Everyone gets calls about green pool service, but not everyone provides it. But why not? It’s very rewarding to watch a frog-filled swamp turn into a perfectly healthy and swimmable body of water.
When you get that call, do you take the job or pass it on to the next company? Let’s take a closer look at the ways saying “yes” can benefit your company.
1. IT’S ANOTHER LINE ON YOUR SERVICE MENU
Green-to-cleans can be a great money maker for your company as they offer another layer in the market to attract business. I have always been a strong believer in being the best in one or two things instead of being mediocre in everything. If you are a service-only company, this is something you could specialize in.
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The number of calls I receive each year for green pools is astronomical, which means I don’t have to go out and look for business. Marketing this service means they come to you.
2. GREEN POOLS ALWAYS LEAD TO SOMETHING ELSE
I can’t think of a time where I took on a green pool and it didn’t lead to something else — a filter cleaning, a new account, a new pump, a salt system. I like to think of green pools as a “gateway” service because it results in so many other moneymaking opportunities. A green-to-clean can turn into thousands of dollars in extra revenue, all because you won over a client when fixing their swamp. You’re turning away more than the green pool fee when you say no to a green pool.
3. CLEANING THEM MAKES YOU A BETTER SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
Cleaning green pools has side effects for your professional growth. Learning to conquer green pools of all types will make you a well-oiled and seasoned pool professional in no time. There is no magic bullet for every green pool out there; each situation is different and learning how to tackle them all puts you on a different level than the competition. More than any other experience, taking a pool from green to clean teaches you the importance of quality filtration, equipment sizing and so much more. Each green pool is a great learning opportunity to make you better.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU CHARGE?
That’s the million-dollar question and truly the meat and potatoes of this article. The cost of a green pool service varies wildly by region and it really depends on how you handle the process of cleaning up the pool.
For instance, you can do a drain and acid wash on a pool. This method is the quickest and most rewarding, but also carries the most liability. This process usually takes no longer than a day to complete and you can charge upwards of $1,500 for the job. Once you have the necessary equipment, you have very little in chemical costs (some chlorine, acid) and most of the time you’re done in one visit. This method is the most lucrative.
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On the other hand, you can treat it chemically. If you don’t feel comfortable doing an acid wash, then this is your only option. There are countless ways to do it. If the weather is warm, you can floc and vac to waste (floc does better in warmer water). Once you nuke the pool and get it that pretty cloudy white/blue, add the floc and let everything sink to the bottom. Then all you do is vac to waste. This is one of the quicker ways to clean out a green pool chemically. If you do things correctly, you can get this done in three visits. I’ve used this method to gross between $300-$600 per job.
Another method is to chemically treat and use the filter to filter everything out. This is the most time-consuming way to manage a green-to-clean. Some companies will go once every couple of days, and some, like me, go twice a day to speed up the process. The thing you need to figure out here is your cost per visit and also how bad the pool is. The latter will take some time to learn.
I usually see trip charges between $25-$40. Then you figure out how many trips the total cleaning will take, add in any other costs, and you’ll arrive at your price. I’ve used this method to gross between $500-$1100 per job.
