Washer Extrators???

[SamsonFCDES]

What can you guys tell me about washer/extractors.

What is the extractor portion of the machine?

Our department currently has no way to wash PPE at the station except with a fire hose, and the guy wearing the PPE is going to not like that!

Seriously, we have to wash our PPE at home, and that is not a good situation. I recently washed mine, and I have black crud in my machine for the enxt 2 washes!!!

So, not only is my PPE toxic, now by blue genes are also!!!

Whay are these things to expensive? We are looking into one (possible grant item), but the prices start at 5000$!

Whats the deal? Will any old front load washer work, IE bought second hand from a laundry mat or something?

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Originally posted by SamsonFCDES
What can you guys tell me about washer/extractors.

What is the extractor portion of the machine?

Since there is no agitator, the garments get lifted and dropped into the cleaning solution. No agitator means less damage to the turnouts. The drum spins at extremely high speed, which extracts the water from the garments.

Our department currently has no way to wash PPE at the station except with a fire hose, and the guy wearing the PPE is going to not like that!

Turnouts can be rinsed down and cleaned by soaking them in a soap solution, scrubbing them using a brush then really hosing them down well and allowed to air dry. PS: take them off before doing this

Seriously, we have to wash our PPE at home, and that is not a good situation. I recently washed mine, and I have black crud in my machine for the enxt (sic) 2 washes!!!

So, not only is my PPE toxic, now by (sic) blue genes are also!!!

So are all the other clothes you washed in the machine...the clothes your wife and kids are wearing. If you took a flashlight and peered into the "empty" washing machine, you will see a little water reflecting the light through the holes in the drum... that's where the contaminants settle, only to be deposited on the next load of clothes you are washing.

Whay (sic) are these things to expensive? We are looking into one (possible grant item), but the prices start at 5000$!

They are not like the washers at the local laundromat...they are built to different tolerances and built to take a beating. The unit we have at the Massachusetts Fire Academy is a UniMac that is over 15 years old and gets used at least three to 4 times a day everyday.
Go for it under "firefighter health and safety"

Whats the deal? Will any old front load washer work, IE bought second hand from a laundry mat or something?

If a laundromat gets rid of a machine, it's because it is all used up, no longer cost effective, ie, making a profi and becomes a money pit to keep in good repair. You can pay (and possibly waste money) on keeping a used machine up and running or you can buy new and have no headaches.

We have a Wascomat extraction machine in my fire house. It is a champ!

[tripperff]

We recently put a washer/extractor in our station so we could upgrade from disassembling the gear and hosing it down in the wash bay and scrubbing it with the same soap we wash the trucks with.

The extractor isn't a separate part of the machine. Basically the spin cycle is a hell of a lot faster than the Maytag in your laundry room at home. It also doesn't have an agitator which I'm told is bad for the gear.

As for the expense, I can't speak to that, but in my opinion it's a wise investment. Another plus is it takes a lot less time to dry with that super-fast spin cycle than your old firehose or our old wash bay methods.

I used to take my gear to a laundromat with big front loaders and they don't spin out like the washer/extractors but they are better for the gear than a home machine.

[SamsonFCDES]

Thanks guys.

So how much do these things run?

I am thinking trying to tag it onto your Fire Act Grant this year as they seem to be a pricy item, IIRC 5000-6000$.

Not something my department could just go out and buy.

I do believe it is a very valid safety concern though, and it needs to be addressed.

So, how much did you guys pay for you machines, or rather how much should we look to pay?

Thanks

[tripperff]

You're in the right ballpark at 5-6 grand.

[Rescue21D]

Both my former and my current department have extractors. However, you shouldn't be using SOAP to wash with. It should be a non-soap detergent. Soap leaves a film on the gear and blocks the "breathability" of the moisture barrier.

[WaffleHut]

we don't have fires very often and have no need to wash our gear every week or so, but we just use a normal front end loader (a GE i believe) and use some kind of speical degtergant and let it dry outside. gear comes otu clean, we havent had any problems with it, to my knowledge anyway.

[Rescue101]

We just got a new Unimac 35.It will do 2 complete sets of gear at a time.I'm very impressed with the performance of this machine.The detergent of choice for our particular gear is either liquid Tide or liquid Cheer.The cost for our particular machine was around $5500.You put the gear in nasty and it comes out looking like the day it was built(minus usual wear & tear).And you're not taking the crap home to your families.T.C.

[chaunz15]

Do you have a contact for Unimac?

[Rescue101]

Yeah I do but I doubt my guy covers Ky.Go to the unimac website and punch up dealers by state.That ought to get you in the door.If you can't find it,PM me and I'll get you the contact.T.C.

[stealth]

We also have a Uni-Mac. A couple of other things to think about, plumbing and where will the waste water be discharged? Some enviormental laws restrict where your waste water can go. Also, some machines have to be bolted down on to a cement base. Contact your local distributor for specifications.

[Rescue101]

Almost all the washer/EXTRACTOR series regardless of mfg need to be bolted to a concrete floor.Otherwise when they go to spin,they'll "spin" right out the door.T.C.