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Maintainer vs maintenance technician

The differences between maintainers 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 maintainer and a maintenance technician. Additionally, a maintainer has an average salary of $51,259, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.

The top three skills for a maintainer include hydraulic systems, suspension systems and test equipment. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.

Maintainer vs maintenance technician overview

MaintainerMaintenance Technician
Yearly salary$51,259$43,293
Hourly rate$24.64$20.81
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs8,137178,450
Job satisfaction-4.25
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 31%High School Diploma, 34%
Average age4747
Years of experience44

What does a maintainer do?

A maintainer serves as a time tracker that oversees and monitors the tasks of employees. They are the one who facilitates and reviews all the work, ensuring it is done according to specifications. Depending on what industry they work in, their function is to troubleshoot, repair, test, document, and review data that is needed.

What does a maintenance technician do?

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.

Maintainer vs maintenance technician salary

Maintainers and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

MaintainerMaintenance Technician
Average salary$51,259$43,293
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $82,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYRichmond, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyRhode Island
Best paying companyParsonsAnheuser-Busch
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between maintainer and maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between a maintainer and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

MaintainerMaintenance Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 31%High School Diploma, 34%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering Technology
Most common college--

Maintainer vs maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between maintainers' and maintenance technicians' demographics:

MaintainerMaintenance Technician
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 89.0% Female, 11.0%Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%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 Percentage2%2%

Differences between maintainer and maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Maintainer example responsibilities.

  • Manage LAN network and provide support for users.
  • Manage all contract work including snow removal, mowing, asphalt work, and signage.
  • Ignite torches and start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being weld completing electrical circuits.
  • Perform preventive maintenance checks and services on radio receivers, transmitters, communications security equipment and other relate technologies.
  • Modify components using jigs or templates.
  • Rework of SMT components on circuit board.
  • Show more

Maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Install, repair and troubleshoot electrical wiring, including switches, outlets, lights, ballast.
  • Monitor and document all temperature readings on boilers, chillers, and dry vac systems beginning and mid shift.
  • Perform preventative maintenance checks and services on exhaust fans, boilers, chiller units, automatic transfer switches, and generators.
  • Repair electrical equipment; replace faulty electrical switches; repair refrigeration equipment.
  • Handle trouble-shooting and repair of mechanical systems refrigerant recovery and charging of HVAC systems.
  • Facilitate commercial plumbing, electrical, light HVAC, and carpentry repairs in a laboratory facility environment
  • Show more

Maintainer vs maintenance technician skills

Common maintainer skills
  • Hydraulic Systems, 13%
  • Suspension Systems, 10%
  • Test Equipment, 7%
  • Electrical Systems, 6%
  • Windows, 6%
  • Weapons Systems, 6%
Common maintenance technician skills
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • HVAC, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Ladders, 4%
  • Electrical Systems, 4%

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