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Pressure washing · Plan your growth

Pressure Washing Rig Break-Even Calculator

Recovering a rig investment requires positive contribution per job and enough annual work to cover fixed costs. This calculator shows those two tests separately.

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Calculate your result

Rig investment break-even: interactive worksheet

01

Make it your business

Start with an example, then replace the assumptions. Results update as you type.

Examples illustrate different workloads. They are not market averages or recommended prices.

Purchase and initial setup you want the business to recover.

Collected revenue per completed job.

Labor, chemicals, fuel and other costs that scale with each job.

Use a realistic seasonal workload.

Costs that continue independently of job count.

Export to keep your work. Refreshing or leaving this page clears your inputs and saved comparison.

Understand the result

The method,
made clear.

Contribution per job = job revenue − variable job cost. Rig-only break-even jobs = ceiling(investment ÷ positive contribution). Annual surplus = annual jobs × contribution − fixed monthly costs × 12. Payback years = investment ÷ positive annual surplus. A zero investment needs zero recovery jobs and years; the operation may still lose money.

The rig-only job count is not a full business break-even. Review annual surplus after fixed costs before interpreting the payback period.

How to use this tool

  1. 01

    Replace the example inputs with your actual costs and work estimates.

  2. 02

    Compare the result with a real completed job or your current operating budget.

  3. 03

    Adjust the assumptions, download your worksheet, and review the relevant insurance questions before your business changes.

Worked example

Using the illustrative inputs below produces jobs to recover rig investment: 89. These are example business assumptions, not market benchmarks.

Rig and setup investment
15,000 $
Average job revenue
350 $
Variable cost per job
180 $
Completed jobs per year
180 jobs
Fixed operating cost per month
900 $/month

Contribution per job: $170.00

Annual surplus before rig purchase: $19,800.00

Years to recover investment: 0.8

Before you rely on the numbers

Assumptions
and limitations.

  • Every prefilled number is an illustrative example, not a market average, recommended price, tax rate, or insurance quote.
  • Results use only the costs and time you enter. Include owner compensation, insurance and overhead where applicable without counting a cost twice.
  • Calculations exclude sales tax and financing unless you include them in your inputs. Round your final customer price deliberately.

From planning to protection

Your next
insurance question.

Before buying a rig or trailer, prepare its values, financing and storage details for an insurance conversation.

Explore pressure washing insurance

Worksheet inputs are not submitted to a carrier or added to an insurance application. Confirm the facts in the quote form before you submit.

Explore business insurance

Before you rely on any coverage, confirm it suits your business with a licensed insurance professional.

Tell us about your actual business. Available quote paths depend on your work, state, coverage and underwriting information.

Educational information, not a coverage determination. Examples are hypothetical. Policy wording, exclusions and underwriting decide whether coverage applies.

Questions owners ask

A few useful answers.

What if contribution is zero or negative?
There is no finite break-even at those inputs. Changing job volume alone cannot recover the rig when every job contributes nothing or loses money.
Is this a loan repayment schedule?
No. It excludes interest and loan timing unless you include them in costs. Avoid counting the purchase and loan principal twice in the same recovery model.
Should I include resale value?
This simple model assumes none. A different resale assumption should be evaluated separately rather than treated as guaranteed.

Keep planning

The next useful tool.

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Coverage planning checklist

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Payroll premium scenarios

Model the payroll-rated component of workers' compensation using your own policy rate and experience modifier.

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Sources and methodology

Prepared by Kinro. Methodology and linked references checked 2026-10-29. Calculation formulas are Kinro planning models. Sources support the concepts stated below; they do not endorse our example values or results.

Educational planning only. Confirm coverage, requirements and policy suitability with a licensed insurance professional. No coverage is quoted, bound or changed by using a worksheet.