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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.

How does this connect to your interests? →

A look at the work

  • 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.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

7.0 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

2.1 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.0 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.5 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.2 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

4.3 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

2017-07

3.9 / 5

Operations Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

2017-07

3.6 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2017-07

3.1 / 5

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

2017-07

3.0 / 5

Equipment Maintenance

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

2017-07

3.0 / 5

Troubleshooting

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

2017-07

3.0 / 5

Repairing

Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

2017-07

3.0 / 5

Quality Control Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

2017-07

3.0 / 5

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

2017-07

3.0 / 5

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

2017-07

2.9 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 2 of 5 · 2026-02. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Related study fields

Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.

Plumbing Technology/Plumber →

Explore all related study fields →

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 47-4071.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.