If you have a covered space with water, drainage and a power circuit, buy the machine on its own. If the only spot you have is a forecourt, a car park or the side of a campsite, you are buying two things — the machine and an enclosure — and the second one changes your timeline, your installation crew and your permitting conversation. That is the whole decision, and it is worth getting right before you order rather than after it.
The machine on its own is an indoor product
This is the part suppliers usually blur, so we will be direct about it.
The self-service wash machine is designed for indoor use. It handles sunlight and high humidity without trouble. What it does not handle is sustained direct rain. The unit is rated IPX3 — splash-resistant, not fully waterproof — and the payment terminal and screen are the parts you least want sitting in weather.
Put one outside with no cover and it will work. It will also age far faster than it should, and the first thing to suffer will be the electronics that take your customers' money. We would rather say that now than replace a control board for you in month seven.
If you have an indoor bay, a warehouse corner, a covered wash area or a garage unit, you are done. Skip to the connections list at the bottom.
For reference, this is the machine you are placing: a 1400 × 660 mm stainless tub, big enough for large breeds, with a stainless base, two restraint leads and a magnetic sliding door. It stands on fixed feet. Nothing about it needs to be bolted into your floor, which matters if you are working in a leased unit and would rather not modify the building.
If you are going outdoors, you need an enclosure
We build two standard kiosks:
| Dimensions | What it gives you | |
|---|---|---|
| With storage room | 3000 × 3000 × 2800 mm | Room for consumable stock, spares and a lockable back area |
| Without storage room | 2500 × 2000 × 2300 mm | Smaller footprint, lower cost, machine and customer space only |
Both are built from galvanised steel, tempered glass and aluminium alloy. The glass is 8 mm toughened, single-pane — not laminated. If your local regulations require laminated safety glass for a publicly accessible structure, tell us at quotation stage rather than after the container ships.
Structurally, the kiosks are designed to wind class II and a roof snow load of 75–100 kg/m², with a free-run-off roof and sealed overlapping joints. Floor loading is 200 kg/m². Interior lighting is included. Ventilation is an 8-inch extractor. The customer door opens left, on a standard mechanical lock — there is no remote locking — and the opening meets normal evacuation and access requirements for a public-facing unit.
Standard finish is white. Any classic RAL shade is available if you want it to match an existing site.
The three practical differences nobody mentions
1. The kiosk ships flat-packed. The machine does not.
The wash machine arrives pre-assembled. A licensed electrician and a plumber connect it and it runs; nobody builds anything.
The kiosk is a disassembly structure — it ships in parts and needs professional installers to put it up on site. That is a different trade, a different quote and a different day in your calendar. Budget for it.
2. The kiosk takes longer to build.
Machine production is 20–45 days after deposit. Kiosk production is around 45 days. If you are ordering both, the kiosk sets your date.
3. Cash outdoors is a different risk.
We can build in coin and banknote acceptance, and for some markets that is the right call. But an unattended outdoor unit holding cash is a target, and the security of the takings becomes your problem rather than a payment processor's. Card-only is the simpler outdoor answer; if you want cash, plan the collection routine before you plan the machine.
Cameras and anti-vandal fixings are not part of what we ship. If you want them, they are sourced and fitted on your side — we would rather you buy locally supported hardware than take a camera from us that nobody in your country can service.
One certification point worth knowing
The machine carries CE marking. A kiosk that houses an unmodified machine does not need separate certification for the machine's sake.
The exception matters: if you modify the machine after purchase, the certification no longer covers it. Re-wiring, adding equipment into the machine's circuit, or changing its enclosure are all modifications. Changing the kiosk's colour is not.
What both options need from the site
Identical in either case:
- Water — a cold feed only, G1/2 (½ inch) male thread. There is no hot water requirement; heating happens inside the machine.
- Drainage — a 40 mm or 50 mm pipe, gravity-fed. A floor drain hole is 110 mm.
- Power — a dedicated circuit, connected by a licensed electrician. Voltage is configured for your market before shipping.
The machine footprint is 2000 × 630 × 1920 mm. It stands on fixed feet — no wheels, no floor bolting.
Send us a photo of the space and where your nearest drain and consumer unit are. We will tell you which one fits and what your installer will need to do — including when the answer is "this site will cost you more in groundwork than it is worth".
