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The differences between hvac-r technicians and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a hvac-r technician and a maintenance technician. Additionally, a hvac-r technician has an average salary of $53,354, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a hvac-r technician include HVAC/R, ventilation and plumbing. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Hvac-R Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $53,354 | $43,293 |
| Hourly rate | $25.65 | $20.81 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 85,555 | 178,450 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
HVAC-R Technicians are responsible for the repair, maintenance, and installation of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC-R) systems. Their duties include repairing, maintaining, and installing HVAC-R equipment and systems, inspect equipment maintenance risks, diagnose mechanical and electrical faults, adjusting and cleaning systems, and carrying out warranty services. They maintain accurate maintenance records, assist with customer inquiries, give technical direction, provide mentorship to the junior technicians as well as ensure work complies with service, appliance, and safety standards.
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
Hvac-r technicians and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hvac-R Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $53,354 | $43,293 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $79,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lynnwood, WA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Better | Anheuser-Busch |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a hvac-r technician and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Hvac-R Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | Dunwoody College of Technology | - |
Here are the differences between hvac-r technicians' and maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Hvac-R Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.4% Female, 2.6% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |