Episode Description
Flat monthly pool service pricing sounds simple until trichlor tablets jump in cost, gas hits $6+ a gallon, and you realize you’re absorbing every surprise the market throws at you. I walk through a smarter, more flexible approach: tiered pool service packages that protect your profit while staying clear and fair for customers. If you’ve been hesitant to change your pool service rates, this is the roadmap I’d use to modernize pricing without blowing up your route.
We get specific about what belongs in a base service rate versus what should be billed separately. I explain why many pros still include a predictable maintenance dose of liquid chlorine and muriatic acid, but stop bundling expensive consumables like 3-inch trichlor tablets. You’ll hear a practical way to roll out tablet charges over one to two years, including how to handle customers who will push back and how to keep communication simple.
From there, we build real tiered service levels you can sell: chemical-only pool service, chemical-only plus basket checks, and upgraded tiers that add skimming and brushing while leaving vacuuming as an on-demand upcharge. I also cover add-on revenue that keeps you protected when inflation spikes, including filter cleaning fees and salt cell cleaning for saltwater pools. The goal is a pool maintenance business model where each pool pays for what it truly needs, your invoices stay defensible, and your margins stop getting squeezed.
If you want more pool service business tips like this, subscribe, share the show with a pool pro friend, and leave a review so more techs can find it.
• why standard rate service with all chemicals included no longer pencils out
• how to pass on 3-inch trichlor tablet costs over one to two years
• deciding between itemized billing and a stable monthly maintenance dose
• why filter cleaning should usually be a separate line item
• tiered service levels from chemical-only to near full service
• how to upsell filter cleans on chemical-only accounts
• when to charge for shock, vacuuming, and salt cell cleaning
• us
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