Who buys washer-extractors?

Washer-extractors were at the forefront of production planning before the advent of continuous batch washing machines; and such has been the advances made in the design of wash tunnels that the market for bigger capacity washer-extractors may appear to have shrunk almost to zero.

Continuous washers were the machines which saw off the high capacity 400 kg dumping washing machines with separate large capacity centrifugal extractors and the high pressure ‘Strike’ extractor from America and thereby reduced the labour requirement per 1000 kg of work processed dramatically. One tonne of work was manually handled five times during its passage through the washroom when dumping washers were used.

The large washer-extractors were solidly engineered, versatile, long lasting and virtually trouble free. I remember visiting a rental laundry some three decades ago, where 450 lb capacity machines were being overloaded by a third with cabinet towels.

Demand for washer-extractors has not, however, disappeared. Manufacturers can find a ready market for machines with loadings up to 100 kg, and larger capacity machines are still available.

Washer-extractor technology has progressed over the years. Automatic programme controls have been introduced, and automatic dry and liquid detergent dispensers have come onto the market. Tilting machines for easier loading and unloading were introduced and then came an automatic system with loading from overhead bags and unloading onto a band conveyor feeding tumblers. There was also the double door machine which could be installed into a hospital laundry and gave an anti-cross infection barrier. There is a washer-extractor for every conceivable purpose, from high volume rental and cabinet towel plants down to the ‘corner coin-op shop’.

The modern continuous washer with bath exchange, contraflow water utilisation, integral centrifugal extraction and computer controlled programming has decimated the volume market once dominated by washer-extractors. Nonetheless, a spokesman for a major equipment manufacturer told me that washer-extractors still represent 60% of its output.

Washer-extractor devotees mostly fall into one of three categories: 1. Many laundries supplement their continuous washer installations with100 kg washer-extractors for special classifications: rewash, dust mat and mop processing, kitchen wipes and the like.

2. They also find a place in hospital laundries where the double door versions are included in anti-cross infection barriers. Hospitals use them for processing foul or heavily blood stained linen and categories with heavy medicinal ointment staining—all of which need lengthy processing and are not compatible with continuous washer cycle times.

3. They are still favoured by the owners of low capacity domestic service laundries who prefer the washer-extractor’s versatility and trouble free long life. I have recently seen washer-extractors more than 30 years old that are still in use and considered worthy of reconditioning.

Modernising performance Washer-extractors are, of course, the main-stay of coin-op, self-service launderettes. They are easy to load and unload, versatile with a multitude of programme choices and have been around for so long that there is customer familiarity with their use and operation.

The redeeming feature of washer-extractors is that without exception, and in spite of the necessary compromise between washing and extracting, they do wash well. Furthermore, after extraction, loads from 100 kg machines can be directed to the ironers with a minimum of opening out and cold conditioning.

The modern industrial washer-extractor can now match the latest continuous washer as far as computer controlled programming is concerned. It did, up until recently, offer a lower moisture retention level over all classifications and variable extraction speeds to meet all load needs.

The traditional disadvantages of washer-extractors are high levels of water consumption and high power consumption at the beginning of the extraction period. The latter could bring about a power loading over the stipulated which would attract a penalty charge from the local electricity company. This problem has been resolved as has that of high water usage, although the latter requires additional investment.

In spite of the recent floods, usable water is in short supply. Industrial, commercial and domestic demands continue to rise and water will become more expensive. Not withstanding instructions to UK water companies to reduce their charges, this can at best be only a short respite. Charges will certainly rise again when the regulations for better quality water and better effluent treatment are better enforced. Local authorities may well insist on water recovery systems being installed in all laundries, to save water and reduce effluent discharge. These steps have already been taken by some authorities on the Continent.

I would suggest that within the foreseeable future, water recovery systems and the reuse of process water will be obligatory for high quantity users, including all laundries and coin-op launderettes.

There are efficient cost saving recovery systems on the market, whereby the recovered process water can be reused to cut process costs. Water from the last rinse can be the first rinse liquor in the next batch cycle. In addition, many of these systems can recover heat from the high temperature wash stages and reuse it to preheat subsequent wash liquor.

One brand which made an early entry into the UK market needed a special foundation in the form of a deep square pit. This washer-extractor was mounted and bolted to a concrete block located in the pit and insulated from the fabric of the building by a cork granule filling which suppressed the extract speed vibrations.

Since then, washer suspension has been improved with springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and dampers. Such is the stability of today’s washer-extractors, that they can be free standing as long as the floor is strong enough to bear their weight, fully laden with water and goods. Such is the suspension under extraction at low and high speeds that no vibration is discernible and certainly none is transmitted to the fabric of the building.

In spite of the leaning towards continuous washers integral centrifugal extraction, total bath exchange, multi process programming, low water, wash chemicals demand and power consumption, there will still be a place in the market for the washer-extractor. It is already becoming more economical in power consumption and the water consumption will fall dramatically as further developments are made in water and heat recovery systems.