Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC

Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners

Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.

Also called: Drain Cleaner, Septic Pump Truck Driver, Septic Tank Service Technician, Service Technician, Drain Technician, Public Works Technician, Septic Cleaner, Sewer Bricklayer.

O*NET 47-4071.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $49,880; Middle half earn $43,530 to $61,060. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 40% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones.
Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment.
Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls.
Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work.
Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins.
Measure excavation sites, using plumbers' snakes, tapelines, or lengths of cutting heads within sewers, and mark areas for digging.
Service, adjust, and make minor repairs to equipment, machines, and attachments.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Monitoring2.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Speaking2.8 / 5
Active Learning2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service3.9 / 5
Transportation3.5 / 5
Mechanical3.5 / 5
English Language3.4 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative18
Artistic0
Social8
Enterprising3
Conventional54

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

sewerage maintenance technician · DE Abwasseranlagen-Techniker/Abwasseranlagen-Technikerin · FR technicien d’inspection de réseau d’assainissement/technicienne d’inspection de réseau d’assainissement
sewerage network operative · DE Fachkraft für Abwassertechnik · FR opérateur de réseau d’assainissement/opératrice de réseau d’assainissement
sewer construction worker · DE Kanalbauer/Kanalbauerin · FR ouvrier de construction d’égouts/ouvrière de construction d’égouts
water network operative · DE Fachkraft für Wasserversorgungstechnik · FR agent de réseau d’eau/agente de réseau d’eau
drain technician · DE Abwasserleitungsinstallateur/Abwasserleitungsinstallateurin · FR technicien en systèmes de drainage/technicienne en systèmes de drainage
pipeline maintenance worker · DE Rohrnetzinstandhalter/Rohrnetzinstandhalterin · FR ouvrier de maintenance tuyauterie/ouvrière de maintenance tuyauterie

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Pipe fitters (5214)3,700 employed
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers (5315)153,700 employed
Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.21. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-4071).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test