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Refrigeration technician vs refrigeration operator

The differences between refrigeration technicians and refrigeration operators 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 refrigeration operator. Additionally, a refrigeration operator has an average salary of $50,937, which is higher than the $50,701 average annual salary of a refrigeration technician.

The top three skills for a refrigeration technician include preventative maintenance, hand tools and ladders. The most important skills for a refrigeration operator are ammonia, freon, and PSM.

Refrigeration technician vs refrigeration operator overview

Refrigeration TechnicianRefrigeration Operator
Yearly salary$50,701$50,937
Hourly rate$24.38$24.49
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs131,11526,855
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 31%High School Diploma, 37%
Average age4040
Years of experience44

Refrigeration technician vs refrigeration operator salary

Refrigeration technicians and refrigeration operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Refrigeration TechnicianRefrigeration Operator
Average salary$50,701$50,937
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $75,000Between $36,000 And $71,000
Highest paying CityBaltimore, MD-
Highest paying stateDelaware-
Best paying companyMicron Technology-
Best paying industryManufacturing-

Differences between refrigeration technician and refrigeration operator education

There are a few differences between a refrigeration technician and a refrigeration operator in terms of educational background:

Refrigeration TechnicianRefrigeration Operator
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 31%High School Diploma, 37%
Most common majorHeating And Air ConditioningHeating And Air Conditioning
Most common college--

Refrigeration technician vs refrigeration operator demographics

Here are the differences between refrigeration technicians' and refrigeration operators' demographics:

Refrigeration TechnicianRefrigeration Operator
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 97.2% Female, 2.8%Male, 98.3% Female, 1.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between refrigeration technician and refrigeration operator duties and responsibilities

Refrigeration technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist with and, on occasion, manage installation and modification of building HVAC/R systems.
  • Operate, inspect, service, and maintain industrial ammonia refrigeration systems.
  • Repair and maintain residential heating and air conditioning systems, replacing compressors, condensers and evaporators.
  • Run PVC piping for drainage systems.
  • Install compressors, capacitors and contactors.
  • Clean strainers and pumpdown compressors for pms.
  • Show more

Refrigeration operator example responsibilities.

  • Assist with and, on occasion, manage installation and modification of building HVAC/R systems.
  • Repair pumps, PLC controllers, piping and plumbing.
  • Work on PLC controls, VFD drives.
  • Service roof top HVAC units.
  • Process management compliant with OSHA, EPA and DEC.
  • Use of computerize system to schedule repairs, track projects, and monitor and evaluate HVAC system.
  • Show more

Refrigeration technician vs refrigeration operator skills

Common refrigeration technician skills
  • Preventative Maintenance, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 5%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Refrigeration Equipment, 5%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%
  • OSHA, 4%
Common refrigeration operator skills
  • Ammonia, 21%
  • Freon, 11%
  • PSM, 11%
  • HVAC, 8%
  • Condensers, 6%
  • OSHA, 5%

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