Some pools look profitable until they aren’t. We pull back the curtain on the accounts that drain time, money, and patience, and we map out the simple rules that keep your route safe and sustainable. From the backyard with a trained guard dog to the “easy” green pool with a dying pump, we show you how to spot trouble before you’re knee-deep in cloudy water and finger-pointing.

First, we talk safety with real stories from the field and why “the dog will be put away” isn’t a plan. You’ll learn practical deterrents and, more importantly, when to pass on a property altogether. Then we dig into green pool rehab: how to read a yard before you quote, equipment red flags that predict failure, and the true cost of running unreliable systems 24/7. We share what to check, how to price honestly, and the exact moments to walk away.

We share the hard-won rules that keep a pool route safe, profitable, and sane, from avoiding aggressive dogs to spotting green pools that won’t clear. We also unpack seasonal tree traps, heavy-use backyards, and how to price, pass, or replace bad accounts.

• assessing risk where dogs are present and why deterrents are not enough
• identifying green pools and equipment red flags to refuse work
• reading customer mindset from property condition on arrival
• recognizing tree species and planning for peak debris seasons
• diagnosing heavy-use residential pools that act like commercial loads
• setting rates, surcharges, and boundaries or replacing accounts
• knowing when Airbnbs and vacation rentals are not worth it
• using experience-based filters to build a stable, profitable route

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