Convert a bay to several pet washes?

[Roz]

Anyone have experience (good or no so good) having converted a SS bay to multiple pet wash stations? Debating the merits of changing a bay to 4 separate dog wash stations each with a separate door (due to CV19). The dog units seem a bit pricey and I wonder if they require a full-time attendant. Anyone have experiences to share? Thx

 

[MEP001]

I've talked to several local guys who have said the same thing: they will get very dirty and smelly and need to be cleaned after almost every dog.

IMO you could turn a 15 x 25 SS bay into a dog wash. I'm basing that on one operator who bought a unit that was trailered in ready to plumb and wire, and even though it looks tiny there's plenty of room inside.

The dog wash units are way overpriced for what you get. For less than half you could buy all the components and assemble it yourself. The Kleen-Rite unit looks good but it's absolutely ridiculous to work on anything. I had to replace the injector on one, and it took me four hours because every component had to be unscrewed one piece at a time. The 6-solenoid block is literally hanging off the injector, not just by its own weight but also all the tubes, and it's plumbed backwards. I would have used individual solenoids and used a block so the thing could be swiveled for servicing.

It's been years since I checked, but this tub was only about $1700. It's much nicer than what Kleen-Rite uses.

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[Roz]

I like the tub you found for my house! Just built a small dog shower out of marine grade wood that seems to work nicely.

I tend to agree with the points you raise. If you run the numbers at $10/wash the dog options I see require a significant number of washes to breakeven.

 

[KleanRide]

Pretty sure most of the dogs in my wash 'hood have names like Diablo, Chingon and Chupacabra.

Not sure if it's a good demographic for $10 baths.

 

[Waxman]

Yuck! I looked into a pet wash but would never do it. You need to clean up after every dog washed!

The car wash bay is the way to stay; I would put $$ into improvements in the wash bay instead. Way less hands-on cleaning and attention! My newly-evolving motto:" set it and forget it".

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

The dog wash is a PITA. I'd explore maybe detailing. Full service or express.

 

[mjwalsh]

It seems like Hoffman? in NY has a successful air conditioned 5 star 3 stall dog wash. We do not regret putting in our polycarbonate "well ventilated breeze way" style of a 2 room dog wash. As long as we maintain enough manpower to stay on top of everything ... it is a good fit for us. Ours is also easy for the customer to raise or lower the height. My newest competitor must have thought it was a gold mine. He put in 2 & 3 stall pet washes at both of his locations. 5 stalls total. His are the Evolution Brand. They are portable enough so they can be used at dog friendly condos or whatever. Not sure on Evolution's quality? Does anyone have that brand or tried it???

We did not nor would we convert a self service bay since we need our bay capacity during busy season. In your case maybe the car wash bay space is so rarely needed if ever?

The good ventilation & the minty free 20 second tub disinfectant tends to keep ours from getting out of range "stink wise"! Wet dog smell can be nasty.

 

[AnalyticWash]

Anyone have experience (good or no so good) having converted a SS bay to multiple pet wash stations? Debating the merits of changing a bay to 4 separate dog wash stations each with a separate door (due to CV19). The dog units seem a bit pricey and I wonder if they require a full-time attendant. Anyone have experiences to share? Thx

I know of very few car washes where it would make sense to convert a SS bay over to dog washing stations. Your SS bay will almost always make more money than the Dog Washes. That being said, do you have room to put a dog wash somewhere else on site? You probably don't need 4 stations.

Dog washes are a whole different ball game from a car wash...

 

[Starrwash]

My dog wash requires allot more labor and time than a self serve bay, I can not imagine cleaning 4 units. Very labor intensive

 

[mjwalsh]

Both KR & Nat'l Pride use the reverse hookup solenoid banks that relies on sensitive draw of shampoos etc. We are somewhat OK with that in our set up as long as we make sure our plastic tubing stays extra supple & not allowed to get old. They were both nice enough to sell me on a component basis since I had my two tubs locally fabricated. Trent from Nat'l Pride came through for us in explaining the perplexing (non conforming?) delivery system. I still have very high regard for him to this day because of his willingness to do that for us!!!

We would be open minded to a better way to deliver the shampoos to the sprayer tool as long it did not take up too much increased space & too many more components. That kind of delivery is in reference to what MEP001 stated if I read his post properly.

