When you first set up a window cleaning business, it’s natural to focus on keeping costs down. A DIY pure water system can seem like a sensible shortcut. Buy a tank, fit a pump, add a few filters, strap it into the van and you’re away.
On the surface, it works. Water comes out, windows get cleaned, money comes in.
But there’s a cost most people don’t account for until they experience it firsthand: downtime.
Not just the inconvenience of a breakdown, but the knock-on effect it has on your income, your reputation and, eventually, your ability to grow.
For a window cleaner, your pure water system isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the engine of the business.
According to figures published by Checkatrade, the average self-employed window cleaner in the UK earns around £200 per day and £1,000 per week. Miss one working day because your system isn’t producing water and that’s £200 gone instantly. Miss two days and you’ve lost nearly half a week’s turnover.
That’s before you factor in fuel, wages (if you’ve got employees), rearranging customers, or squeezing extra work into evenings and weekends to catch up.
Research into small business downtime consistently shows that recovery isn’t instant. A UK cyber breaches survey, referenced by TwentyFour IT Services, found that the average downtime incident costs small businesses around £3,350, with over 90% taking at least 24 hours to fully recover. While that research focuses on IT, the principle is the same: when essential equipment fails, the impact goes far beyond the moment it breaks.
A DIY system rarely fails at a convenient time. Pumps go mid-round. Filters block without warning. Electrical connections corrode. And because the system is self-built, there’s no single point of support. Diagnosis, parts, fixes and downtime all land on you.
It’s a story heard time and time again.
A small window cleaning business builds a DIY system that works fine… until it doesn’t. One morning the pump won’t prime. A connector leaks. The controller fails. Suddenly the van is parked up while parts are ordered and fittings are replaced.
Customers are rebooked. Some are understanding. Some aren’t. A few quietly find someone else.
Industry research from ARC Advisory Group shows that businesses using planned, professionally supported systems reduce repair time and unplanned downtime in over 90% of cases. DIY systems don’t offer that safety net. Every failure becomes an unplanned job that costs time, money and momentum.
Downtime is only half the picture.
Many DIY systems rely on tanks secured with ratchet straps or improvised frames. They might feel solid when stationary, but the forces involved in a collision are on a completely different level.
Road safety research regularly highlights that in a 30 mph impact, a 100 kg load can exert forces equivalent to around 2,500 kg. A full water tank becomes a projectile.
Now consider the potential impact when carrying up to 1000kg of pure water!!
That’s why professionally built systems are crash tested.
At Thatcham Research, independent crash testing carried out on Ionic Systems’ van-mounted pure water systems demonstrated the very real risk of serious injury if a tank detaches in even a low-speed collision. As a result, Ionic systems are designed and tested to meet FMVSS-208 crash standards, ensuring the tank remains secured during a 50 kph head-on impact.
This isn’t about compliance paperwork or ticking boxes. It’s about the person driving the van. If you employ staff, it’s also about your legal and moral responsibility to protect them.
Most window cleaning businesses don’t fail because there isn’t enough work. They stall because the operation can’t scale safely or reliably.
Unplanned downtime makes it difficult to:
Even one unreliable system can hold everything back. Studies into operational downtime show that the majority of businesses now view avoiding unplanned stoppages as a top priority, yet many still lack visibility over when equipment needs upgrading or replacing.
For a sole trader, that gap is even wider. You’re busy working in the business, not auditing it.
A professionally designed, crash-tested pure water system isn’t about luxury or “bells and whistles”. It’s about removing hidden risk from the business.
A proper system offers:
The upfront cost may be higher than DIY. But compared to repeated downtime, lost work and potential liability, it’s often the cheaper option over the life of the business.
If your system failed tomorrow, how much would it cost you?
Not just in repairs, but in missed work, stressed customers and lost opportunities.
And if someone else is driving your van, are you confident the load behind them is genuinely secure?
Most people don’t think about these questions until something goes wrong. By then, the damage is already done.
Investing in a properly engineered, crash-tested pure water system isn’t just about equipment. It’s about protecting your income, your reputation and the future of your business.
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