Anyone interested in a Speed Queen commercial washer??

[revvinkevin]

Used SPEED QUEEN 27lb Commercial Washers on eBay, in the Los Angeles.

This could be a lot of fun!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/COMMERICAL-WASH...0QQihZ017QQcategoryZ55852QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[thor]

Kevin, in case someone really wanted one of these washers (I would!), could you get residential 3 phase electrical service in the US?

Emilio

 

[revvinkevin]

I would think so.... it's only a matter of how much money you have... right?? LOL

 

[decodriveboy]

Seriously....anyone know how much a 3 phase hook up would be? I would love to have a commercial SQ like that in my house.

 

[toggleswitch]

I dont think you can get it unless you are near a commercial district, where the suppiled current is: 120/208v 3 phase. 4-wires

Residences I believe normally get 120/240v single-phase 3-wire incoming service.

 

[thor]

I don't believe these machines heat up their own water. In this case, the only major load would be their drive motor. What would be the cost for a new replacement motor for "standard" residential two hot wire, one neutral, 240 V? Wouldn't that be much cheaper than the cost of a 3 phase hook up?

 

[launderess]

IIRC, the rationale for 220v/three phase motors is they are far more efficient and durable than standard 120v/single phase. Less chance of stalling and so forth. Even the small Wascomat machines at our local laundromat run on 220v/three phase power.

Depending upon local regulations,codes and power supply one might be able to have three phase, 220v power put in, only a call to one's local power company would give the answer. However at the cost one probably could purchase a small "quasi" commercial washing machine like those sold by Solaris/ADC or even Miele for the same or less money.

L.

 

[sudsman]

3 phase power

There is a generator called a roto phase that takes 220 single phase and creates the third phase they are for sale on the internet and most electric supply house. Ther cost anywhere from 250.00 to 1500.00 depending on the amount of power it must generate. 3 phase power for a house means that you must have a three phase breaker box for it also and can be VERY costly .

http://www.rotophase.com

 

[bpetersxx]

I am not sure but the pole behind the house might be set for 3 way phase power

Cinergy did extensive pole work in 2006 spring

had 1 top wire now there are 3

 

[bpetersxx]

this pole was put in new and has 3 transformers on it

Speedway in the background was freshly rebuilt

that made me think they had 3 pole capacity

 

[tolivac]

For RotoVerters-check pawn shops-yes pawn shops.One of the guys that works with me has a small machine shop in his home-a milling machine and a lathe-both have 3Ph motors.He found a RotoVerter at a pawn shop of all places and got it for $2.It runs his equipment just fine.Maybe a future SQ owner that needs 3 Ph power could luck into something like that.also solid state phase converters are available for small 3 ph motors-usually under 3hp.On the pole transformer setups-yes the 3 transformer-one per phase is best and most standard.however for situations where 3 ph primary lines aren't available-you need three phase primary to run the 3 transformers-they can use two pole transformers connected in the Scott connection-the primaries are connected to the two primary leads-then the center taps of the two transformers are tied together-this is the "missing phase"its an open delta-will run motors just fine(the dump Marathon compactor runs on this near my home)but it WON'T run 3 phase electronic equipment with a rectifier-you risk the gear being damaged from a surge or lightening storms.I have dealt with AM and FM transmitters run from these-and they get frequently damaged from lightening and surges.

 

[sudsmaster]

There are also solid state phase converters. They are less expensive than rotary models (generally) but they need to be more carefully matched to the applicance's power requirements.

One might also consider the flooring and drain requirements of a commercial front loader. Many don't have drain pumps - instead they are designed to empty into a floor drain. And many don't have a suspension system, and must be bolted to a rather substantial concrete floor or even more substantial concrete block. Finally, most of them don't have internal water heaters, and many of them don't have the high spin speeds that make residential front loaders attractive from an energy conservation standpoint.