After covering dehumidifier advantages for grooming salons in our previous article, it just might be the right time to understand the overall dehumidifier market and the type of units being sold and available. One must remember at this point that the normal drying operation in a grooming salon causes a quick elevation in water moisture within the salon work area. This presents a fast upward swing in the indoor relative humidity level unique to the grooming industry beyond most other business types, as well as a high rate in the production of visible and invisible pollutants and submicroscopic particulate matter (PM) most responsible for invasive, upper respiratory complications that occur both in the short and long term.
The amount of water moisture/vapor removal required to alleviate this dilemma will exclude dehumidifiers that remove less than 75 pints of water per day at AHAM from consideration. No retail, mass market dehu will fit the requirements of your busy grooming operation and the moisture it produces with the specific challenges faced in a commercial bathing and grooming business for dogs and cats. The category of choice must favor the commercial/professional dehu category utilized by the water restoration industry. The amount of water removal on dehu units is expressed in pints of water per day at AHAM, which is 60% relative room humidity at 80% Fahrenheit room temperature and is the realistic measurement data for judging a unit’s output capability in pints per day in a closed area during drying. Less important in your selection of the dehu is measurement in extreme conditions such as saturation situations, although this is a key consideration in the restoration industry.
These units must meet standards of operation and performance set by the insurance industry in order to receive payment of claims. There is no guess work here and the operation standards are found on websites, labeling, and advertising certified by independent recognized 3rd parties. This is also true of other specifications such as cubic feet per minute (CFM) air movement output and electrical use data.
Most equipment found in this category have safety certification that has met internationally recognized criteria as well as standards such as UL (Underwriters Laboratory) for safety and to meet local building code certification and insurance criteria for usage and full approval. For the owner of a business, these certifications are very important in that the user/purchaser takes a greater legal responsibility for product liability versus the manufacturer’s responsibility under the certification process. Commercial/professional equipment manufacturers take on this extra expense of certification as an ethical and responsible obligation to their customers and the market as a whole.
A major consideration in dehumidifier selection is the tempo of your grooming operation, size of the facility, and future growth potential. Busy shops produce large amounts of moisture quickly, which significantly slows dry times and reduces bathing appointment bookings, as well as future growth potential, while increased activity caused by animals, personnel, and customers in a salon’s work spaces also will increase PM levels and air pollutants due to brushing, combing, and clipping debris created due especially by hair and dander. The need to reduce upper respiratory health issues and minimize dehu filtration overload will be discussed on a later blog.
Of the 2 major categories of dehumidifiers available (commercial and retail/home use) only the 75+ pints-per-day-rated commercial units can be expected to meet the needs found in a busy grooming operation.
The water restoration industry uses the following 5 guidelines or factors when determining dehu use. While the 4th item has the most impact on grooming salon usage, the following general areas have significant bearing on your selection decision for a grooming salon choice:
- Building and room insulation
- Regional or local outdoor climate (humidity and temperature)
- Air conditioner operational capabilities in the hot seasons
- Indoor variables that may dramatically add to humidity levels due to sharp increases water evaporation such as dog drying
- Time periods of normal daily work cycles
In addition, for animal grooming/bathing facilities the following should also be considered:
- Salon overall size and room separations
- Assess standard humidity – If humidity is always high, even without drying activity, the selection of an appropriate LGR (low-grain refrigerant) unit with larger water removal capacity may be appropriate
- Assess temperature range within your salon for wide fluctuations, which makes an LGR dehu’s AHAM water volume extraction capacity more appropriate since this standard is required for insurance payouts
- Ease of portability for moves from bathing area to groom table section, when appropriate or necessary
- Maintenance requirements – Ease of filter cleaning and water reservoir emptying methods – automatic + manual options
- Noise level – Suitable for personnel tolerance since dehu operations will most likely occur during the grooming and drying cycle
Join us for our next article where we will discuss how a dehumidifier works so you can select the right one for your business.