Hydobath And Dryer

[charmbug]

At least the fibreglass baths are completely sealed units and also a little birdy told me that they don't think that they are earthing the wiring in their baths which could be particularly dangerous. I think what it comes down to in the long run is what YOU can afford and you get what you pay for. If you can't quite afford the Hydrobaths Australia bath right now I think it is worth the wait to save your pennies.

Thanks for the advice. I will aim for the Conmurra, I didn't realise that was the same one that Perfect Paws were offering. As for the price... what my husband doesn't know won't hurt him

[Ari]

Wish I got a free ramp!! That's a great deal. I have that hydrobath. Its good....but my door leaks like a sieve.

No problems at all with the door on my one

The door to your bath (the bit that actually comes out)...does it have a metal edge to it or is it just the cut plastic?

[espinay2]

The door to your bath (the bit that actually comes out)...does it have a metal edge to it or is it just the cut plastic?

It is just plastic. There is a metal edge on the bath doorway but not on the door itself.

The concerns that I have with the barf shop baths are that the pump and all the plumbing are open to the elements, rodents and creepy crawlies.

The fact that the pump was on the outside was actually one of the things that I liked about the bath. You have much easier access for repairs or general maintenance. With the fibreglass ones you have to turn the whole bath upside down to get at the pump and you often have to remove a lot of bits just to get in and do some of the work. That was the way it was with my old one anyway. I dont know about all models, but a lot of the ones I have seen the bottom is actually open and not fully enclosed anyway. Critters can still get in, particularly if you have it on a trolley. If you have problems with mice/rats chewing wiring where you are IMO both types of bath would be equally at risk while with the BARF shop one it is easier to clean off creepy crawlies like spiders if they ever appear as you have much easier access and can see just by looking rather than turning it over. The pumps they use on the BARF shop ones are I think a different type - they use ones designed to be on the outside and weather resistent (older ones like mine have an ongha while I think the new ones have a davey). Mine has lived outside for two years with a BBQ cover over it and has not been a problem.

a little birdy told me that they don't think that they are earthing the wiring in their baths

My father is an electrician and very particular about that sort of thing. I know he has looked the bath over quite thoroughly in the past to see how they put it together and he has not mentioned that they have not earthed it. He is here visiting this week though so I will have him look it over and confirm.

Edited April 21, 2007 by espinay2

[PossumCorner]

I was after some recommendations on what would be the best hydrobath and dryer to get for my Elkies, Afghan and soon to be Hamilton.

Quite a few groomers use Fidos and swear by them. I bought the deluxe for dogwash business, and been happy with it, waited an extra week to have it made in red and black instead of "boring aqua". Had a flexi-shower plumbed in above it, great for nervey dogs that are terrified of hydrobath pump noise. Fido (Mavlab) also make a useful dog-bath without pump, just a bath, but good design/size. Their website is http://www.mavlab.com.au/fidos_hydrobath.html - (they also come with a good starter pack of the Fidos shampoos and conditioners).

[Witchy Woman]

My father is an electrician and very particular about that sort of thing. I know he has looked the bath over quite thoroughly in the past to see how they put it together and he has not mentioned that they have not earthed it. He is here visiting this week though so I will have him look it over and confirm.

That's great ... I would be really interested in what your dad says and knowing for sure, I'd hate to see anyone get hurt ... Like I said this information has come from somebody who knows the guys at barf Australia and he wasn't positively sure himself so I would hate to miss quote something like that..

[HoundDog]

At least the fibreglass baths are completely sealed units and also a little birdy told me that they don't think that they are earthing the wiring in their baths which could be particularly dangerous. I think what it comes down to in the long run is what YOU can afford and you get what you pay for. If you can't quite afford the Hydrobaths Australia bath right now I think it is worth the wait to save your pennies.

It doesn't matter which bath brand you buy, all use sealed motors (Davey or Onga) usually. They come from the manufacturer with a 240volt plug attached. The plug is cut off and then terminated into the back of a waterpoof/resistant switch. A power lead is then run from the switch to the back of the bath out to your wall socket. They are that simple.

Hydrobaths Australia offer different coloured power leads. Go down to bunnings and pick the colour you want, cut the plug off and then install it into your switch (licenced electrician is recomended for legal reasons).

Yes we use fiberglass in our spa baths and pools. But we do not get 10 three inch nails and scrath the living hell out of it. Minor stress cracks will show in fiberglass and house nasties. A good operator will disinfect their bath between washes and at the end of everyday to kill these germs. To fix fiberglass baths, sandpaper and #1 and #2 cut and polish is all that is required. The odd polish will also keep you baths looking new.

Plastic baths can have the scratches fixed by using a heat gun to help reflow the outer skin of the plastic. I will not melt and drip into a pile of gooo like a milk container, they use the highest quality plastic.

The whole front of a Mazda 3 (radiator support) is all made from plastic as well as the intake manifold. Everybody knows you find it hard to touch an engine while hot, so how can they use plastic bolted up to the engine.

As far as a 2000w heater in the plastic bath. Try this, get a paper cup and fill it with water, then try and set it on fire by holding a lighter under it. It will not burn. Remove the water and it will burn is seconds. So a plastic bath is completely safe while it has water in it. PS. No hydrobath heater will survive more than a half minute when it has no water over it. Hence why they are now installing micro swiches into hydrobaths to turn the heaters off when the water gets too low. Plastic baths are of no higher risk because of the heater.

Hope some of this information is of some help in the decision making.

:D