Any input on dog washes????

[dogwasher]

Any good or bad comments out there on having a Dog Wash?
I looked into the archives because I know there are some good post written in there going back a few years but it looks like I cannot access the older post anymore?

 

[bigleo48]

I added a petwash room when I built my wash. Didn't cost me too much to build as all the prerequisites were there (heated water, power, space, etc). It paid for itself in about a year and does well. However, you cannot leave it unattended too long as it frequently needs cleaning. My wash is attended. I've seen a number of petwashes tied to carwashes over the last few years and they typically stink (bacteria) and are dirty and poorly maintained. I can't imagine them doing very well.

BigLeo

 

[Big K]

One Year Pet Wash

I have had one in operation for almost a year now (four paws) I have just recently worked the bugs out and it seems to be progressively doing better. I converted a ss bay into an open air fenced in dog wash but the climate here will allow it. No odor problems and clean up is easy (backpack blower).

There are some flow vs shampoo suction problems with the spray hose assembly that came with the unit, but easily overcome with a few modifications. I expect about $400 to $600 per month to be the norm which yeilds about a 2.5 yr ROI conservatively.

This part is 100% true...it is NOT a build it and they will come deal. You have to really work hard on the public education/marketing.

 

[mjwalsh]

Specific Bugs Experienced????

Big K wrote: I have had one in operation for almost a year now (four paws) I have just recently worked the bugs out and it seems to be progressively doing better.

Big K,

If we did not have a significant space issue, the "FOUR PAWS" was my first choice. Expecially their deluxe version. I saw it exhibited at the Des Moines Heartland 2007 show.

Because of the space issue we had to not have more than one retractable step & no ramp. We went with local stainless steel fabricators.

1. Since the good folks at National Pride sent us the manifold section that would be identical to yours, we are very much interested in the specific bugs that you ran into. On an earlier post I had brought up the possibility of needing Dosatrons because of potential shampoo dilution issues. So if you can help us out on any potential bugs we will try to also share some unique experiences that we may have. We are hoping to open within a month as our large(ouch) Phone Book Yellow Page Ad under Pet Care is out & we are listed locally as being ready for washing even though we are not.

2. Also we avoided getting the "Four Paws" nozzle & hose because we had reports from some of our out of state car wash customers who had used coin op dog washes in Arizona & Minnesota. It seemed to be unanimous that the hose-nozzle assembly was not the best. This might be naive on our part but we were thinking that a less clumsy hose & a restaurant supply kitchen nozzle would work the best even though the car wash suppliers' nozzles may be slightly less costly.

 

[Big K]

MJ,
Shampoo dilution will not be a problem but you must have adequate flow through the system. The commericial resturant sink type hose and spray nozzle will not allow this to happen. Therefore, after many many attempts to get a straight answer from my supplier and national pride about my pressure/shampoo suction problem I went to Lowes and purchased and 25' 3/8" ID spring type garden hose and a heavy duty gun type nozzle for about $25 and it works great. Plus it's long enough to spray off the whole unit for routine cleaning.

I set mine to run 10 min for $5 or 5 tokens. Free washes to the local Humane Society, canine rescue, and or animal shelters are a great cheap way to get the word out. Also a trip to the local dog park with a pocket full of free tokens pays off too. I learned the dog community is well informed and tight knit so if you can tap into the network by sponsoring calendars or their publications, that will be the most return for the least amount of cash.
Also, good exterior signage visible from the travelway is also cost effective.

If you have a self contained ss cabinet with the dryer and shampoos in it from national pride, it will most likely it will not come with air intake holes and the dryer will burn out in a few days. Drill 4-3/4" ID holes near the intake on the dryer and it will work fine.

The door in the front of the bill/coin acceptor and selection dial is not physically attached to the rest of the housing so take great care in opening it to pull the cash as until you get the hang of it, the front panel will fall completely out and royally screw up the connections to the whole world. After you get through swearing, it takes a while to undo that one!

Depending on how far your hot water supply is from the unit a small recirculation pump on looped hot water piping helps a lot. By the time your customers finish disinfecting the tub the water is warm, in my opinion this is important.

If I can think of anything else, I'll post another reply. Until then, best of luck !!!

