Find Out What’s Driving Your Commercial Laundry Expenses

The Biggest Problem with Commercial Laundry Machines, and How You Can Fix It

One of the biggest problems with commercial laundry equipment isn’t maintenance issues that arise in older machines like your water not draining or even dryers that seem to inconsistently dry fabrics. With issues such as these, it normally comes down to a simple repair. The real problem with commercial laundry is the utility bill.

Commercial laundry machines that are more than 10 years old not only cost you in the long-run, but they also have significant downfalls. For example, your appliances may run inconsistently and there could be malfunctions with water drainage or dryers. With simple repairs such as these how can commercial laundries keep up? That’s where Energy Star Certified washers come into play for first time buyers; this technology ensures better efficiency when it comes to saving on utility bills – which is a major concern of many on premise laundry owners.

Commercial laundry machines that are more than 10 years old are not only costing you more in maintenance and upkeep, they don’t have the latest energy efficiency technology. Commercial washers that are Energy Star Certified also have advanced technology that ensures more water is extracted from materials in the final spin cycle than their conventional counterparts. That means your dryers won’t have to work as hard or get as hot to get things dry.

When looking to purchased commercial wahers and dryers, we recommend talking to a local coin operated laundry equipment supplier.

Coin op appliances have been revolutionized in recent years due to governmental pushes to make them more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. Appliances around the US are competing with each other for EPA’s Energy Star Certification, which is given out when an appliance meets specifications that allow it use at least 25% less electricity than its benchmarked standard. To get this certification, appliances also need a significantly lower water usage rate since they’re designed specifically for efficient performance.

With these advancements in mind, it’s worth considering how these laundry equipment manufacturers use improved designs to reduce energy consumption without jeopardizing the reliability of the machine’s sanitation processes?

Like many innovations in modern technology, the process hasn’t changed in many years. But, we have been able to use science and engineering to gain more control over our laundry processes than ever before and find laundromat washer parts. Traditional washing machines are made up of two tubs: an inner tub that holds the clothes in place and allows water to pass in and out via a series of holes, and an outer tub that keeps the water contained until it’s evacuated in the spin cycle. 

The agitation that loosens dirt from fabrics occurs when the center post moves backward and forward to churn the water and clothes. The loose dirt is then caught by detergent until the water is flushed from the system. Because each load is totally submerged, standard top-loading washing machines use a lot of water. Since there is so much weight added by what in these washers if a load becomes unbalanced, the machine can make a lot of noise or even jump around during the spin cycle. These slight nuisances are actually the useless bi-products that engineers are trying to minimize. This wasted energy from an older top-loading washer can leave a lot of water in the clothes after the spin cycle has completed causing the clothes dryer to expend even more energy.

Front Load Washers and Extraction Washers for Better Energy Efficiency

A front-load washing machine does the same tasks as a top-loading machine there are some key characteristics that make it much different from a top loader. First off, front-loading machines do not require an agitator to loosen dirt. Instead of beating the clothes back and forth in water, it rotates them vertically so that gravity eventually causes them to drop back down into the bottom of the tank.

This new process design implemented in these washers gives the same quality of cleanliness as an agitator would with one big key benefit. The amount of water required to complete this process is drastically reduced. Agitation with this method generates plenty of time for the clothes to get soaked in the water and may only require half the water volume of a less efficient top-load washer. This happens and it’s time to contact a coin laundry equipment company.

Reducing the amount of water wasted with each cycle isn’t the only benefit either. With lower weights and volumes inside the tub, that means there will be less energy required to move the contents around.

Front-load washers will normally handle larger loads as well. Where an old-style top-loading washing machine can wash between 12 and 16 pounds (5.44 to 7.25 kilograms) of laundry per load, front load styles can handle up to 20-pound (9-kilogram) loads. That means half the water usage and larger washing capacity.

Many front loaders are very efficient when it comes to extracting water during the spin cycle in addition to limiting water consumption while maintaining larger load capacities. Removing more water than standard top-loading machines means less drying time and savings on the drying side of the process as well.

Next-generation washers also use a more energy-efficient direct drive system that will still generate the speed and torque required for a proper wash but do it with less power consumption. Old belt-driven systems produce a lot of friction and tend to be hard to maintain. With a motor directly driving the tub, there are fewer components in the system to worry about.  Talk to a specialist in laundromat equipment sales before making the investment to verify you are solving these problems with the best on-premise equipment on the market.

As an extra bonus with these drive systems, these machines also require less room for the inner-mechanisms of the machine giving customers a more lightweight design. With floor-planning in mind, front-load washers can be a breeze to put in place. When you don’t have to worry about keeping the top of the unit clear, you can stack a washer and dryer combo in a small utility area without a major home renovation and a big appliance footprint.

Top Load Washers and Energy Efficiency

Now while the top-loader’s design for coin op washers  seems to be uncontested in producing quality cleans with minimal energy consumption, high-efficiency top-loading washers may be worth a second look. Modern top-loading washers have been overhauled in recent years to compete with high-efficiency front-load models. Using a similar direct drive system and innovating systems to use much less water, top-loaders are catching up in the energy efficiency department.

Take a look inside a new generation top-loading washer one of the best commercial washing machine for laundromat. You’ll discover that the center-post agitator has been eliminated from most models. It still flips or spins the clothes to get them clean, but uses less water to do it. One of the most popular designs is for the washer to spray water at high pressure to soak and rinse the clothes, which cuts back on water consumption because the drum doesn’t have to fill with water.

High-efficiency top-loaders spin clothes at high speeds, removing more water from each load than old-style units. Load capacities are now comparable to front-loading washers as well, reaching as much as 20 pounds, up from 12 to 16 pounds.

New top loaders boast efficient fuel consumption, excellent torque, lower water consumption, and often a lower cost. They still have lots of user settings that customize the way a load can be washed, though. If there is a low-use fabric that doesn’t require a 10-minute dunking, there are user controls that can reduce the washing times as well. This kind of flexibility has the potential for saving water and energy as well.

New generation washers, either front or top-loading, are far superior to previous technologies when it comes to washer design and energy efficiency and don’t require coin laundry repair near me.

Thanks to advances in energy efficiency technology, solving the biggest problem with commercial laundry machines and a coin op electric dryer – utility costs –  is easier to fix than ever. And it’s a solution that serves not just your property, but the environment as well.

Energy-efficient dryers can also do their part by coming equipped with dryness sensor technology that prevents over-drying. Investing in new laundry machines or finding a commercial linen partner will take time, research, and resources. Fortunately, there are some quick fixes to make your commercial laundry machine run more efficiently that will deliver long-lasting benefits for both your property and the environment. Here are some simple processes you can implement to cut the utility costs associated with your laundry service:

  • Set the hot water temperature for your laundry to 120 degrees Fahrenheit – The EPA recognizes 120 as a good temp for all hot water uses outside of the kitchen.
  • Consider rinsing in cold water – If the option is available, look into using a gas dryer instead of an electric one to save money and lessen your impact on the environment.

 

Published On: August 22, 2021Categories: Commercial Laundry1510 words7.6 min read
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