My competitor's 5 Evolution Dog Wash Portable Units may or may not have a better delivery system ... I was hoping that a fellow forum member could comment??? On their website advertising they describe themselves as the industry's "GOLD STANDARD"??? https://evolutiondogwash.com/

 

[AnalyticWash]

My competitor's 5 Evolution Dog Wash Portable Units may or may not have a better delivery system ... I was hoping that a fellow forum member could comment??? On their website advertising they describe themselves as the industry's "GOLD STANDARD"??? https://evolutiondogwash.com/

Evolution uses a diaphragm pump. It is effective. I have also seen peristaltic pumps used on dog washes as well with very few problems.

I don't know if I would consider Evolution the "Gold Standard" of dog washes. All machines have their pros and cons...I have experience with Evolution, K9000 & iClean. All these units are pretty much fully self contained with water heater, chemical pumps, etc all on board....$$$

 

[mjwalsh]

AnalyticWash & others,

I know KR's shampoos Veterinary Grade ... not sure how those other brands you mentioned ... come out overall-wise when it comes to specific compatible shampoos etc??? Some of our customers bring their own very high end shampoo which we say "Yea ... a little bit less expense for us!"

 

[Roz]

Both KR & Nat'l Pride use the reverse hookup solenoid banks that relies on sensitive draw of shampoos etc. We are somewhat OK with that in our set up as long as we make sure our plastic tubing stays extra supple & not allowed to get old. They were both nice enough to sell me on a component basis since I had my two tubs locally fabricated. Trent from Nat'l Pride came through for us in explaining the perplexing (non conforming?) delivery system. I still have very high regard for him to this day because of his willingness to do that for us!!!

We would be open minded to a better way to deliver the shampoos to the sprayer tool as long it did not take up too much increased space & too many more components. That kind of delivery is in reference to what MEP001 stated if I read his post properly.

My competitor's 5 Evolution Dog Wash Portable Units may or may not have a better delivery system ... I was hoping that a fellow forum member could comment??? On their website advertising they describe themselves as the industry's "GOLD STANDARD"??? https://evolutiondogwash.com/

The various models look cool, and probably expensive. Going to wait on dog wash unless we decide to add a separate house for one. Wish they were more like the self cleaning toilets found in some big cities. Labor for a single unit or even for a few units make the ROI less attractive.

 

[MEP001]

Both KR & Nat'l Pride use the reverse hookup solenoid banks that relies on sensitive draw of shampoos etc. We are somewhat OK with that in our set up as long as we make sure our plastic tubing stays extra supple & not allowed to get old.

I'll admit it does work even with it plumbed in reverse of its design, but the main reason the use the solenoid blocks is to cut down on assembly time and cost. There's no advantage otherwise, and there are several disadvantages.

We would be open minded to a better way to deliver the shampoos to the sprayer tool as long it did not take up too much increased space & too many more components.

Kleen-Rite's setup is not at all space efficient, and could actually be made more compact and easier to service with a manifold of individual solenoids. This is only about 1/4 of the whole mess:

 

[mjwalsh]

One thing I like about the KR'd & Nat'l Pride'a setup is that they eliminate the need for a pump specific to the delivery of product. Their systems utilize the power of City Water Pressure in kind of a magnificent way IMHO.

 

[AnalyticWash]

AnalyticWash & others,

I know KR's shampoos Veterinary Grade ... not sure how those other brands you mentioned ... come out overall-wise when it comes to specific compatible shampoos etc??? Some of our customers bring their own very high end shampoo which we say "Yea ... a little bit less expense for us!"

Every machine I have ever worked with has been able to use pretty much whatever product you want. Sometimes we had to dilute it slightly to make it work a little better with the pumps and then adjusting the metering as needed.

The biggest problem chemical for me is always the disinfectant as these tend to be more on the "harsh" side of things. Different states have different regulations on permitting and requirements for disinfecting the tubs.

If anyone wants to even consider a Dog Wash I would call your state Dept of Agriculture first and find out if/how they regulate them...They can be a major PITA

 

[99Roadking]

Our bay #1 is our biggest loser. The reason is coming off the highway you have to maneuver the vac island and its just difficult to get into this bay. I have seriously considered putting end walls in the front and back of bay 1 with the front being a commercial entrance and putting a small laundromat on premises. Coming from one direction the closest laundromat is 7 miles away and it is not a well kept property. The other direction the closest is 22 miles away and actually in another State. There are lots of migrant workers living and working in that area and I know a nice clean well maintained laundromat would thrive. It would also provide income during a rain filled week and we have those here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.