Reading Richard Neale’s article about conservation of water and continuous batch washing machines (LCN January 2002, TSA Conference report) and Marcia Todd’s piece about China’s plans for expansion (LCN January, Newsdesk) has made me put metaphorical pen to paper.

I have been operating and installing these machines for more than 20 years in several countries. Yes, they are a fabulous tool for processing large volumes of laundry. Yes, they do tend to control the rate of production better as they are not as easy to manipulate by the operator, and the little-and-often basis of production is easier to manage.

But what also should be remembered is that a 50kg batch, 10 compartment machine will require 500kg of laundry to be left in it overnight. This is because emptying and refilling the machine with linen will lose the economy you sought by creating empty compartments. This can be a problem when the laundry is processing customers’ own work and it has to come out each night.

These machines are a system, not just one machine. They must be allowed to run automatically or the human element trying to manipulate the machine can cause havoc and, ultimately, severe loss of production.

I have experienced operators who like to think they are indispensable because they are the only ones who know where to kick a washer-extractor to make it work. They become quite incensed when told that they must not interfere. I have often had to suggest that the machine is automatic and does not need to be played like a musical instrument to get the best tune.

Most of these systems are controlled by digital electronics, microprocessors or computers – a fact that has seen the blood drain from the face of owners as they realise this technology cannot be turned off and ignored, and the local engineer will have to cope. I have lost count of the number of times I have been invited to move my home next to the laundry so that the owner will feel secure with the new machine his dealer assured him would be his saviour.

I have had several discussions with dealers selling these systems in some countries, because within a few hours of running the laundry has run out of water. This is because they were not operating a standard wash program of two or three washes and three rinses, but rather a single wash and one or two rinses with minimum chemicals. In these circumstances, the batch washer does not necessarily win the water stakes. I suggest a careful study be made before anyone jumps into this particular pond in the belief they have the answer to water shortages. On the other hand, I have seen batch washers running on 3 to 4-litres/kg through judicious use of water flows and chemicals, and the elimination of water disposal other than was absolutely necessary.

Waste water temperature can also be a problem as a batch washer tends to discard hot water on a continuous basis compared with washer-extractor systems, which tend to balance the effluent discharge with hot and cold water from different machines. This can cause problems when the laundry is situated near a treatment plant or disposal site and the rising steam makes the heat of the discharge more obvious.

Colours can also be a major problem with batch washers. In the UK, colours are fairly safe and we have course to redress if anything goes wrong. Elsewhere, I have seen some horrendous disasters with pastel shades that are normally safe, and machines for which the operator dare not apply any heat for fear of colour bleed. Any attempt at challenging the professional ability of the dyer would be met with a broken nose.

My experience of reverse osmosis systems is that they are quite expensive to operate and you need to put a lot of water in to get a little out. I recently installed a unit in the laundry here at Cyprus and came to the conclusion when sizing the unit that we did not necessarily need to have the drinking water quality that the RO unit produced. For the boilers it is excellent, but for laundering we blend the RO water with softened water.

I feel that batch washing machines are a worthwhile tool given the right circumstances. But I would suggest that things are not always as clearcut as the manufacturers would have us believe. There are many pitfalls to be considered for investors in this type of technology before assuming the batch washer is the answer. Be sure that the water source, reclamation and – very important – the storage capacity are right.

Howard Neal