Kennels & boarding facilities

Kennel and boarding cleaning system: clean runs faster and leave floors drier

Aqua-Air is a built-in wet/dry cleaning system for kennels and boarding facilities. One power unit sits in a back or utility room, and cleaning stations go on the walls along your run aisles. Staff plug in a hose and get suction, fresh hot water and the cleaning or disinfecting solution of your choice at the wand, then the dirty water is sent to your drain.

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How a run gets cleaned

Pre-spray, scrub, extract, done

Instead of dragging a hose, mop bucket or portable machine from run to run, your team works from a station on the wall. Every station gives them suction, hot water and your solution on demand.

Pre-spray the run
Plug the pre-spray line into the solution outlet and apply your cleaning solution with the pre-spray wand. Its 24-inch extension reaches the back of a run without stepping in. The system dispenses the cleaning or disinfecting solution of your choice; use an EPA-registered disinfectant and follow its label for dwell time.
Scrub and extract
The 14-inch brush and squeegee floor tool scrubs as you push and pulls the water up as you pull back. Fresh hot water goes down and the mess comes straight back up the hose, so nothing is spread into the next run.
Debris is caught at the power unit
Everything you pick up travels through the wall to the power unit. A replaceable debris screen catches hair and solids, and the dirty water is sent to your drain. In a kennel, plan to change the screen about once a week.

Staff member cleaning a kennel aisle floor with an Aqua-Air stainless wand and floor tool, the hose running back to a wall station — Kennel floors, wet or dry, from one wall station. Watch the clips.

Why boarding operators choose it

Less water on the floor, less time per run

Less water

The wand puts down about half a gallon of hot water a minute, compared with about five gallons a minute from an open hose. The power unit also uses a small, separate flow of rinse water to carry what you pick up to the drain.

Drier runs, sooner

The squeegee floor tool extracts the water instead of leaving it to stand, so runs dry faster and dogs can go back in sooner. Less standing water also means lower humidity in the building.

Hair stays out of the drain

Hair and solids are pulled into the power unit and caught in the debris screen instead of matting in floor drains. Replacement screens are sold in the 50-pack and 20-pack.

Less hauling

Staff carry a hose, not a machine. Cleaning and pick-up happen in the same pass, with no buckets to fill or dump.

Dust and odors go outside

The power unit exhausts outdoors, so dry pickup of hair and dander does not blow back into the kennel.

Your choice of solution

A chemical mixer draws your solution from its own container and mixes it at the ratio you set, so every station delivers the same mix.

What goes into a kennel system

The main pieces, sized to your building

We size every system to your square footage, your number of runs and how many people clean at the same time. A typical kennel or boarding setup includes:

Power unit. Larger facilities use the two-motor Model 258 (283 CFM) with its debris separation tank. Smaller buildings may use a single-motor unit. Compare all six power units.
Motor booster for extra cleaners. If two or three people wet-clean at once, a motor booster adds a motor to the Model 258 for each extra person.
Cleaning stations. New construction gets in-wall station kits with a vacuum inlet, hot-water outlet and disinfectant outlet. Existing buildings use the AA131C surface mount, so walls do not have to be opened. Plan on one station per 700 sq ft.
Chemical mixer. The DEMA MixRite 572 on larger systems, or the Revolution (REV-D.H.) on smaller ones.
Animal care wet kit. The AA394 kit (40 ft) includes the wet/dry hose, the 46-inch stainless wand, the pre-spray wand and the brush and squeegee floor tool. Plan one AA394 kit per cleaner.
Commercial dry kit. The AA254 kit handles dry pickup of hair and debris with a 40 ft hose; plan one per cleaner.
Grooming or bathing room? Add a dry interceptor with a dry station so bulk hair is collected dry and kept out of the water side.

Aqua-Air two-motor power unit with its separate debris separation tank, as used in larger kennel and boarding systems — Two-motor power unit with debris separation tank.

Planning your install

What the install needs

The system works in new construction, expansions and remodels, and it can be added to an existing building. Aqua-Air supplies the equipment and parts. Installation, freight and electrical are not included. Your own contractor, plumber and electrician, or a local installer, handle the install. Send us your floor plan and we’ll lay out the stations at no charge.

A spot for the power unit with hot and cold water, a drain and power nearby, protected from freezing.
Each motor needs its own dedicated 20-amp, 120-volt circuit. A Model 258 has two motors, so it needs two circuits, and each booster adds one. A GFCI-protected outlet is fine; use a 20-amp-rated GFCI, because some 15-amp GFCIs trip at start-up.
PEX hot water lines from your water heater to the stations, plus a separate hot water feed with its own valve for the chemical mixer.
2-inch central vacuum pipe from the stations to the power unit, and an exhaust vented outdoors.

See the step-by-step install guide and the manuals on our documents page.

Questions from kennel owners

Kennel and boarding FAQ

Does the system disinfect the runs?

The system dispenses the cleaning or disinfecting solution of your choice at the ratio you set. Use an EPA-registered disinfectant and follow its label. The product you choose does the disinfecting.

Can it go into our existing building?

Yes, as long as there is water, a drain and power available for the power unit. Existing buildings use surface-mount stations, so walls do not have to be opened up.

How many people can clean at once?

One person per power unit as standard. For two or three people wet-cleaning at the same time, we set you up on a Model 258 with a motor booster for each extra person.

What does a system cost?

Most commercial systems run $8,000-$20,000 for equipment. Freight, installation and electrical are not included. Every system is quoted from your square footage, layout and number of cleaners. Request a quote.

What is the warranty?

For commercial use the power unit is covered for 1 year, and hoses and tools for 90 days.

Do you install it or provide cleaning service?

Aqua-Air supplies the equipment and parts. Installation, freight and electrical are not included. Your own contractor, plumber and electrician, or a local installer, handle the install. Send us your floor plan and we’ll lay out the stations at no charge. We don’t provide cleaning service; your staff use the system.

Also running a vet clinic, daycare or grooming salon? See our pet facility cleaning systems page or the full commercial overview.

Let’s size a system for your kennel

Tell us your square footage, how many runs you have, whether you groom or bathe on site, whether it is a new build or an existing building, and how many people clean at the same time. We usually reply within one business day.