MIL-HDBK-1165
5.3.5.2
Operation and Maintenance Procedures. The procedures
in 5.2.6.2 can be applied to industrial laundries that use
conventional washers.
5.3.5.3
Retrofits. The only retrofits for industrial laundries
would be the addition of recycling equipment. Refer to par.
5.3.5.5.
5.3.5.4
Replacements. Besides replacing top-loading, vertical
axis washers with horizontal-axis models, there are two major
replacement options which may be considered: (1) tunnel washers,
or (2) ozone laundering. These are best suited for larger
industrial or commercial type laundries, rather than self-service
laundries.
a) Tunnel washers. Tunnel washers, also known as
continuous batch washers, are heavy-duty, multi-tank systems for
use in large industrial laundries. They are capable of handling
up to 2000 pounds (4400 kilograms) of laundry per hour, although
smaller versions are manufactured also. These washers work by
automatically moving batches of laundry from one tank to another
and agitating the batches in each tank. The fresh water flows in
the opposite direction, much like a plating facility
countercurrent rinse system, from the cleanest tank (rinse) to
the washing tanks. Continuous batch systems are costly to
install (up to several 0,000), but are capable of saving 60-70
percent of the volume of water used with a washer-extractor, and
require less operating and maintenance labor. The system modules
use more floor space than extractors, but also handle more
laundry.
b) Ozone laundering. Ozone laundering, a fairly new
process on the market, could be considered a type of retrofit for
commercial laundries' existing washers, but it cleans the laundry
by such a unique approach, it is more accurately described as a
replacement for the regular way of washing. Ozone laundering is
suited for lightly to moderately soiled laundry. It uses no
detergent (although a separate tank for detergent washing is
sometimes used for final cleaning of heavily soiled items), uses
only cold water (absorbs ozone better than warm), and recycles
water.
Ozone-generating equipment is attached to the washer as
a closed-loop system. It generates the ozone that saturates the
cold water supply. The saturated water is then used as the wash
water. Ozone is a known powerful disinfectant and oxidizing
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