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Making the Most of Fans as Dryers |
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To make the most out of your dryer dollars,
you can build your own cage dryers using simple box fans and wire cages. I
use fiberglass screening cut to size that fits inside the frame on the
rear of the fans to keep hair from clogging the motor and getting on the
blades.  If you are really handy you can even build your own banks using pressure treated wood and fence wire. This really isn't hard and cleaning them is actually very easy as well. Wood does not hold bacteria and viruses as does plastic. That is why cutting boards in kitchens are made of wood. There are pores in wood, yes, but they do not allow bacteria to multiply. By using polyurethane varnish though, you can seal even pressure treated wood and make it easier to clean.
I ALWAYS force dry the dogs before putting them into cage dryers. By using the stand dryer at the same time as the force dryer I can get dogs dry VERY FAST. When possible I brush the ears, tail and heads of the pets before placing them into the cages to dry the rest of the way. This gives a smoother finished look to the dogs. I try to get dogs 90% dry prior to using the cage dryers. I use the dryers for large dogs, smooth coats and most other dogs at least for the faces and heads.
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A variety of fans will make your drying more
versatile and give you more options. I use fans on top of cages blowing
down, and a Sahara turbo at the end blowing sideways. This gives you a
circular airflow which makes the dogs dry faster. I have two larger fans
used to ventilate rooms that are portable and can be moved where needed to
give extra drying capability to my shop. We can use the holding cages in
the front room as well as the boarding cages that are larger than
the standard cages we have to enable us to expand the facility. If I had
to buy that many cage dryers I would be out THOUSANDS of dollars, but as
it is now I have only spent a maximum of $60 on each fan, and average $12
for box fans.
I have used smaller fans like you would use in bedrooms as well. These are great for short coated dogs and really busy times of the year.
If you are using airflow instead of heat to dry dogs it is imperative that you keep the humidity level down in the room you are drying in. A dehumidifier of air conditioner are a must. Temperatures over 72 degrees and dry are optimum for drying dogs using airflow. Water off the dogs will build up in the air as you dry as well, so it is a never ending battle to reduce the humidity level in a busy shop. When it gets colder in my shop (I am in GA so it doesn't get really cold here) I use a portable heater placed next to the intake of the Sahara to help raise the air temperature. In the summer I run an air conditioner 24 hours a day to remove as much
moisture as possible from the air. In fact I have my force dryer placed
underneath the window unit to make the dryer work faster.
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