How To Build A Dog Wash Station
Build Your Own Dog Shower
At my house there were two ways to wash my two labs when they return from a muddy walk. Either outdoors with the hose or indoors [cold weather] in our neo-angle shower stall enclosure. Both methods have their disadvantages not to mention you have to bend over and that bothers my lower back which led me to write this article on how to build a dog wash station.
I started thinking there must be a better way and recently saw that a contractor friend of mine built one in a high end mudroom for a client of his.
While visiting this luxurious mudroom I filmed a two minute video called Pet Tub considerations.
Seeing this luxurious dog shower got me thinking about making one of my own. I did not have the same options as my friends client so I decided to build a utility dog wash in my basement with left over building supplies and an American Standard shower base and spray fixtures.
Purchasing a Dog Wash Station:
I first looked at pre-assembled dog wash stations and was impressed with the stainless steel tubs and ramps available until I took a closer look at the price tag of $2500 to $3000 cost plus a few hundred in shipping.
Even with a pre-made stainless steel dog wash I would still need a plumber to plumb it in an I had a limitation with existing drain heights in my basement location so making a custom dog was station was my best choice.
Choosing the Dog Wash Location:
I chose my basement to install the dog wash station. I have a bulkhead entrance so the muddy dogs can be brought down to the basement without having to travel through the house.
When thinking about how to build a dog wash station, you need to consider plumbing lines and more importantly drains and their existing heights. Your pet tub drain needs to drain into your waste line which means it needs to be slightly higher than the waste drain line.
I decided to remove an existing utility slop sink and repipe the drain to a larger diameter to accommodate the dog wash. The location was near an existing plumbing vent as well and from all appearances looked like the perfect location.
The only caveat was that the base of the dog wash needed to be at a height of 24-25″ in order for the plumber to install and pitch the 2″ shower drain. I actually liked this height because it allowed for the dogs torso to be at my waist height. Having a working height like this completely reduces lower back stress.
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