$29.39	36
   12	Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning	$60,960	$29.31	3
   13	Peaden	$60,940	$29.30
   14	Baker Commodities	$60,863	$29.26
   15	LKQ	$34,937	$16.80	7

4. Writing a drain technician job description

   A drain technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a drain technician job description:

   Drain technician job description example

   Job Description1-800-Plumber +Air is a growing plumbing and HVAC company and we are looking for a motivated drain technician to perform residential sewer and drain services. This will include clearing clogs and stoppages within the drain system, diagnosing the cause of the problem, and discussing the solutions with the homeowner. This also may include repairing and replacing the sewer piping in the yard or under the home. 1-800-Plumber +Air is very customer focused in providing a high quality customer experience for each of our customers. Join the 1-800-Plumber +Air team and take your career to the next level.
   Responsibilities:
   
   Run drain cleaning equipment in residential and commercial drain lines. Repair or replace broken sewer lines. Analyze problems and understand what tools and services are needed for the problem Follow health and safety regulations Report documents of any problems and action taken Test plumbing systems for leaks and other problems Be able to cut assemble pipes with knowledge to existing infrastructure
   
   Qualifications:
   
   Must have experience in residential and commercial drain cleaning Knowledge of current regulations within the plumbing field Must pass background check Ability to use plumbing tools Good physical condition Customer service experience Must pass drug screen Must have a valid Driver’s License
   
   Benefits:
   
   Paid vacation days Paid sick days Paid training Paid travel Healthcare Bonus Overtime
   
   This franchise is independently owned and operated by a franchisee. Your application will go directly to the franchisee, and all hiring decisions will be made by the management of this franchisee. All inquiries about employment at this franchisee should be made directly to the franchise location, and not to 1-800-Plumber Corporate.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right drain technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your drain technician job on Zippia to find and recruit drain technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as constructionjobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting drain technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new drain technician

   Once you've selected the best drain technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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