Underwater treadmills are becoming an important part of animal wellness/therapy. They offer several lucrative benefits to both healthy pets and those suffering from certain medical complications.
However, whether you are a pet owner planning to buy an underwater treadmill or an animal wellness business planning on offering this service to your customers, one of your first questions should be: Will it fit?
That’s what w we will answer in this blog.
Choosing The Right Underwater Treadmill
Underwater treadmills are a relatively new product, for pets at least. They have just started to become a mainstream fitness solution and are being offered by various pet care facilities. However, there are already multiple producers in the market, and while they all focus on creating the best possible product, each has different priorities. Some focus on features, whereas others focus on longevity. We understand that this could be a major concern for both private and commercial customers that our product actually fits inside their homes/facilities.
Choosing the wrong underwater treadmill (brand or model) that’s either too big for the dimensions of the room you are putting it in or too heavy for the floor you are placing it on is a more common mistake than many people realize. You may account for the dimensions of the treadmill itself but not the add-ons it comes with. The same goes for weight. The treadmill itself might not cross the weight threshold, but once it’s filled with water, the combined weight might be too much for your structure to bear.
So, the first thing to do to ensure that an underwater treadmill will fit snugly in your space is to choose the right one.
Consultation and Flexible Installation Solution
Choosing the right treadmill will most likely connect you with the right manufacturers and experts who can guide you about creating the right space for your treadmill. It can go one of two ways:
Creating a New Space: if you are working with us, we can help you before, during, and after you create a new space for hydrotherapy. In the “before” phase, we can give you accurate guidance on how much space you would need for X number of underwater treadmills (based on the specific models ideally suited to your business and add-ons) so you can set the optimal dimensions for your hydrotherapy room. The same information is relevant during the creation/construction of your facility and the relevant parts of your facility. However, once you have a space on your hands, we can consult you on the optimal choices (models) and count so they would both fit (in the available space) and accommodate your customers.
Modifying/Clearing An Existing Space: When you are making space for one or more underwater treadmills, we can guide you on the right model, its orientation, and even optimal placement so that it doesn’t disturb the existing flow of the space and fits seamlessly with other equipment you might have there. It’s the same for private customers. We do our best to ensure that space constraints do not prevent you from using an underwater treadmill.
Treadmill Dimensions and Space
We offer different treadmill models and configurations, each with its own footprint and loading (weight) parameters. The most compact model (Oasis Eco) takes just 50 sq. ft. of space and if you opt for a green version of it that includes a water storage tank, heater, pump, and filter, the space doubles. The chamber width is 33.5”, allowing it to easily through all doors with a standard 36” width.
The most powerful version we offer (Oasis Pro) takes up 150 square feet of space and has a floor load of 4,000 pounds compared to Eco’s 2,500 pounds. That’s actually well within the limits of the allowed live load, based on which most floors/structures are constructed. The normal allowed live load on a floor is 40 pounds per sq. ft., so on a 300 sq. ft. floor, the total live load allowed for that room would be 12,000 pounds. So Oasis Pro, while taking up half the space in such a room, only takes a third of the allowed live weight.
So while many underwater treadmills may not fit, Oasis Eco might fit quite easily in many spaces without any undue burden on the floor.
Drainage
Water is the most significant weight contributor when it comes to underwater treadmills and if we add drain to the equation as well, the overall weight profile becomes even more substantial. We can split the equipment for different floors, dividing the weight so neither of the floors have to bear extra weight.
Add-Ons
Add-ons can significantly increase the footprint of a treadmill, making it difficult to fit in small spaces. With Oasis, we have the ability to stack many of the add-ons vertically, saving up space, but there is a practical limit to what can be achieved this way. Add-ons like therapist bench and outward swinging door will naturally have their own space requirements. The door, for example, would require enough clearance in the right direction.
Other Considerations
There are a few other things that can be done to make it easy for an underwater treadmill to fit, even when there is limited space available:
- Separating parts of the treadmill (additional equipment) for separate rooms or separate spots in the same room. They may occupy the same space collectively, but this separation can make fitting it relatively convenient.
- Custom water storage tank shapes to accommodate the available space and its configuration. Water tanks that can fit snugly to the corners or walls use space more efficiently.
- Some of the equipment can be placed/installed outside the chamber to modify its external profile to better fit the hydrotherapy room.
solutions to ensure that the underwater treadmill fits comfortably in their homes and facilities.
Final Words
An underwater treadmill can significantly increase the appeal and enhance the commercial profile of an animal wellness business. While space constraints may make accommodating larger/more powerful models challenging, there are several ways around it. Rest assured, when you are working with the right underwater treadmill manufacturer, the equipment will fit.
