Frequently asked questions

Richard Jay stocks the largest range of commercial and industrial laundry machinery in Australia.

Commercial equipment capacity ranges from 6 to 15kg while industrial equipment capacity extends up to 110kg, both with options for space-saving stack washer / dryer or dryer / dryer configurations.

As every commercial and industrial laundry room has specific operational requirements, our experienced laundry consultant team will assess your laundry needs and recommend a solution to best suit your site.

Given the scarcity of water in Australia, we are committed to only offering front load washers, which are significantly more water efficient than top load alternatives. Top load washers use twice the amount of detergent and have a very low water extraction rating, increasing energy costs. 

Front load washer mechanical action also cleans better than the top load agitation, whereas top load washers use mechanical gearboxes, which are generally high maintenance.

We hold one of the largest spare parts inventories in Australia, with common parts in stock and available on our service vehicles. If you require a service or spare parts, log a request through our website or email service@richardjay.com.au

Hard mount washers don’t have suspensions, making them cheaper to purchase; however, they also require a 200mm concrete plinth on ground level at installation, and extract less water in the final extraction.

As soft mount washers have suspensions, they cost more to purchase and can be installed on any surface that can hold the weight of the appliance and load with water. The final extraction is also higher, reducing drying times and lowering energy usage. For more detailed information, read our blog.

A pedestal is a metal base that lifts the washer / dryer to achieve a more ergonomic height for loading and offloading. For industrial washers equipped with gravity drain valves, this helps to provide better fall for drainage.

Accelerometers manage vibration and maximise extraction during the final spin, minimising dry times & preventing machine damage caused by poor loading. They are included in all of our LG Commercial and Electrolux Professional 450G Industrial Washers.

Commercial washers all use drain pumps for simple installation, eliminating major plumbing costs. These pump water out at a rate of 22 to 30 Litres per minute; however, the drain pump filter requires regular cleaning.

Drain valve washers are the alternative, a feature found only in industrial washers. Drain valve washers drain water via a 50 to 110 mm gravity valve, which generally requires washers to be raised and increases plumbing costs; however, they are also less maintenance, requiring no cleaning as they don’t have a filter, and efficient, draining at a rate of 160 to 400 Litres per minute.

Internal heating is essential on sites like hotels and hospitals where wash quality is essential and multiple loads of washing are mixed together. In these on-premise laundries, heating is key to meeting Australian standards for thermal disinfection and improving wash quality. 

If you aren’t mixing multiple loads, or if wash quality isn’t a priority – for example, in student accommodation and caravan parks – internal heating isn’t necessary.

Older dryer designs use radial airflow because it’s cheaper to build; however, the design allows hot air to skirt around the unsealed basket, resulting in energy wastage. In contrast, axial airflow uses an airtight design which prevents skirting and saves 0.2 kW per Litre of evaporation – a significant difference in high usage environments. For example, a WS6-20 with TD6-30 will save 64,800 kW over 30,000 cycles.

Older dryers use time and heat as the control method; however, users often leave the machine running for far longer than necessary, wasting energy and damaging the items being dried. Residual Moisture Control stops when items are dry or ready for ironing.

Linen requires a certain moisture content for processing through a flatwork ironer. If over-dried, linen needs to be dampened and often processed multiple times. However, if the dryer is stopped at the ideal RMC, linen needs only be processed once, saving time and prolonging linen life.

A reversing dryer prevents large items from “balling” or “knotting”, saving time that would otherwise be spent untangling laundry during the drying process. It also improves dry time by 7 to 10 minutes, saving energy and reducing garment wear and tear.

Here at Richard Jay we have a massive rental fleet, and many customers prefer to renew their agreements with new equipment – meaning equipment that’s in good condition is returned to our warehouses. Additionally, sometimes customer plans or sites change and they need to upgrade to bigger equipment.

No, all returned equipment goes through a full assessment by our in-house technical team, and only equipment in a condition graded Good or Excellent is allowed to become a part of the secondhand program.

Industrial equipment is designed to last 30,000 cycles, and at Richard Jay we rarely sell secondhand equipment with more than 10,000 cycles on the clock. This means equipment with at least two-thirds of its life-span left can be sold with up to a 50% reduction in price – making it an affordable solution for many businesses. Additionally, some laundries need to build in some redundancy with extra machines, and secondhand, older models or box-damaged stock helps fill this need.

Our secondhand initiative is part of our sustainability program here at Richard Jay – keeping equipment running means it lasts longer before it’s ready to be recycled. It’s much better to purchase a secondhand, high-performance industrial machine than a lower performance, less efficient commercial product. Due to price considerations, many customers purchase a product that doesn’t meet their business needs – however, a secondhand product makes a high-performance model accessible to these customers.

No. As we sell large volumes of commercial washers and dryers per year, some of our stock unfortunately receives freight damage – meaning we also offer “scratch and dent” commercial equipment under the program. With minor cosmetic damage that means we can’t sell the products as new, these models are sold at a discounted price that helps businesses purchase affordable laundry products.

All Richard Jay secondhand equipment goes through a detailed inspection – if the product doesn’t meet the Good or Excellent standard for its condition, it’s then broken down for recycling.

Yes. Richard Jay offers a 1-month warranty on all parts, plus travel and labour for fitment (within 50km of metro areas). If a longer warranty is required, it can be discussed with the Richard Jay team.

We require a 20% deposit to reserve equipment, which is refundable once finance is approved.

We update this list daily. Once a product is booked, the machine is removed from the list.

We have warehouses in QLD, NSW, VIC, SA and WA, and equipment location is detailed under each product. Freight is a separate cost and is included on the quotation from our sales team.

Please contact us and we will talk you through the options in your area.