Mice, Rats and Dragons, and Gunk too!
From Coin Laundry News, June, 2009
Has your attendant ever said that she thought that one of the front load washers had a dragon lurking inside it? Why, you ask? Because most of the time the washer works fine just like it is supposed to. But other times it doesn’t fill up with water and soap suds disappear quickly. Sometimes it even stops for awhile and then continues on. Then the customer comes and says that the washer has been running much longer than the machine next to it and they were both started at the same time.
Well, the answer may well be something that looks like a mouse or a rat or even worse that has taken up residence inside of the drain line underneath the washer.
Almost all of the front load washers used in today’s Laundromats have two things in common. One is a water level or pressure fill switch that opens and closes the hot and cold water valves. The other is a gravity drain valve that is normally open.
The pressure switch is set at the factory to allow fresh water to come into the washer and shut off when the water level reaches the door handle or the lowest lip of the loading door.
Depending on the size of the water valve and the incoming city water pressure, the time for the water level to-rise inside the washer is usually only 2 or 3 minutes.
On some washers, if the water level doesn’t rise up to the pre-set level, the timer will not advance and the washer just keeps turning and turning without enough water in the tub.
Washers that have timed cycles without regard to whether or not enough water was inside of the tub during the cycle may produce complaints that “my clothes didn’t even get wet.”
In both of these instances, the most common problem is that something is causing the drain valve to leak.
The leak may be very small in the beginning, so small that you may not even notice the problem. However, over time, the problem will cause the washer to lose more and more of the incoming water. More and more money going right down the drain!
The problem usually starts with the “U” shaped stainless steel “stay” that comes loose from a ladies bra while being washed. Bra stays migrate into the lower drain hose and usually get caught in the drain valve causing the drain to leak. Bra stays have a safety coating of plastic on each end that begins to catch lint, hair, string, beaded key chains, and paper clips and just about anything that can fit between the tub cylinder and the outer tub.
In its beginning stages, this collection of gross looking stuff looks like a small mouse. However, if left alone for awhile, it will grow to look like a hairy rat!
The washer may work sufficiently during this period of time due to incoming water pressure and large water valves; however, the “RAT” is really a water eating “DRAGON” that is costing you a lot of money in lost water.
It is impossible to tell if your drain valve is working 100% without actually watching the end of the drain hose during a wash cycle. The next best thing is to monitor the washer as often as possible to see if the water level rises quickly to the lower level on the loading door glass.
If you suspect a problem, you have to remove the lower drain hose and look for a hairy water eating dragon.
Hairy growths in the drain valve aren’t the only culprit in the battle against lost water.
Because the gravity drain valve is normally open, any leaking incoming water valve is hard to detect.
Today’s water valves are usually pretty reliable; however, city water supplies vary from town to town.
High pressures, rusty pipes and water hardness all play a role in the expected life of a water valve.
A leaky water valve may operate almost normally, leaving only a small amount of water in the tub of a top loader shortly after a cycle. When this is discovered, you can quickly replace the valve.
However, a front loading washer has a “normally open” drain valve which means that any water from an incoming water valve will go directly out of the washer undetected.
A small leak is the worst problem because it leaks all of the time, 24 hours a day. Even when a wash load is in the final spin, it presents no problem because the spinning tub sends all of the water down the drain.
What to do?
Some operators who suspect that they may have a problem with leaky water valves instruct their attendants to shut off the main incoming water valve every night before closing.
Just don’t forget to turn it back on every morning!
Another method is to turn off every machine, air conditioner, pump etc. late at night and listen for any possible water that might be running, in much the same way you can hear a leaky toilet running at night.
Laundries that have a catch basin clean out pit can turn off all washers and then watch the drain coming into the pit. If water continues to enter the pit long after all of the washers have finished their cycle, you have a leaky valve somewhere.
At 40 PSI, a ½" water line will flow at least 6 gallons per minute. If your toilet is set at 3 gallons per minute and it runs all night and day, it alone can waste over 500 gallons of fresh water every week.
Knowing that you probably have at least 80 aging water valves working hard every day to keep your coin laundry profitable is enough to keep you awake some nights. But when you add in the possibility that hairy looking rodent like substances are living in your drain lines, it gets downright scary.
The unnecessary loss of fresh clean water should be prevented whenever it is discovered. At only 1¢ per gallon, leaking valves could end up meaning the difference between profit and an unnecessary loss.
Date:-05/28/2011
By:-Admin
