Plumbing technician vs drain cleaner, plumber

The differences between plumbing technicians and drain cleaners, plumber can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plumbing technician and a drain cleaner, plumber. Additionally, a plumbing technician has an average salary of $59,049, which is higher than the $55,318 average annual salary of a drain cleaner, plumber.

The top three skills for a plumbing technician include plumbing, hand tools and HVAC. The most important skills for a drain cleaner, plumber are plumbing, , and .

Plumbing technician vs drain cleaner, plumber overview

	Plumbing Technician	Drain Cleaner, Plumber
Yearly salary	$59,049	$55,318
Hourly rate	$28.39	$26.60
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	58,886	42,513
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Plumbing technician vs drain cleaner, plumber salary

Plumbing technicians and drain cleaners, plumber have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plumbing Technician	Drain Cleaner, Plumber
Average salary	$59,049	$55,318
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $88,000	Between $40,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	-
Highest paying state	Nevada	-
Best paying company	Navistar	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between plumbing technician and drain cleaner, plumber education

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

	Plumbing Technician	Drain Cleaner, Plumber
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
Most common college	-	-

Plumbing technician vs drain cleaner, plumber demographics

Here are the differences between plumbing technicians' and drain cleaners, plumber' demographics:

	Plumbing Technician	Drain Cleaner, Plumber
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%	Male, 99.2% Female, 0.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 1.9% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.0% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between plumbing technician and drain cleaner, plumber duties and responsibilities

Plumbing technician example responsibilities.

Train and manage less experience plumbers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Invoice customer for services render.
dig ups to expose pipes outside.
Perform brazing, soldering, pipefitting and welding.
Operate backhoes to dig up lines and replace.
Use jetting equipment and augers to unclog drains.

Drain cleaner, plumber example responsibilities.

Manage troubleshooting, pump repair, converters, brazing, and soldering.
Repair and maintain plumbing by replacing washers in leaky faucets, mending burst pipes and opening clog drains.
Check plumbing systems for leakage; install water lines, water heater, septic systems and all plumbing relate issues.
Service department manager who coordinate estimates and train apprentice plumbers.
Specialize in new residential construction for local contractors from rough-in through final inspection.

Plumbing technician vs drain cleaner, plumber skills

Common plumbing technician skills

Plumbing, 32%
Hand Tools, 7%
HVAC, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Service Calls, 4%

Common drain cleaner, plumber skills

Plumbing, 100%

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Plumbing Technician vs Drain Cleaner, Plumber

Updated January 8, 2025

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