screen is plugged, or the chim- ney is restricted, then the Sail Switch will not engage and the heat will not turn on. If the heat doesn’t turn on, you need to find out why and fix the prob- lem. Not like one plant where they put a rock against the Sail Switch to keep it engaged all the time. Yes their dryer ran, but it wasn’t very safe. When there isn’t enough air flow, the temperature can get extremely high.


REGULAR MAINTENANCE Every dryer needs daily main- tenance – clean the lint screen. That’s it. But it is the most important thing you do it. Lint will restrict airflow and increase drying time and cost. It also will become a fire hazard. You need to clean the lint off the filter daily; once a month you need to crawl inside and vacuum the lint out of the nooks and cran- nies – but be careful you don’t disturb the wires to the sen- sors. Some dryers have bearings that need to be greased. Most have belts or chains that need to be inspected and replaced occasionally.


Dryer chimneys should be cleaned at least once a year. You can get a brush like a chimney sweep and do i t yourself. It’s not difficult. Dryer chimneys should have caps or bird screens. Birds will land on the pipe, get gassed and then fall inside.


Also, don’t put dry cleaned garments in your dryer. Over time, perc will corrode the inside of your dryer and chimney. Alternative solvents are all flam- mable. Dry cleaned garments should not be put in regular dryers.


DRYER FIRES


We have been involved in the cleanup of a few dryer fires. Sometimes it will burn the whole plant down. Sometimes it just spreads smoke every-


where. Most times the fire will occur several hours after the plant closes. Someone leaves a load in the dryer. The fabric sits in the hot basket. Eventually the fabric reaches its combus- tion temperature and begins to smoulder. Another possibility is certain oils used by spas. If they are not removed in the wash, they can spontaneously combust. We know of a plant where some towels caught on fire four hours after they were taken out of the dryer. They had not cooled down and the spa oils continued to generate heat as they oxidized. The fire was isolated to one cart but it was hot enough to melt plastic several feet away and it spread smoke through the entire plant. How do you avoid a dryer fire? First off, make sure your wash chemistry is correct. You want to remove any oils from the linens before you dry them. Select the appropriate cycle (temperature) for the fab- ric. Make sure your cycles all have a cool-down time. Finally, unload the dryer as soon as it is finished. The fabric needs to be cooled off before you even think about going home. Also, don’t store stuff on the top of the dryer. We saw a wedding gown box up there one time that was quite charred on the bottom. The plant was very fortunate.


NEW DRYERS


When you order a new dryer, there are some important options you should consider. One of the most critical is a stainless steel basket. Older dryers had galvanized baskets. Eventually the galvanized coat- ing wears off, exposing bare steel. When the dryer stops and wet fabric sits on bare steel, it will rust. Now you have to remove the rust from that white comforter and probably wash it all over again. For a few hun- dred dollars you can avoid that


Oposite page: Melted seals after a dryer fire. Above: An exhaust pipe choked with lint, a fire waiting to happen. Below: Dead bird in the pipe, due to lack of screen at the top.


problem. Over the 15-year-life of a dryer it works out to about 10¢ a day.


You should also order your


dryer with the moisture con- trol system. It shuts the heat off when the goods are dry. That saves on fuel and it protects the fabric from over drying. Some sensitive fabrics overheat with a timed dry cycle. Even towels benefit from a moisture control. When towels are over dried, the fabric creates static and attracts fine dust particles, resulting in grey-looking towels.


Dryers can be heated with


natural gas, propane, steam or electricity. They all work well – it just depends what utilities you have available. Electricity can be expensive to operate and it does require a lot of power. Steam-heated dryers do not have spikes in temperature like gas dryers. So they are better for wet cleaning. However, you may not have enough steam to operate a dryer and your com- plete plant at the same time. A fire suppression system is an option on most dryers. If the temperature gets too high, a valve opens and floods the bas-


2018 March/April FABRICARE CANADA 19


ket with water. It makes a mess but not as big a mess as a fire.


TAKE CARE OF YOUR MACHINE


A dryer can make you a lot of money. Comforters require very little work and most cleaners charge lots for them. Clean a couple hundred comforters and you have paid for your dryer. A dryer can also cost you a lot of money if you don’t take care of it. You have to have a dryer – just be vigilant and use it with care. n


Kevin Marois is president of Integrity Mechanical Inc. in Calgary, AB.


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