What is moisture retention?
Moisture retention and the G force during the final extraction process have a direct effect on the efficiency of your commercial laundry. Since the moisture retention is directly influenced by G force they will both be addressed in this blog. Once the washing process is complete there may still be some measurable water remaining in the goods. This moisture that is left in the fabrics affects the drying and finishing operations and even the extent of linen life.
The wash process
A wash process in a commercial laundry begins by wetting the goods then applying the appropriate chemicals. Next the chemicals are removed by rinsing followed by the final step of extracting water from the goods. How effective this last step of extraction and the G force is what determines the moisture retention, the higher the G force the lower the moisture retention. It should follow that by doubling the G force the end result is half the moisture retention but there is another factor to consider and that is the type of fabric. Here is an example of different G force used in the extraction process.
100 lbs of dry terry towels will hold about 98 lbs of water after being washed & extracted using 100g. This 98 lbs of water must then be evaporated when placed in a dryer.
( 98 lbs = 11 ¾ gallons of water )
2) Extracting the same 100 lbs of terry towels at 350g results in 65 lbs of water remaining.
( 65 lbs = 73/4 gallons of water )
The benefit of the 4 gallons less water are: less water to be evaporated means less drying time required increasing efficiency. Reduced drying time translates into less fuel needed which lowers costs. Less drying time reduces wear on the goods and increases their life. Some other hidden benefits are less wear and tear increases the lifespan of equipment and less floor space is needed.
Is More Better?
If a higher g force can extract more water then why not just increase the g force used during the extraction part of the process. The answer is when everything is taken into account you can have too much of a good thing. Extracting at anything above 400g results in damage to fabrics shortening their lifespan, also for every 50g increase at the higher levels the gains become smaller and smaller. Higher speeds are also difficult for the washers to achieve and manufacturers have ways of getting around this.
Contact us today for all of your commercial laundry equipment servicing in Edmonton.
