Route density changes the math
A pool technician might service ten to fifteen pools a day. The drive out to the route is shared by every stop, so each customer only pays a slice of it plus the short hop between pools. Treating every pool as a full round trip from your shop would wildly overstate fuel.
Example: a 40-mile depot round trip shared by 12 stops is 3.3 miles per pool, plus about 2 miles between stops — 5.3 miles. In a truck that gets 16 mpg that’s 0.33 gallons, so a $1.25-a-gallon gasoline increase adds only about $0.42 per visit, or under $2 a month for weekly service.
Where the real increase is: chemicals and labor
Chlorine (liquid and tablets), acid, stabilizer and other chemicals are a large share of a weekly pool visit, and their prices can swing hard — the trichlor tablet shortage after the 2020 fire at a major U.S. plant is a recent example. Add technician wages, and those two items usually drive most of the increase.
If chemicals are included in your monthly rate, update them first. If you bill chemicals separately, review your markup and how often you update the price list.
Monthly rates
Most pool customers pay a flat monthly price for weekly service. Calculate the increase per visit — chemicals, time on site, the shared drive — then convert to the monthly rate using the visits they actually get (about 4.33 a month for weekly service). Quote the monthly number in the letter: “$160 a month → $172 a month.”
Seasonal vs. year-round customers
In seasonal markets, announce changes before opening; in year-round markets, pick a fixed month each year and stick to it. Customers who go to bi-weekly service in winter should be priced on their winter visit count.
Openings, closings and green-pool cleanups
One-off services use more chemicals and more labor than a weekly visit and are quoted per job. Update those prices from your current chemical costs and hourly rate before the season, so your first calls of the year aren’t priced on last year’s numbers.
Repairs and equipment
Pump, filter and heater work is priced per job; update your repair price sheet for parts costs separately from route pricing.
How to tell pool owners
- Give 30 days’ notice before the new monthly rate.
- Name chemicals and technician pay as the main reasons; fuel as a smaller one.
- Remind them what’s included: weekly chemistry, cleaning, equipment checks.
Fuel figures are U.S. Energy Information Administration monthly averages (regular gasoline $3.06 → $4.31 and on-highway diesel $3.68 → $6.25 a gallon, October 2025 → October 2026). Inflation is BLS CPI-U, up about 4.0% over the same year. Worked examples use illustrative costs — use your own.