A cost-first way to set monthly pool service prices, so every pool on the route makes money.
Most pool companies price by looking at what others charge. That tells you what the market tolerates, but not whether a given pool makes you money. Price from your costs first, then sanity-check against the market.
| Cost | How to work it out |
|---|---|
| Tech time | (minutes at the pool + minutes driving to it) ÷ 60 × visits per month × what a tech-hour costs you |
| Chemicals | Average chemical cost per visit (at what you pay) × visits per month |
| Truck | Miles to the stop × cost per mile × visits per month |
| Overhead | Insurance, software, phone, office time and supplies ÷ number of pools |
Two details trip people up. Weekly service is 4.33 visits a month, not 4. And a tech-hour costs you more than the wage, because payroll taxes and paid time off count too.
Price = total cost ÷ (1 − margin). For a pool costing $95 a month, a 35% margin means charging about $146. Plug your own numbers into the pricing calculator.
A flat price including chemicals is easier to sell and budget. Billing chemicals separately protects you from the few pools that drink chlorine all summer. Many companies include routine chemicals and bill large corrective doses. Our chemical billing guide explains the options.
Estimates drift. Once a quarter, compare what each pool actually cost (real minutes, real drive time, real chemicals) with what it pays. RouteSplash's Profit by Route report does this automatically and lists money-losing pools first, so you know whom to reprice.
Charge your real monthly cost for that pool plus your margin. Work out tech time including driving, chemicals at your cost, truck miles and overhead, then divide by (1 minus your margin). Local market prices are a check, not the starting point.
There are 52 weeks in a year, so weekly service is 52 divided by 12, about 4.33 visits a month. Pricing on 4 visits gives away about four visits a year.
At least once a year, and whenever chemical prices move. Reviewing each pool against its real cost every quarter catches the ones that quietly lose money.
Pool service software built by a working pool company: day sheets, water chemistry with LSI and dosing, chemical billing, AutoPay, profit by route. $49 a month (Starter) up to 50 pools, then $59 + $30/login + $0.25/pool, then $0.75/pool past 150. Try it free for 30 days.
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