Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a well-made product, with solid brass fittings and ball valves (it is heavy!) Theoretically, it is easy to hook up. You unhook your washing machine hoses, connect the Tropic Shower, and hook your washing machine hoses onto the Tropic Shower. You then control whether you want water to go to your washer or out to a hose (which connects to the Tropic Shower) using a ball valve. You also control the amount of hot water coming from the hot water tap using another ball valve. The challenge (if you have an older home) is getting those darned washing machine hoses off of your faucets to begin with, and making sure everything is hooked up with no leakage (make sure you turn off water to the house and water to the hot water heater before you start!) Teflon tape may be your best friend. We highly recommend you use teflon tape even if you have a newer home where the threads on your faucets are in better shape. Also, make sure that the valve is turned to the "off" position (water to the washer only) before you turn the water back on! This is serious high-pressure water. I wouldn't want you to ruin your nice wood floors with a flood. Once hooked up to the washer/dryer faucets, then all you do is hook up a hose, and you're ready to go. Another piece of advice - get a high-quality hose that won't kink, and use teflon tape! We got a cheapo hose and it never stopped leaking where it connects to the Tropic Shower (it was the hose's fault, not Tropic Shower's), even with gobs of Teflon tape. Plus, it kept kinking, building up water pressure behind the kink, and contributing to the leaking. Also make sure that when the plastic shower head is turned off (a big water saver when bathing a dog!), that there are no leaks at the point where the hose connects to Tropic Shower. I wouldn't want you out there for an hour bathing dogs, only to come back to puddles of water. My only piece of advice to Tropic Shower is that they somehow make a "lock" that will hold that ball valve in the "water to the washer only" position when you're not bathing dogs, so that if you accidentally bump that valve in any way, you don't get a face-full of high-pressure water.
OK, if you have managed to successfully hook up the Tropic Shower, it is time to give your dog a bath. The nice thing is that you can control the water pressure to the hose by simply turning the valve as far as you want. Let me warn you now - if you have water-shy dogs, turning the valve ALL the way on will result in water pressure similar to the one produced by the Shower Head for Elephants that Kramer bought off the black market in Seinfeld. Enough to blast your dog right out of his Booster Bath (which, by the way, is another great product). So, we like to turn it on only half-way or a-third-of-the-way, especially for our very water-shy dog. Test the pressure and temperature of the water before shocking your poor dog. If it is chilly outside, remember that when you turn the shower head off, the water in the hose is going to get cold, so when you turn it back on, let it run till the water warms up. A warm bath is priceless - it helps the dogs relax (well, as relaxed as dogs who hate baths can be) and it is also nicer for the humans to get pelted with warm water rather than cold when the dog shakes. Our dogs cried when we gave them baths using just cold water from a hose, even when it was warm outside. Talk about guilting us into buying a Tropic Shower! But seriously, cold water (and remember, even on a warm day, if the ground is still cold, that water is COLD) could be considered some form of animal cruelty. We really feel a lot more humane using nice warm water. Plus, that means you can give your dog a bath on a nice sunny day, even if it's chilly outside. A tip for those of you who struggle with dog shampoo - we use a great all-natural dog shampoo (not sure if we can advertise it here) and the best way to not waste it is to fill up a gallon jug with warm water, add plenty of shampoo, and shake to mix. When starting your dog's bath, simply use the gallon jug of very soapy warm water to suds up. It saves water, saves on shampoo, and makes it much easier to work the suds into the coat. Then when done, simply turn on your Tropic Shower and rinse. OK, OK, we use conditioner too. And then we rinse again. Spoiled rotten dogs. My only other suggestion to Paws Tropic is to make a pole with a moveable arm which attaches to the booster bath to hold the hose. Your arm gets mighty tired holding up the hose with one hand while desperately trying to rinse thoroughly with the other.
Overall, a great product. I do think that the instructions that come with the Tropic Shower could be a little more detailed (using Teflon tape, checking for leaks, etc.) to prevent runs to Home Depot during installation, and I also think that the labeling on the Tropic Shower itself could be better. I had to tape a piece of paper onto the Tropic Shower to remind me of which valve position means what. I also think that since this attaches permanently, some mechanism to lock the valve in the "water to washer only" position would be a very nice feature, if only for peace of mind.
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Features:Booster Bath Tropical Shower Works With The Booster Bath.Connects To Washing Machine Hookup For Easy Access To Hot And Cold Water To Wash Your Pet.
Click here for more information about Paws For Thought Booster Bath Tropical Shower
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