Dryer Fire. NYC public Laundromat.

[toggleswitch]

Moving a friend from a share full of smokers to his own non-smoking apartment. Ran hoodies coats, and shirts through the wash before moving them into the new place.

And here we are in the East New York section of Brooklyn.

We walked in to find that this fire had already happened. It was odd that both of the doors were wide open in 15°F weather outside. (-10*C)[this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-10:52]

 

[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

Speed Queen commercial washer.

Each laundry basket represents a 10 pounds washload. (4.54 Kg)

The smallest machine is more money, but above this 20# /9kg machine the cost is roughly $0.20 per pound for the washer.

The dryers are 30# capacity being $0.30 for 7 minutes. Therefore a 35 minute dry cycle costs $1.50. Therefore $0.05 per pound. [this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-10:57]

 

[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

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[toggleswitch]

I used the 60 # machine. So that is roughly just over three home machines in size.

The regular wash is:

W-R-R-S

So basically four dollars for each water fill.

One additional water fill? Two additional dollars!
Two additional water fills? Four additional dollars.

Gone are the days of the Wascomats (from Sweden) that did: ( at no additional charge)

pre-wash, wash, rinse, rinse, rinse, spin
With spins between the rinses.

The speed queen spins only for the final rinse, probably as a measure to save water. However, the results suffer.
[this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-10:58]

 

[toggleswitch]

25 minutes.

According to a European friend, if you can close the door of a front-loader it is NOT overloaded.

No fill, tumble, fill, tumble.
No wasting time figuring out the weight of the load.
No wasting time trying to figure out if the load is balanced.
This machine will never not spin.

The vanes/paddles have holes in them, such that the scoops pick water up and shower it down over all the clothing. You can see the water line just below the door.

These machines don’t have a transmission or a water pump. They have a dump valve with a 3 inch / 7.62cm wide waste-water pipe. The dump valve is normally open until electricity is applied... and at that point it closes. So if power is cut, the door is opened or if there is a blackout, the machine drains instantly.

[this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-13:17]

 

[toggleswitch]

If you noticed the container of pure pine oil on the washer, it functions as a physical disinfectant. It functions as a spiritual cleaner. It also functions as a fabric softener in the sense of adding a little oil back to the load after today’s modern detergents completely strip all the natural oils from natural fabrics such as cotton. If used very sparingly, this smells very delicious in the load after the dryer [this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-13:14]

 

[toggleswitch]

The countdown timer shows 10 minutes remaining. [this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-13:16]

 

[toggleswitch]

Here is the washer model number.

Speed Queen by Alliance Laundry.

SCT 080 = 80 pound washer
SCT 060 = 60 pound washer
SCT 040
SCT 030
SCT 020

The double stack dryers were 30 pounds per pocket/each.

I would assume somebody put a load from a 60 or 80 pound washer in one dryer.
And I have seen patrons put 4 dryer sheets in one load. That amount of wax is sure to be combustible.

Too bad most people don’t understand. The shittiest powdered detergent is better than the best liquid. That warm water washes are your friend. That fabric softener is not your friend for best cleaning results longevity of your machines and environmental concerns.

PS: if you’re clothes still stink after washing them, they are not properly washed. More/better detergent, warm water, no softener as stated above. re-wash. Detergent has to be measured oversudsing forms of cushion in front-loaders, and takes away from results.
[this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-11:01]

 

[toggleswitch]

On a personal note, I wanted to wish everyone health, happiness, and a positive cash flow.

So many friends my age are going through cancer right now and that’s a very tough battle. As a cancer survivor, I can say: don’t let anything get you down keep fighting, be fearless and trust. Whatever the outcome is in your own best interest believe it or not. Fear nothing and no one.

[this post was last edited: 1/22/2024-10:47]

 

[toggleswitch]

Feel free to contact me personally for sympathy, empathy, or discussion further of private matters

 

[launderess]

Toggles!

How wonderful to see you posting! You have been missed!

Our local has SQ front loaders and really don't like them, well not as programmed.

Smallest washer is about 20lbs and time varies by cycles, but "Heavy" is supposed to be 33 minutes. Rubbish. Cycle ends at around 29 minutes and timer counts down to "zero".

For all SQ washers except perhaps largest (60lb) cycles are:

Flush ( about five minutes)

Main wash (varies between 5-8 minutes)

Three rinses (no spins between)

Final extraction.

Needless to say using enzyme detergent is useless with such short cycles.

 

[launderess]

Multiple dryer sheets!

Why do people do it?

Have stood watching persons at laundromat peel one, two, three, four fabric softener sheets out of container then bung them into dryer. I'm sure by now their things must be waterproof.

 

[toggleswitch]

Thank you Launderess for the kind words.

One can plainly see, when looking at the back of these Speed Queen dryers that have galvanized (zinc-coated) formed and pierced sheet-metal drums, the accumulation of melted items, muck and I'd say grease/wax/crud.

The answer was a simple walk to the dryers furthest from the washers.

People are like water and electricity. They tend to take the path of least resistance. These were MUCH "cleaner" as logically used less.

One never assumes that the lint filters are regularly cleaned.

I wonder if said patron had left a cigarette lighter in a pocket.

