The drone cleaning industry is growing fast—faster than most equipment manufacturers can keep up. Window cleaners, solar panel contractors, facility service companies, and high-rise specialists are all turning to drones to increase production, eliminate lift rentals, reduce crew size, and open the door to large commercial contracts. The need for a high output drone skid to keep up with these large jobs is crucial.

But while drones are incredibly capable, the real bottleneck isn’t the drone—it’s the water system feeding it. If the drone doesn’t have enough water, pure enough water, or consistent flow, the job breaks down fast. And that’s where most companies make costly mistakes when buying their first drone skid.

Before investing thousands into a drone cleaning setup, avoid these Top 5 mistakes most companies make—and the bonus mistake that could force you to buy a second skid later.

1 — Choosing a DI-Only System for Water Purification

This is by far the most common—and most expensive—mistake.

Many companies see DI as the “simplest” solution. No membranes, no pumps, just resin. But drone cleaning is not traditional water fed pole cleaning. Drones blast through water at 5–8+ gallons per minute, not the 0.75–1.5 GPM a pole uses.

At drone-level consumption, DI resin is destroyed almost immediately.

Here’s what DI-only really means for drone work:

• Resin burns out 10–20x faster

• DI cost skyrockets—hundreds to thousands per week.

• TDS becomes inconsistent, leading to spotting

• No ability to handle high-TDS city water (200–600+ TDS)

• TDS creep drains DI tanks instantly

DI-only may look cheaper upfront, but it is the most expensive long-term choice for drone cleaning.

A professional drone skid requires RO or RODI with high-flow membranes, not a barrel of DI resin that melts on contact with high volume.

2 — Not Considering Total Water Volume Requirements

This mistake doesn’t just cost money—it destroys productivity.

Most cleaning drones require 5–8+ GPM continuously to maintain proper spray patterns and maximize flight time. But many companies buy skids with pure water systems built for water fed pole systems, which only need 1–2 GPM. That mismatch leads to increased costs - quickly after purchase. 

Here’s what happens when flow is too low:

• Drone runs out of water mid-flight

• Operators wait on water

• Jobs take longer

• Flight time is wasted

• Cleaning quality drops

• Production slows dramatically

Undersized membranes, low-pressure pumps, or DI tanks cannot keep up.

A true drone skid must include:

• High-flow RO/XLE membranes (4.5+ GPM)

• A high-output pump capable of sustaining 120-150 PSI at flow

• Large hose reels designed for volume

• Tank capacity that matches drone runtime

Drone cleaning only works when the water system can feed it. Companies that underestimate this end up with a drone that can fly…but can’t clean.

3 — Paying for Unnecessary or Overbuilt Equipment

Many companies make the mistake of buying “everything” because it sounds useful. But drone skids require a very specific plumbing layout designed for one purpose:

Deliver high-flow, ultra-pure water to the drone—nothing more.

Yet many skids come loaded with:

• Soft wash pumps

• Chemical tanks

• Metering valves

• Unused hose and hose reels

• Extra manifolds

• Unnecessary remote systems

• Chemical injection lines

All of this adds:

• Extra weight

• Extra failure points

• Extra complexity

• Extra cost

And worst of all—the drone may never use these features.

A drone skid doesn’t always need surfactant injection, bleach tanks, or both a dedicated pressure washing and soft washing pump. It needs:

• Reliable pure water

• One High volume pump 

• Chemical application

  • Does your drone have onboard chemical application?

• Large hose reels

• Simple plumbing

• Fast access

• Easy serviceability

Everything else is potentially wasted money and a pathway to repairs.

Some components on your drone cleaning skid could be used for traditional cleaning jobs, but that shouldn’t drive your purchasing decisions. The goal of a drone skid is to maximize drone efficiency, not build a multi-purpose rig. Every dollar you invest should help your drone skid produce more pure water, clean faster, and earn back the cost of your drone—not weigh your skid down with equipment you’ll never use with the drone in flight.

Your skid may legitimately need some of these components depending on the types of jobs you plan to target. Just make sure you clearly define what you're cleaning and what equipment you truly require. Avoid overbuilding, but always keep future scalability in mind so your system can grow with your business.

4 — Poor Layout & Configuration

The way a skid is laid out matters—a lot. Drone teams have to work fast, refill fast, and troubleshoot fast. If the skid is poorly designed, every job becomes slower.

Signs of a bad skid layout:

• Filters buried behind frames

• RO membranes placed where you can’t access caps

• Flush valves hidden behind reels

• Pumps crammed into tight spaces

• Oversized tanks blocking airflow

• Hard-to-reach TDS sensors

• No clear service path

A drone skid must be designed to optimize:

• Flow paths

• Filter replacement

• RO flushing

• Maintenance access

• Quick setup/teardown

• Operator workflow

• Airflow around engine and pump

5 — No Plan for Serviceability & Maintenance Access

Drone cleaning skids work harder and produce more water than almost any other pure-water system. That means filters, RO membranes, pumps, and valves must be maintained regularly.

And if you can’t access them?
Your crew wastes time—or worse, skips maintenance.

The cost of poor serviceability:

• RO membrane failures

• Resin exhaustion

• Pump overheating

• Leaks hidden behind panels

• Hours wasted accessing one fitting

• More downtime

• Higher labor cost

• Lost productivity

If a filter change requires removing panels, disconnecting hoses, and crawling under frames, the skid is poorly engineered.

A drone skid must be simple, serviceable, and accessible—because uptime is everything.

Bonus Mistake — Ignoring Future Scalability

This is the mistake that forces companies to buy a brand-new skid a year later.

Most drone teams start with one drone and one operator. But as soon as they land bigger commercial jobs, they need:

• Higher GPM flow

• Larger tanks

• Bigger RODI capacity

• More hose

Skids that aren't built with scalability or upgradeable become obsolete.

Without planning for scalability, companies get stuck with:

• A pure water system that can't keep up

• A pump that can’t handle more GPM

• Reels with limited capacity

• A tank that empties too quickly

• No space for expansion

• A skid that only barely feeds 1 drone

If your skid can’t “grow” with your business, you end up replacing the entire system—costing tens of thousands more than necessary.

Final Thoughts

Drone cleaning is the future of commercial window cleaning, solar panel maintenance, and facility services—but only if the water system behind the drone is engineered correctly.

Avoiding these five mistakes will save you from buying the wrong skid—and save thousands in operational costs.

The right drone skid will:

• Produce ultra-pure water at high flow rates

• Deliver 5–8+ GPM continuously

• Stay simple and serviceable

• Avoid unnecessary equipment

• Last years—not months

• Grow with your business

Design the perfect Drone Cleaning Skid Today:

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