EDRO CORPORATION - News
Getting More with Less Using Ozone
Sullivan County Healthcare's New Ozone-Powered Laundry
October 15, 2006 -- UNITY, NH. It reduces operating expenses and produces super clean laundry while helping the environment. It is ozone gas - a supercharged, oxygenated air stream - and the laundry at Sullivan County Healthcare in Unity, New Hampshire has recently discovered just how powerful it can be.
"The new machines have
improved the laundry operation in a few ways," says Heather Presch, Director
of Environmental Services for the facility. "The wash cycles are much
shorter, allowing us to wash the same volume of laundry with smaller
machines."
The Sullivan County Healthcare facility consists of 135,000 square feet, with additional areas for administrative offices and support services. The home is licensed for 156 dually certified beds. The beds are located on four nursing floors, including one Alzheimers unit consisting of 32 beds. In addition, there are several outside services offered by the facility including a respite program, dedicated skilled unit, and an area for seminars, training and community functions. All this adds up to a large amount of laundry to be processed, and Sullivan County processes all of its own laundry, as well as all the laundry requirements for the local hospital in Claremont, NH, for an annual total of 517,000-lbs.
The new ozone-powered washers replaced traditional steam-heated units. The operational efficiencies of the new washers allowed the facility to reduce their washer-rated capacity from two 250-lb washers to three 60-lb washers and one 40-lb washer for personals. A capacity reduction of over 50% with no increases in operating time.
What makes ozone gas special in the laundry?
Ozone gas is highly unstable, and this property also makes it a very powerful oxidizing, cleaning and bleaching agent. Ozone is created when air is exposed to either ultraviolet-light sources, lightning or man-made, high-voltage electric arcs. Any of these conditions cause some of the oxygen (O2) molecules to fracture into two oxygen (O) atoms. These activated oxygen atoms then combine with other O2 molecules to form a molecule of ozone, consisting of a group of three oxygen atoms (O3). Ozone is very reactive and is nature's way of destroying pollutants and cleaning the atmosphere. Ozone works best in cold water - hot water breaks ozone down before it can perform as intended - it attacks most organic soils and kills bacteria more effectively and faster than chlorine bleach at similar concentrations. Ozone is completely biodegradable, and when it completes its function it rapidly reverts back to oxygen (O2), leaving no chemical residues behind. Because it is so reactive, ozone readily attaches itself to fatty and other soils that bind dirt to clothing, destroying them rapidly. As one of the strongest known oxidizing agents, ozone is capable of breaking down virtually any organic soil into innocuous compounds, such as carbon dioxide and water. Being a gas in solution, ozone penetrates and opens individual garment fibers, allowing faster cleaning and bleaching with the use of less chemicals. The overall effect results in reductions in the washing cycle times, and whiter, cleaner, softer garments.
The major reduction in washing capacity at Sullivan County is attributable to the operating efficiency of the ozone-powered washers. As the ozone gas is directly injected into the sump of each washer, it speeds the cycle time by eliminating lengthy heating steps and costly rinses. Equipped with independent ozone generators, each machine is capable of washing with colder water, thereby saving time and heating resources by making a smaller-capacity, ozone-powered washer process more laundry per day than its traditional steam-heated counterpart. The ozone gas also acts as a water-treatment method. It cleans the water as it mixes with the chemicals to clean the laundry. This makes the sewer discharge cleaner.
The laundry operation has four washers: three 60-lb and one 40-lb EDRO DynOzone washers; four 125-lb dryers, a large-piece folding machine, a small-piece folding machine, and a household washer/dryer. There are seven full-time laundry workers who are assisted by two Department of Corrections (DOC) workers. The laundry operates approximately 60 hours per week: 5:30 am to 3:00 pm weekdays, 6:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, and 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday. There is one working laundry supervisor. Typically, there is one full-time person and one DOC worker assisting them, on the washer side. One person is devoted to delivering personal clothing and collecting soiled linen from the facility. Two people label and sort personal clothing, while two people run the dryers and fold with the assistance of one DOC worker. Everyone does some folding throughout the day.
"We anticipate that using fewer chemicals and less hot water will have a positive impact on the budget," Presch adds. "We have found that heavily soiled items come cleaner easier, and we end up with less staining and less rewash. The laundry staff feels that the ozone has made a difference in the look and feel of the linen as well as the smell. This is important to the quality of life of the residents we serve. If we can give them softer towels, brighter-looking personal clothing and fresher- smelling linen, that is important to us."
For more information contact:
The EDRO Corporation
Phone: (860) 828-0311
Fax: (860) 828-5984
Internet: www.edrodynawash.com
E-Mail: sales@edrodynawash.com
