Here at Speed Queen, we're used to dealing with places full of hot air. It takes a true expert to carefully calculate the most effective way to achieve our client's goals, and by that we mean ensure their machines have sufficient airflow. Commercial laundry installation can seem daunting, with complex installs and a high costs if things go wrong. That's why you should get experts to help.
Hopefully, your ducting is un-e-vent-ful.
Recently, one of our Australian distributors had an interesting and tricky install. They were installing several commercial machines underground, necessitating the huge airflow ducts you can see pictured to the right.
Now you might be wondering why the ducts go all the way up the building. It's mainly a safety consideration. It’s recommended that ducting to be short and sweet, longer is not better. Shorter is better because it reduces the risk blockages, ensuring the machines are able to function most efficiently. In this example the safety consideration is for local codes and regulations (these are different from state to state - especially with regards to gas heated dryers). There are regulations as to where a duct can exit a building and how far it must be from open windows etc.
Ducting is often one of the maintenance problems our clients face. The causes can range from it being incorrectly specified, blocked, or ageing parts. Ducting is sometimes forgotten to be reviewed, especially when replacing old equipment.
But what are the risks?
The risks of poor ducting range from simple annoyance to a cause for serious concern. Although, all can snowball into much larger issues!
On the annoyance side, poor ducting can increase the time it takes to fully dry your garments. This is mainly due to how a dryer works, as less airflow means warm, dry air is not replacing humid air. Poor ventilation could also lead to increased temperatures within the laundry room itself, which could range from uncomfortable to dangerous depending on the circumstances.
More seriously, it can lead to spontaneous combustion. Our dryers are designed to mitigate this risk as much as possible, and it's usually caused by a human rather than a mechanical element, but there is still some increased risk with poor ducting.
These risks are all magnified as the ducting becomes more complex. During our recent installation, we needed to take extra care of the ducting given the sheer distance it travelled! We needed to ensure the right diameter was used - too narrow and machines may have struggled to vent efficiently, too wide and it may have taken up too much room or become prohibitively expensive.
Ultimately ducting is unlikely to be an issue if you get it right the first time, which is why you should consult an expert like our local distributors during your installation. They'll catch all sorts of things that only an industry expert would consider, like hard mounts on high levels of the building, or incorrect ducting and inadequate ventilation for machines.
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