Which Dryer Is Right For Me?

These dryers are versatile in that they can be moved easily within the shop. They can also be used as cage dryers if they are placed in the right position in front of a cage. The dryer can then be easily moved near a grooming table to dry the dog during a brush out. A shortcoming of the stand dryer is that it does not have a flexible, hand-held hose. In order for a groomer to reach tight spots and to blow out tangles and mats, a high velocity dryer is usually needed.

Some dryer makers offer adaptor kits complete with special stands that allow high velocity dryers to be used as stand dryers.

High Velocity Dryers

Many high velocity dryers do not have heat, as they rely on air impingement force to mechanically remove the water from the pet’s skin and coat. In other words, they “force” or “blast” the water off the animal’s skin and coat. Due to air friction, these dryers add 8-15 F to incoming ambient air. Motor arrangement, be it a series or parallel arrangement, affects both temperature and air speed. The “series configuration” adds more temperature than does the parallel.

The number of motors inside the dryer is important, though not always published by the dryer maker. Generally, the most powerful high velocity dryers have more than one motor and often consume the bulk of available current on a conventional 20-amp circuit.

The lightest weight and lowest cost units are generally single motor dryers. They typically draw between 6-15 amps. Arranged in a “series” circuit, the dual motor dryers deliver between 1.3-1.5 times the amps of a single motor unit. This configuration is excellent with long hoses (over 33 feet), as air volume and velocity drop only minimally.

Dual motor dryers arranged in “parallel” deliver almost twice the volume or about 190% of the single motor. However, this arrangement is prone to performance loss if the hose runs over 33 feet.

The two configurations above deliver the same airflow with a hose length of about 33 feet. Therefore if the hose run is less than about 30 feet, the parallel configuration will outperform the series. Single vs. two motor dryers can be distinguished by their size and shape. The long single canister has two motors in series airflow and the large “twin” canister or wider box dyer has two motors in parallel.

A large double coated Golden that would take 3 hours to dry with a hand blow dryer might take 42 minutes with a single motor high velocity dryer and only 22 minutes with the two motor configuration. This dryer type is of interest to the large volume grooming shop where there are never enough minutes in the day.

Liquid Products

With so much said on reducing blow dry time with different dryer types, it is important to acknowledge that there are also liquid products available that dramatically reduce dry time. These products improve slip between hair strands with quaterniums that smooth and coat the individual strands. Such spray-on detangling and dematting products can be used before and after the bathing process. Such products, if well formulated, also contain conditioning agents that repair much of the damage caused by brushing and drying.

This type of product will accelerate both the mechanical removal and evaporation processes by getting the water to sheet on the hair shaft. The sheeting is accomplished by reducing the surface tension of water remaining in the coat. Such “spray on–leave in” products have been proven to reduce blow dry time by as much as 50%. Some large volume pet grooming shop owners mandate that their bathers use such products for the purpose of reducing blow dry time.

In Conclusion

Deciding which dryer to purchase is made easier by understanding each of the available products. Shop owners will show consideration for their unique environment and budget. For example, a mobile groomer generally looks for the highest performance high velocity dryer that generates the least noise and draws the least amount of current. A large facility with many cages, on the other hand, will become experts at taking advantage of the “crossover” units that can act as both cage and high velocity dyers. Budget, shop type (cage free shop vs. with cages and mobile vs. salon), available utilities, and shop layout all influence which dryer is best to purchase for each application. We provide different type of dryers, such as brush AC motor pet dryer, brushless DC motor dryer/blaster and so on, you can choose the best you need.

References

1. A.L. Hunting (1985). Encyclopedia of Shampoo Ingredients. New Jersey: Micelle Press, Inc.

2. Williams, Daniel. “A comparison of air velocity with increased hose length in three motor arrangements.” EZ-Groom Internal Publication June 12, 2009.

3. Cosmetic Bench Reference, Allured Publishing Company, Abbott Park, IL 1998

4. Meisler, Elizer. “Independent variables studies by percentage separately and together for synergistic reduction of water’s surface tension” EZ-Groom Internal Publication July 12, 2007.