Permanent Wash Tub - Stainless Steel vs??
 

Okay, calling all pro groomers on the list. I am looking at getting a wash tub installed for dog grooming in my home.

This tub will need to do double duty as the laundry sink - where the washing machine will drain into, and the doggy bathing tub.

I have large breed dogs - roughly think about 30" at the withers and about 30" long (not counting the "tail length"). Weighing in to 130/140 lbs. And of course I have my wee Yorkie;) 6.5 lbs.

Question No 1: What length of tub should I be looking at? I do have some space limitations and would like to stick to 42".

Question No 2: What about width of the tub. That has no space limitations, but what width should I be looking at? The dog of course will need to be able to turn around in the tub so I can wash the other side.

Question no 3: I'm looking at stainless steel, cause I think that would be easier to "disinfect" and won't rust and will last longer; is this accurate? Are there other kinds of materials I should look at, that might be just as effective, but more cost friendly?

Question no 4: If I go with the stainless - what gauge of steel should I be looking at?

Question No 5: What do I ask for, when I want to get good high pressure through the washing head? I also want a washing head that has variable kinds of spray options. I'm not interested in the fancy models, that pre-mix the shampoo conditioner, etc. This is not for a business, but for my own doggy washing. I have heavy coats I have to wash through, and I've used some great washing stations at shows that have a good high pressure water sprayer that really reduces the time of wetting your dog, and washing out the shampoo,etc.

Last question: Are there any drawbacks you could see to try to have the bathing tub do double duty as the laundry sink?

I have this tub at the place I work right now (Master Equipment Everyday Pro Grooming Tub/Cabinet | PetEdge.com). It's one of the cheaper tubs because its a petedge brand. It is plenty big for your BRTs. I have washed St. Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and English Mastiffs in it with no problems with them standing up or turning around. It measures 48" x 24 1/2" x 56". I think its a pretty standard size. The tub is made from 16-gauge zinc-plated, powder-coated steel and is held together by rivets and silicone. Personally I hate this tub. It came with an above cabinet which my boss attached and i find it annoying and in the way. The tub also has a few small leaks in the corner area because the silicone caulk must wear away from being disinfected so many times. The bottom of the tub has discolored. The plastic rack it came with for the dogs to stand on is hard to clean and builds up mold/mildew or whatever. These are the types of problems you are going to find with a cheap tub.

Other places I have worked at have tubs by Forever Stainless Steel (Forever Stainless Steel). They are made of thicker gauge steel and are welded together (no caulking and no leaking). These tubs are expensive.

Other good tub makers:
UltraLift, Inc.
Petlift*::*Tubs
Stainless Steel Grooming tubs & tub (41303) - Stainless Steel pet wash with ramp / ramps for Professional pet Groomer at Hairvac.com,* Hanvey Specialty Engineering, Pet Grooming groomer Equipment, LIPS system, Taxi Vac clipper vacuum attachment sytem
Pet Grooming and Veterinarian Equipment by Edemco
Tubs | Groomers Best


Since you are only grooming your personal dogs and not bathing multiple pets a day you might be ok with just getting a pet edge master equipment tub. It all depends on what you want to spend in the end.

At home, for my personal set up I have a regular utility skin for the washer to drain into. I keep it clean with fantastic bleach. If i do a neighbors or friends small dog at my house I will wash them in there. I also have a Large Booster Bath Tub (Official Home of the Booster Bath Elevated Plastic Dog Grooming Tub for Home Use) that I can place in my walk in shower in the basement to wash medium/large size dogs in, or i'll just wash them in the shower without the booster bath. The booster bath is good for washing outside in the warmer weather too.

As far as nozzles go, most groomers I know just go to Lowes and get a garden "fire nozzle" style sprayer. They have different settings to adjust the spray. You need good water pressure though for any type of nozzle to work well. For a great, powerful, undercoat removing nozzle I highly recommend the SavUrFur Nozzle (SavUrFur Shopping and Products | Save 10% when you order our shampoo and conditioner bundle) but again its expensive for just regular home use.

If you get a grooming tub and also use it for the washer drainage I would highly recommend a good hair/lint trap to make sure hair and lint don't clog the drain. the tub i use at work has something like this in it (PetLift Smartway Hair Trap | PetEdge.com). Not sure if it came with teh tub or if my boss purchased it separately. There is also this one Hair Trap | PetAgree Grooming Supplies.

Just my opinions. If you have any other questions feel free to ask, though i must mention, after joining facebook, i am terrible about coming on YT anymore.

Okay is thia silly well maybe to some, but we have a garde sink and next year when we switch out the master bath bathtub shower kit I want it put when the garden sink is.

Kind ghetto but with boys and dogs we need a full sized outdoor shower, plus its actually really cheap, well free for us.

I see these on craigslist all the time because dumpibg costs too much.