Four things decide whether a self-service dog wash station can go where you want it: water in, water out, power, and a footprint a dog and its owner can actually walk into. Get those four right and installation is a day of work for a plumber and an electrician. Miss one and the machine sits in its crate while you argue with a landlord.
Run this checklist before you order. It will tell you within an hour whether the site works, and it will make the conversation with any supplier much shorter.
1. Water in
The station needs a mains cold-water connection with normal domestic pressure at the point of installation. Our stations connect with a standard G½ (half-inch BSP) male thread, so any plumber has the fitting on the van. Two things to check: is there a supply within reach, and can it be isolated with its own stop valve so the machine can be serviced without shutting off the building? If your water is very hard, plan for a filter or softener upstream — limescale is the enemy of heaters and valves in any washing equipment, and it is far cheaper to prevent than to descale. Whether the model you choose heats its own water or needs a hot feed depends on the model; we confirm this, and the flow rate it needs, when you enquire.
2. Water out
This is the one people underestimate. A dog wash produces water full of hair, and hair is what blocks drains. You need a 40 mm or 50 mm waste connection to the sanitary drain close to the station — this is a requirement, not a nice-to-have — a hair trap that someone will actually empty, and a fall on the floor so water runs to the drain rather than pooling under the machine. If the drain is shared with the rest of the building, check with your plumber that the trap is accessible; a blocked shared drain will be blamed on the dog wash whether or not it is the cause. Some councils and landlords have rules on what can go into the foul sewer, and a quick question now saves a letter later.
3. Power
The heater and the dryer are the big loads, and they run at the same time as the pump. Plan for a dedicated circuit from the distribution board, sized by a local electrician to the model rated power — not a spur off the nearest socket. The station runs on single-phase power, and we build it for your country voltage: tell us the voltage and frequency when you enquire, and on the day your electrician connects three wires (live, neutral and earth) and the electrical installation is done. Outdoors or in a wash bay, the connection point needs the appropriate ingress rating for a wet environment; your electrician will know the local code.
4. Space and access
Measure three things. First, the footprint of the station itself plus working room in front of it — the owner stands there with a wet dog, so allow space to move around it, not just to stand still. Second, the route from your entrance to the installation point: door widths, corners, steps, and whether a pallet truck can get through. The machine ships in a crate, and we send crate dimensions and weight with the quote so you can walk the route before delivery day. Third, the approach for the dog: a ramp or low step, a non-slip floor, and somewhere to tie a lead while the owner pays.
5. Indoors or out
Our stations are running in climates from southern Spain to Norway, so both work — but they are different jobs. Outdoors, plan a roof or canopy: it keeps rain off the customer and the touchscreen, and it keeps the sun from making the display hard to read. In cold climates the water lines need protecting from frost — plan this with your plumber: an insulated or heat-traced supply, and a way to drain the station down if it will stand idle through a freeze. Indoors, think about ventilation and about the floor; a wet-room finish with a fall to the drain is ideal, and carpet tiles are not.
6. The things people forget
- Mobile signal. The station reports wash counts, revenue and its own status to a remote back end over 4G. Check you have signal at the installation point — a basement wash bay in a steel-framed building may not.
- Noise. The dryer is the loudest part. Fine in a forecourt; think twice next to a residential wall or inside a small shop with the door closed.
- Lighting. If the station runs after dark, the approach and the payment screen need light, for the customer and for the camera if you have one.
- Signage. People cannot use what they cannot find. Budget for a sign visible from the road, not just a sticker on the machine.
- Waste. Somewhere for used towels, hair from the trap, and empty consumable containers.
The checklist
- Cold-water supply at the point of installation (G½ male thread), with its own stop valve
- Water hardness known; filter or softener planned if needed
- 40 or 50 mm waste connection within reach, hair trap accessible, floor falls to the drain
- Drainage rules checked with landlord or council
- Dedicated single-phase circuit sized by a local electrician; voltage and frequency sent with the enquiry
- Footprint plus working space measured
- Delivery route walked against the crate dimensions
- Dog approach: ramp or low step, non-slip floor, lead hook
- Outdoors: roof or canopy; cold climate: frost plan
- 4G signal at the installation point
- Noise, lighting, signage and waste considered
Tell us your country, your voltage and the model you are looking at. We reply within two working days with that model connection specs, drain size, rated power and crate dimensions, so your plumber and electrician can quote before the machine ships.
