I own a laundry located in a small strip center. I’m having a problem with the landlord, concerning vibration that my large washers create when they go into their spin cycles. My floor is made of flexicore concrete, and the floor and walls shake until the spin cycle ends.
I’ve been told that I will have to build concrete columns, as well as concrete pads independent of the floor, to help alleviate this issue. This will cost a lot of money.
My laundromat is 15 years old, and it still has the original equipment. What are my options?
The best option is to replace your hard-mount washers with soft-mount equipment. Soft-mount machines can be installed on your type of floor – or even on wooden floors – without creating any vibration.
Since your current equipment is 15 years old, it’s about time to replace those washers anyway.
I own three coin laundries, and I’m plagued with dryer fires. I have the ductwork cleaned every three years. What can I do to prevent these fires? What am I missing?
One of the problems I notice in a lot of laundries is that the ductwork has been improperly installed right from the beginning. The installers very likely didn’t read the manufacturers’ manuals and, therefore, installed the exhaust ducts strictly to move air. However, there is another substance called lint, which also have to be moved out. And, as lint cools in temperature, it drop down and collects rapidly within the ductwork.
Therefore, my answer is to clean out your ductwork more frequently, or else change out your exhaust ducts. Of course, if you decide to alter your exhaust ducts, be sure to closely follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
I’m strongly considering building a new self-service laundry. In your opinion, what are the three most important factors to consider before moving forward with this project?
The three most crucial factors, in order of importance, are: (1) location, (2) parking availability and (3) equipment mix. All three are critical to the long-term success and profitability of any self-service laundry business.
I’m in the process of purchasing an existing laundromat in which the majority of the machines are old toploaders that look very “beat up.” Can these washers be repainted? Also, the frontloading washers have a lot of soap buildup in the dispenser trays. How can I clean that up?
To answer your first question, I wouldn’t bother painting the toploaders. I’ve never heard of anyone painting washers to where the paint job lasted more than a year or two. Also, many toploaders have porcelain tops, and you can’t paint porcelain – the paint would eventually scratch right off. The best advice I can offer is to simply buy new machines.
As for your second question, the soap buildup on your larger machines consists mostly of lime. I would go your local hardware store or an industrial supply company and purchase a product called a delimer. There are various types of high quality delimers on the market, any of which will be able to easily remove that lime buildup in your soap dispenser trays.
A word of caution: if you chose to use a delimer, always be sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection when applying this product.
Once you have removed all of the lime buildup, I would suggest implementing a regular cleaning schedule for your machines, using one of two products – either Cameo or Bar Keepers Friend. Using either one of these products on a regular basis while cleaning your washers will help to keep the lime from building up in the first place.
