There is a huge selection of dryers available on the market, and at Richard Jay we stock equipment options ranging from 6 – 60kg capacities. These are available in gas, electric and heat pump machines.
Electric dryers
Electric dryers are a popular choice in smaller applications, and are ideal for those who want a plug and play solution. However it is worth noting that the 20 amp electric dryer options do limit the possibility of providing enough heat to promote cycles below one hour. For example, a dryer with a 4kW element that needs to dry a load from an 8kg washer with 50% remaining moisture will take around one hour to remove four litres of water retained from the load of laundry.
We have seen a move away from gas in mining and certain states due to government regulations, so electric heat is becoming more popular in on-premise laundries. However, electric machines do incur three times the running cost of gas, unless the customer has a large solar installation.
Gas dryers
Gas is by far the most popular heat source for dryers in high-use applications, at a cost of only $0.03 per MJ, providing the fastest heating times and lowest cost per cycle.
Gas dryer cycle times are on average between 20 to 30 minutes. At Richard Jay we supply both natural and LPG options, allowing flexibility.
Heat pump dryers
Heat pump dryers are the newest option that’s becoming more popular due to sustainability targets, as this type of dryer reduces electricity usage by 60% compared to electric heat ducted models.
The drying times in Electrolux Professional’s heat pump models are between 35 to 45 minutes, which is four times quicker than domestic options and twice as fast as commercial options. This is comparable to industrial electric heat dryers.
Another big advantage with heat pump dryers is that there is no ducting needed – these use a closed loop airflow system and only drain the moisture from the dried load. No approvals are needed for these per gas models, so they are a simple addition in most applications.
How to improve dryer speeds
Washer – 450G Extraction
Selecting a soft mount washer with a 450G extraction force helps reduce retained moisture to 45%. When comparing this to 130G hard mount washers with 130G extraction and 65% retained moisture, this equates to shorter drying times, less energy usage and less fabric damage.
Dryer – Reversing drums
This feature helps improve the distribution of wet laundry in the dryer, aiding in the improvement of efficiency and speed. Our commercial range of dryer machines from LG have one motor and don’t include reversing drums. Only dryers from Electrolux Professional have this feature, which is due to all these dryers having two motors.
Dryer – Residual moisture control
Residual moisture control uses sensors to measure retained moisture and stops at a programmed percentage, reducing over drying and cutting back on energy usage.
Dryer – Loading
Applying the correct load factor is important in achieving the optimal evaporation. Overloading or underloading the dryer will lead to poor drying performances and energy wastage. In most laundries we now see a small set of machines for smaller loads, ensuring larger equipment isn’t underloaded.