 

[mjwalsh]

Thanks---- Help--- More Info

Big K,

Can you elaborate some more on what constitutes adequate flow. We have our always 90 degree temperature water coming in consistently on the water gauge at 50 PSI. It comes in with a 3/4" ID Copper Pipe. We are thinking that we will not want to use the Watts Pressure Regulator that Four Paws included in their package to us especially after you saying that the problem tends to be if anything too little venturi created. The venturi is the suction created in the injector to draw the various shampoos up into the hose that leads to the nozzle. I suppose you had to tweak the dilution ratios based on ---the shampoo ratio instructions--- with the metering screws on each one of your GC or Kip solenoids.

Based on this calculator at this link: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/extension/lawn/Files/Garden_Hose.htm

I should be getting 80 gallons of water per minute which would be over 1.3 gallons per second. Branched out into 2 dog wash stalls that should still allow 40 GPM or over .65 gallons per second.

The next question is "do most of the customers need a wash mitt or do they kind of rub right against the dog with your garden spray Lowe's nozzle"?

 

[National Pride Equipment]

Four Paws Pet Wash - spray nozzle and injection rates

All,

Great feedback MJ and Big K. National Pride Equipment has made some modifications to the Four Paws Pet Wash units since receiving feedback in respect to chemical suction and sprayer options.

Chemical Suction ? The Dema injector was re-sized to accommodate a a wider range of pressure and inlet flow. The original injector was set up for a minimum inlet pressure of 35psi which some customers were not able to maintain due to other functions running at the same time (automatics, self-service bays?.). It is always a good idea to make sure you let your pet wash equipment supplier know what the potential water pressure range will be.

Spray Wands ? This is a tricky topic. What may be considered ?good? for one may not be good for another. Referencing self-service car washes, owner/operators will set the high pressure rinse in a range from 900 ? 1500 psi. Same goes for pet washes, the spray nozzle psi can range from 30 ? 50psi. This pressure range directly affects the resulting flow (gallons per minute). National Pride Equipment now offers different size nozzles to accommodate a wide range of pressure and flow.

As with any equipment sold by National Pride, if you need help and/or advice please contact us. Personally, as the owner, I pass out my cell phone number to all customers so they can contact me anytime.

Thanks again for the candid feedback,

Trent W. Walter
General Manager/Owner
National Pride Equipment
(800) 537-6788
www.nationalpridecarwash.com

 

[pitzerwm]

As everyone knows I don't allow self promotion, but the above post just corrects the information from people that are or have had a problem.

 

[mjwalsh]

Advantages of the Dedicated Pet Wash Equipment Saga

Trent,

It was great to get your input & perspective! Have you considered developing a pet fragrance option as part of your offering? It seems like a single rather than multiple choice fragrances would make the most sense unless the clearing of the line after each use is dealt with properly.

Bill,

My understanding is that if a Pet Wash Manufacturer spots posts on the Forum that they see operators looking into garden or beauty or restaurant sprayer ----that it would be an opportunity to explain why their alternative is better. A person would think that they have gone through that process of seeing the alternative components that the poor sap operator might be spending his finite cash & time on. I appreciate your healthy discretion that recognizes the value of worthwhile explanations verses just "in your face" mind numbing "false promises" marketing. I know you being a man of charactor like JJJ that you will shed light on any manufacturer who deliberately does not follow thru to a poster because of their "extra truthful" posts. Extra truthful can mean "light on areas that have room for improvement" which is turn can sometimes make the manufacturer a teenzy bit not quite as cozy.

Big K,

It seems that a garden spray nozzle would allow a customer to change the type of spray as they leave so the next customer would be confused & not readjust the spray angles properly. The dedicated spray nozzle from a Pet Wash Manufacturer may address this. Has the ability to adjust the spray type & angles been a good thing? Trent has broad shoulders so if you giving a great dose of truth about his equipment----at this point it sounds like he can prove that he has addressed the issues (or on his way) while the other Pet Wash Manufacturers have not yet shown that!

 

[pitzerwm]

MJ, Only the manufacture ( that is a sponsor) can clarify information about their product. I usually notify them when a post is about their product. Sometimes, when the product is not theirs and/or the poster/s are looking for specific info, they are encouraged to participate.