 

[fisherpaykel]

cigarette lighter

Haha, possibly, friends bought a house and the dryer that was left there was making clicking noises, I removed filter and reached way down and found both a Bic lighter and a credit card, how they got past the filter who knows, noises gone!

 

[toggleswitch]

In my friend's new apartment building there are 2 SQ front-load washers, and two SQ dryers.

I tugged at the bottom of the boot/gasket and found a treasure-trove of ick.

Toothpicks, plastic flossers, coins, gum wrappers, bobby-pins, toy glass marbles.

"Empty your pockets" doesn't seem to register with the tenants.

 

[cfz2882]

dryer fire

i.d say a LiPo battery -in a vaping pen -possibly caused the dryer fire.

 

[circlew]

During the time I was going to the washateria, they had two dryer fires. The first did little damage, but the second resulted in a visit by the fire department, and necessitated closing a few days for a thorough cleaning. Not sure what caused either fire.

 

[launderess]

Fires in NYC laundromat, commercial laundries and even multi-family housing laundry rooms are not uncommon.

https://news.yahoo.com/attendant-tr...kx8c13i7ZOoPo0mQ&_guc_consent_skip=1706046985

https://abc7ny.com/fire-brooklyn-new-york-city-laundromat/5212013/

https://abc7ny.com/queens-fire-long-island-city-fdny-industrial/12341020/

https://thevillagesun.com/smoky-fire-in-lower-east-side-laundry

https://nypost.com/2022/10/18/2-firefighters-hurt-in-massive-blaze-at-queens-laundromat/

https://www.nydailynews.com/2009/02...in-fire-at-long-island-coin-operated-laundry/

Indeed fires in laundries of all sorts are not uncommon nation or world wide and have been so for ages.

Even before advent of tumble dryers (and lint produced) you still have same conditions that caused such events as Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; large amounts of textiles which in of themselves are often combustible.

Cellulose fibres, like cotton, linen and viscose, easily catch fire, and the flames spread rapidly if the textile has not been impregnated with a flame retardant. The thinner the fabric, the more easily it burns.

Then you have various substances used to clean or treat washing or dry cleaning that often themselves are flammable. This not only to where things are stored but items that have been treated with said chemicals.

Despite warnings on all washing machines and dryers to contrary people still put items treated or wholly immersed in flammable substances into such machines.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Hi Toggles! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024.
Tom

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Empty your pockets is something my wife needs to do, and I think my daughter also needs to do...

 

Mostly used wads of tissue that explodes everywhere and candy/gum/ cough drop wrappers are what make it to the dryer, maybe along with coins are spotted in the washer...

 

Worst yet are my daughter's guniea pig linen... The hay/grass she won't shake out clogs up the washer, especially the drainage...

 

And my main concern is of course a dryer fire I'd feared the old one we'd parted with didn't have any hazardous lint/grass residue left in the venting as much as I'd thought, so an abundance of linen remains on the laundry room floor waiting to be washed... I'm refusing to take chances...

 

Though we'd gone to a commercial laundry and somehow it looked as though there was no problem with that there... However there was the boredom of stuff waiting to be done, and it was painfully expensive to wash and dry stuff we could do a lot more productively and economically at home...

 

Let me also echo:

 

Happy Two-Thiusand-Twenty-Four!!!!

 

 

 

-- Dave

[this post was last edited: 1/24/2024-05:01]

 

[gelaundry4ever]

stupid people doing laundry

GEE, what is wrong with people these days? I suspect there's more to this story. I suspect somebody was stupid enough to put their stuff that shouldn't have been in there to begin with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again until I turn blue in the face. Most people are just too stupid to be doing laundry. No need to explain. Now we have this. SMH.

 

[launderess]

SCT80: http://www.washcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SpecSheet_SCT080.pdf

This SQ top loader with Quantam controls has cycles one is used to from local laundryette. Why washers at place Toggles went to omits "Permanent Press" cannot imagine.

http://www.washcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SpecSheet_SCT080.pdf

Soil level can also be done by scrolling down a range of options.



SQ dryers with coin slots. Those at our local use cards.



Wish more laundromats in USA would go with mobile apps via smart phone.

https://go.speedqueencommercial.com/insights-for-laundromats



Personally think the SQ laundromats in Europe are much nicer than many have seen on this side of pond. However these are franchise license operations not individually owned, that may not be up every mat owner's street.

https://speedqueeninvestor.com/news...e-to-berlin-with-new-store-in-alexanderplatz/



On the other hand because these are licensed franchise operations mat owner/investor has to keep things to certain standard. SQ laundromats across Europe are known for being clean and hygienic. This right down to dispenser compartments which are near immaculate.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I can't believe my post didn't say what I had originally intended which I'd just now edited:

 

Wads of used TISSUE that explodes everywhere, not in the washer but unfortunately in the dryer, filling up the lint trap to boot!

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[combo52]

Spontaneous clothes, dryer, fires

Most caused when clothing had cooking oil in it, and people laundered it, as the oil breaks down in the nearly dry clothing. It will catch fire spontaneously, even sometimes after the dryer stops, and the clothing is sitting in a basket, waiting to be folded.

John