Plumber assistant vs drain technician

The differences between plumber assistants and drain 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 plumber assistant and a drain technician. Additionally, a drain technician has an average salary of $59,122, which is higher than the $54,639 average annual salary of a plumber assistant.

The top three skills for a plumber assistant include plumbing, hot water heaters and sewer lines. The most important skills for a drain technician are plumbing, sewer lines, and CDL.

Plumber assistant vs drain technician overview

	Plumber Assistant	Drain Technician
Yearly salary	$54,639	$59,122
Hourly rate	$26.27	$28.42
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	12,671	25,624
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Plumber assistant vs drain technician salary

Plumber assistants and drain technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plumber Assistant	Drain Technician
Average salary	$54,639	$59,122
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $82,000	Between $38,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	American Residential Services
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between plumber assistant and drain technician education

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

	Plumber Assistant	Drain Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Plumber assistant vs drain technician demographics

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

	Plumber Assistant	Drain Technician
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between plumber assistant and drain technician duties and responsibilities

Plumber assistant example responsibilities.

Manage troubleshooting, pump repair, converters, brazing, and soldering.
Check pipes and plumbing fixtures using pressure gauges for leaks utilize plastic solvents caulk solder brazing and welding
Repair and install plumbing fixtures like hot water tanks, water heaters, dishwashers, garbage disposals, sinks etc.
Assist with various plumbing issues which include slab leaks, replacing water heaters, dishwashers, stoppages, and many more.
Used new PEX piping whenever possible.
Convert water lines from copper to PEX pipe for main supply lines to toilets, bathtubs and sinks.

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 assistant vs drain technician skills

Common plumber assistant skills

Plumbing, 19%
Hot Water Heaters, 10%
Sewer Lines, 10%
PVC, 8%
Caulking, 4%
Brazing, 3%

Common drain technician skills

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