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Reducing
Air Conditioning Demand
Air conditioning is
essential to the comfort and safety of people and pets. It is also
very expensive to operate air conditioning most of the work day.
Bathing departments are the major source of heat in any pet
grooming business. Blow dryers warm up a room in no time flat.
What can you do? Here are two great suggestions.
First, ask your air
conditioning contractor if there is a way to draw excess out of
the building through a vent with a "whisper" fan. The
fan draws air from the room outside to the roof or exterior wall
where appropriate. You do not want the fan to draw the cool area
delivered by the air conditioning, so usually the exhaust effort
and air conditioning are separated by some feet. The
"whisper" fans are very quiet, and hence the name.
Second,
"containerize" the bathing department to prevent most of
the heat from escaping from the room into other areas. To do this,
your bathing department should be comprised of 3 walls in a
"U" shape (squared-off horseshoe). The walls should be
floor to ceiling. Therefore, heat can only escape the bathing
department from the front opening. Now it is going to get very hot
in this area, so you must plan on venting out some of the heat
with the exterior draw of a fan, and having adequate delivery of
cool air by the air-conditioning. As a result you can dramatically
reduce your air conditioner load.
The basic floor plan
for a pet grooming salon in From Problems
to Profits includes the squared horseshoe bathing department.
Air
Purification & Clipper Vacuum Systems
Yes! Invest in both
air purification systems and a clipper vacuum system. Both are
healthy and pleasing to everyone including pets.
Air purification can
remove odor problems, and reduce indoor pollution. Some say they
only mask odor, and that may be true and worthy yet. Study air
purification though. Some consumer product study groups have
stated that at least some systems are unworthy. However, we have
been in buildings where they were present and we noticed an
improvement in air quality, or a perception that the air quality
was better than without a system. Certainly pet care businesses
are a challenge to these systems in larger salons.
Clipper vacuum
attachments "attach" to your clippers and draw in soil
and debris loosened by the clipping action, along with millions of
little hairs you will otherwise have to clean off of you and salon
surfaces in the years ahead as a pet groomer. You'll itch less,
sneeze less and do your body a great favor. Clipper Vac® is a
popular system with pet groomers, but recently several new models
have come onto the market. Be careful. They are not the same. Some
work better with other clipper models and brands than others. Ask
questions, and be sure they work with the clipper brands and
models you use. I suggest you get informational materials on all
major models of clipper vacuum systems, and talk with the
representatives of each.
Recently another
manufacturer introduced an inexpensive alternative model. It
includes only the tubing and clipper attachment, and not the
vacuum machinery. You hook it up to a small shop vacuum. It must
be a noisy alternative since the vacuum would be on most of the
time. In fact, that is good question while shopping for any model
of clipper vacuums. What is the noise level for the product? How
can you can reduce the noise? People and pets appreciate noise
reduction in a grooming salon. Noise is stressful, and pet
grooming is already a noisy business as it is. Recently Shop-Vac
introduced a much quieter machine, so go for it if you choose this
route. Consider a noise reducing housing around the vacuum
machinery as long as it does not interfere with the proper and
safe function of the vacuum.
Purchasing
List for a New Business
This topic was
suggested by a regular site visitor. It's a great idea, and we'll do it!
See Building a New Grooming Business Main
Menu.
Next
we take a look at a critical marketing tool for your new business,
your building sign.
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