It might not seem important to know how your washing machine and dryer works, but you will appreciate that knowledge during a breakdown or when you are looking at your next commercial laundry equipment purchase. Knowing about the engineering of your washing machine or dryer will allow you to use it more efficiently and streamline your laundry operation.

With that in mind, the team at Aqualogic has put together a simple guide on the inner workings of a washing machine.

How A Washing Machine Works

To cover the basics, all a washing machine does is saturate linens in water to clean them and then spin away the excess water. With the help of detergents, clean and hygienic fabrics can be created in a short amount of time.

The basic parts that make this work are:

• The Inner Drum – this is the part of the machine you actually put the linens into. It spins like a car wheel (in front loading machines) and stays still around an ‘agitator’ that churns the linen around inside it (in a top loading machine).
• The Outer Drum – around the inner drum is a larger, watertight outer drum. This holds the water which is then filtered into the linens through the numerous holes in the inner drum.
• Heating – to achieve the optimal temperature, there is a heating element to warm the water and a thermostat to measure the temperature and control the functioning of the element.
• Water Inlets & Drain-There are hot and cold inlet valves that fill the drum with clean water and a drain valve to discharge the soiled water.
  
• The Controller – all modern commercial washing machines have some kind of programming interface that allows you to choose different wash cycles to wash your linens. All the elements described above are controlled electronically and the controller allows you to tell them what to do. This allows you to wash many different fabrics safely and thoroughly.

How Dryers Work

Heat, airflow, and movement combine to provide the drying effect that we see in commercial clothes dryers. These are the same factors that dry clothes hung out on a line, but the sun and wind are inefficient when it comes to commercial laundry equipment. Tumble dryers create perfect drying conditions to evaporate water from linens quickly.

Dryer Basics

Commercial dryers are very simple. They work with just a few key elements:

• A large metal drum – this is usually perforated with holes for warm air. It contains paddles around the side to keep linens turning. This drum spins constantly while drying.
• An air intake – this draws in cool air, which is warmed by a heating system. That warm air enters the drum where linens are carried up by paddles and then pulled back down through the heat by gravity.
• A thermostat – this switches the heating system on and off to keep the machine from overheating the linens.
• Lint Filter – this prevents dust and bits of fluff from clogging up the airflow system, ensuring the dryer remains as efficient as possible.

Learn More

To find out more about how washing machines and dryers in our range work, call Aqualogic today on 1300 234 213 or enquire online.