Service plumber vs drain technician

The differences between service plumbers 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 service plumber and a drain technician. Additionally, a drain technician has an average salary of $59,122, which is higher than the $54,946 average annual salary of a service plumber.

The top three skills for a service plumber include plumbing, residential service and customer service. The most important skills for a drain technician are plumbing, sewer lines, and CDL.

Service plumber vs drain technician overview

	Service Plumber	Drain Technician
Yearly salary	$54,946	$59,122
Hourly rate	$26.42	$28.42
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	8,369	25,624
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Service plumber vs drain technician salary

Service plumbers and drain technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Service Plumber	Drain Technician
Average salary	$54,946	$59,122
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $82,000	Between $38,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	California
Best paying company	JK Realty	American Residential Services
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between service plumber and drain technician education

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

	Service Plumber	Drain Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Service plumber vs drain technician demographics

Here are the differences between service plumbers' and drain technicians' demographics:

	Service Plumber	Drain Technician
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 98.0% Female, 2.0%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 64.7% 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 service plumber and drain technician duties and responsibilities

Service plumber example responsibilities.

Can skillfully pipe and support copper, cast iron, black and galvanize pipe, PVC and PEX.
Own CompanyExpertly repair general plumbing components such as toilets, urinals, faucets, hose bibs, and drains.
Plumb waste water lines for toilets and urinals.
Assist in caulking pipe joints to properly seal them.
Assist in renovation of homes potable system and DWV systems.
Join piping by means of threading, soldering and brazing.

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.

Service plumber vs drain technician skills

Common service plumber skills

Plumbing, 35%
Residential Service, 9%
Customer Service, 6%
HVAC, 5%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Sewer Lines, 4%

Common drain technician skills

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