How much does a Pool Cleaning Route cost to buy?

A typical Pool Cleaning Route sells for 2x to 4x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $65K, expect to pay roughly $130K to $260K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Pool Cleaning Route?

Startup costs range from $5K to $50K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Route

Pool Cleaning Route

Q: What are the profit margins for a Pool Cleaning Route?

The average profit margin for a Pool Cleaning Route is around 50%. Costs include pool chemicals ($15-25 per pool/month), fuel, equipment maintenance, truck payment, insurance, and marketing. Most costs are variable, keeping overhead low.

Sunshine, chlorine, and $80K in your pocket

Bottom line

Strong cash-flow candidate with manageable operations.

Pool cleaning routes involve visiting residential and commercial pools on a weekly schedule to test water chemistry, add chemicals, clean filters, and vacuum debris. In Sun Belt states, routes operate year-round. A route of 80-100 pools can be serviced by one person and generates strong income with minimal overhead.

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Acquisition score

Excellent

Avg Revenue

$130K

Profit Margin

50%

Acquisition Multiple

2x - 4x

Startup Cost

$5K - $50K

How It Works

You visit 15-20 pools per day on a set route. Each stop takes 15-30 minutes: test water chemistry, add chemicals, skim debris, brush walls, clean filter baskets. Customers pay $100-$200/month per pool. Routes are geographically clustered to minimize drive time.

Revenue Range

Low End

$60K

Typical

$130K

High End

$300K

BizBite underwriting snapshot

Worth underwriting

Pool Cleaning Route has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

Fair / 100

Data confidence

medium

52/100

Financing fit

medium

Category-level fit before lender-specific diligence.

Confidence cap

Weak source data caps the final score.

Why it may work

+Attractive 50% estimated margin profile
+SBA dataset shows 212 recent comparable loans

Be careful

!Source link status has not been verified yet
!No last-checked date yet
!No category operating model yet
!No category model yet

Real Acquisitions in This Category

SBA 7(a) change-of-ownership loans · NAICS 561730 · Landscaping Services

Deals tracked

577

212 in last 24 mo

Median loan

$531K

$236K–$1.2M p25/p75

Implied deal size

$625K

median · ~85% LTV

Charge-off rate

—

not enough resolved loans

Deal Size Distribution

<$150K

$150K–500K

176

$500K–1M

127

$1M–2M

116

>$2M

Deal Flow Over Time

12-month momentum

-39.4%

deal volume vs prior 12 mo

Median loan Δ

+61.0%

80 recent · 132 prior

Financing Profile

Median rate

9.75%

15% fixed · last 24 mo

Median term

120 mo

standard 10-yr

Collateralized

of loans secured

Median jobs

supported per deal

Top lenders in this space

The Huntington National Bank64

Live Oak Banking Company23

First Internet Bank of Indiana13

BayFirst National Bank12

Beacon Bank and Trust12

Where deals happen

FL83

PA30

TX30

MI27

CO26

MN26

CA24

UT21

OH19

AZ18

Recent Comparable Deals

Closed	State	Loan	Implied deal	Jobs	Franchise
Mar 2026	NY	$135K	$159K	2	—
Mar 2026	NJ	$150K	$177K	6	Monster Tree Service
Mar 2026	NJ	$1.4M	$1.6M	6	Monster Tree Service
Mar 2026	CA	$333K	$392K	4	—
Mar 2026	MN	$83K	$97K	1	—
Mar 2026	IL	$1.2M	$1.4M	6	—
Mar 2026	MA	$100K	$118K	10	—
Mar 2026	FL	$1.2M	$1.4M	16	—
Feb 2026	SC	$480K	$565K	11	—
Feb 2026	IN	$990K	$1.2M	11	—

Volume rank #10/544Deal-size rank #366/544Momentum rank #298p90 loan: $2.0MData as of Mar 2026

Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA dataset, filtered to acquisitions (loans where business age is "Change of Ownership"). Implied deal size assumes an 85% loan-to-purchase ratio, a common SBA change-of-ownership structure. Charge-off rate shown only when 10+ loans have resolved (paid in full or charged off). Interest rates reflect last 24 months only. Actual deal values vary with equity injections, seller financing, and working capital terms.

Pros

+Very low startup costs — truck, chemicals, and basic tools
+50% profit margins with owner-operator model
+Year-round demand in Sun Belt states
+Easy to learn — no certifications required in most states

Cons

-Outdoor work in extreme heat
-Seasonal in northern climates
-Customer acquisition requires door-to-door or referral marketing

Best For

Sun Belt residents who want an outdoor, route-based business with immediate cash flow

Operating Costs

Costs include pool chemicals ($15-25 per pool/month), fuel, equipment maintenance, truck payment, insurance, and marketing. Most costs are variable, keeping overhead low.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

$-1586/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $630K

Range: $200K (2×) to $650K (4×+)

Down payment — 15% ($95K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 9.75%

SBA median for this category: 9.8%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

SBA median for this category: 120 months

Down payment

$95K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$536K

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$7K/mo

$305K total interest

Monthly profit

$5K/mo

at 50% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

$-1586/mo

Margin does not cover debt service at these terms. Lower the deal price, increase the down payment, or extend the loan term.

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.