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The differences between refrigeration technicians and facility 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 refrigeration technician and a facility maintenance technician. Additionally, a refrigeration technician has an average salary of $50,701, which is higher than the $39,575 average annual salary of a facility maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a refrigeration technician include preventative maintenance, hand tools and ladders. The most important skills for a facility maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Refrigeration Technician | Facility Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,701 | $39,575 |
| Hourly rate | $24.38 | $19.03 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 131,115 | 171,217 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A refrigeration technician is responsible for managing refrigeration and cooling systems for private households and commercial establishments. Refrigeration technicians install refrigeration components, requiring them to have an excellent analysis of blueprints and schematics. They inspect the system components and inform the household owners and management for preventive maintenance and troubleshooting for minor defects and inconsistencies, as well as calculating costs and materials for repairs. A refrigeration technician must be well-equipped with mechanical knowledge to identify failures and upgrade units as necessary.
A facility maintenance technician is responsible for inspecting the safety and security of the facilities, including the operational tools, equipment, and machinery, to avoid potential hazards in the production area and maintain timely project deliverables. Facility maintenance technicians perform a regular check on the equipment, identifying glitches and inconsistencies, and repairing defective components to avoid delays in operation. They also install and assemble new machines, requiring them to have comprehensive knowledge of reading schematics and blueprints. A facility maintenance technician records incident reports and suggests immediate safety actions to management.
Refrigeration technicians and facility maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Refrigeration Technician | Facility Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,701 | $39,575 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $75,000 | Between $29,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a refrigeration technician and a facility maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Refrigeration Technician | Facility Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 31% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between refrigeration technicians' and facility maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Refrigeration Technician | Facility Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.2% Female, 2.8% | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 2.5% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |