What’s Better at Drying, Paper Towels or Electric Hand Dryers?

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

electric hand dryers or paper towels - which is better?

Some restrooms use paper towels, while others have hand dryers fitted for drying hands, or both. There has been a lot of confusion about which method is the best. Well, if one thinks with respect to the environment, hand dryers are found to be more eco-friendly. So, what about the effectiveness of drying up hands, restroom cleanliness and effective removing up of bacteria and other germs?

If you are the one who has always been using paper towels for drying your hands, it may be quite difficult for you to accept the advantages of dryers. Paper towels have high water absorbent capacity and can dry up hands quickly and effectively. There’s absolutely no doubt about it.

http://www.kcprofessional.com/za/professional/spec-articles-papervshanddriers.htm

The hand dryers on the other hand use warm or cold air blowing out of the dryer for drying hands. Many people may have often experienced problems with this since this could take quite a longer time. But with advancement in technology, most of the modern hand dryers now dry hands within 10 to 15 seconds. There are also high speed cold air dryers which dry hands effectively in around 12 seconds and at the same time use minimal amount of power. Such dryers with advanced technology are as effective as paper towels in terms of drying hands.

Another concern while drying the hands is the hygiene. As per studies, drying the hands after wash is as important as washing since the remaining bacteria or germs are wiped off after drying. Paper towels have always found to be more hygienic than the other counterparts for drying. It is found that drying the hands by paper towels wipes off the bacteria and other microorganisms thus eliminating the spread of bacterial. Moreover, most of the traditional hand dryers are found to promote the spread of bacteria. Manually operated hand dryers are even more unhygienic since the control to operate the dryer is touched by many hands and is more prone to bacteria and germs.

http://www.cleanenvironmentjanitorialservices.com/id116.html

But this does not hold true with modern hand dryers. Such dryers use HEPA filters which clean the air before blowing. Some of the modern hand dryers are made of anti-microbial technology which helps control the bacteria and hence avoid contamination. The automatic operation further reduces the chances of getting in contact with micro-organisms.

http://www.worlddryer.com/products/airforce

http://www.dysonairblade.com/technology/hygiene.asp

http://www.cleanlink.com/sm/article/Throwing-In-The-Paper-Towel–11320

There is another important aspect to be considered with respect to hand drying and that is the cleanliness of the restroom. Paper towels create enough garbage in the restrooms.

Use of paper towels for drying hands is likely to create a mess in the restrooms. The restrooms which have paper towels for drying of hands are most of the times filled with scattered paper towels on the floor. This makes the restrooms unclean and unpleasant to be used. Also, on a high-traffic day, there are high chances of the paper towel machines getting empty frequently.

http://prodryers.blog.com/2011/03/23/hand-dryers-vs-paper-towels/

Well, in case of hand dryers there is absolutely no mess created by drying the hands. All that is used is the air that is blown out of the hand dryer and hence there is no garbage formed. Hence the restrooms with hand dryers installed are more clean and tidy when compared to the restrooms with paper towels.

Well, this was the comparison of effectiveness of paper towels and hand dryers. There cannot be a single conclusion about what is the best. It again depends on the where the dryer is intended for usage, required hygienic standards, traffic etc.

Effectiveness of Hand Dryers Versus Paper Towel Links:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2721/whats-better-for-the-environment-electric-hand-dryers-or-paper-towels

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/02/hot_air_and_paper_towels_in_th.php

http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article.asp?id=10650

http://greennews4u.com/?p=954

http://www.dysonairblade.com/news/

http://handdryerreview.com/

Filed Under: Bathroom Hand Dryers Tagged With: , , ,

Quiet Electric Bathroom Hand Dryers: the options

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hand dryers are found to produce noise which often increases with the speed. High speed dryers are found to produce more sound than those with lower speed. So this makes it clear that faster the speed of drying more is the noise level. It is found that the modern and speed hand dryers produce around 30 to 50% more sound than the older ones. Most of the high speed hand dryers have noise levels of above 90dB. The noise levels are more when the hands are being dried.

http://www.restroomdirect.com/hand-dryer-noise-levels.aspx

In places like restaurants, hotels, Airports, etc sound would not be a major concern. But in places where low noise is desired like in hospitals, schools, libraries, government offices and other such places the noise levels become a cause of disturbance. Hence it becomes necessary to choose the ones with lower noise levels.  There are a number of quieter hand dryer models available, although there has to be some compromise on the speed of drying.  Discussed below are some of the quiet hand dryers.

Galaxy Hand Dryers

Galaxy Hand dryers from Stiebel Eltron, with noise levels of about 54 dB are the hand dryers with lowest dB rating in the market. Galaxy hand dryers are fully automatic and have a drying speed of 20 to 30 seconds. This hand dryer is suitable for places with medium or lower traffic.

http://www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com/galaxy.html

GX Series American Dryers

GX Series from American dryers come under the quiet hand dryers with sound levels of 63 dB. These are automatic hand dryers well suitable for medium to heavy traffic restrooms. These dryers have a slower drying time and require up to 40 seconds for drying hands.

http://www.americandryer.com/gx-series.asp

Clean Dry Hand Dryers

Clean Dry hand dryers by TOTO are extremely quiet hand dryers with a good drying speed. These are automatic, ADA complaint hand dryers with a drying speed of 12 seconds and noise level of 58-62dB.

http://www.totousa.com/Portals/0/BrochureDownloads/Clean-Dry.pdf

Jet Towel Hand Dryer

Jet Towel hand dryer from Mitsubishi is one of the quietest and high speed automatic hand dryers. It effectively dries hand in about 8 to 10 seconds and has noise levels of 65 dB. Jet towel dries faster by blowing high velocity air on both sides of the hand simultaneously. This hand dryer is also known for its lower power consumption.

http://www.mitsubishijettowel.com/overview/

http://www.mitsubishijettowel.com/faq/

Nova 5 Hand Dryers

Nova 5 hand dryers from World Dryers are quiet and durable hand dryers with noise level of 74dB. This series has push button as well as automatic operated hand dryers and dry hands in 10 to 15 seconds.

http://www.worlddryer.com/products/nova-5

Model A Hand Dryers

Model A series of hand dryers from World Dryers come under quiet hand dryers with low noise levels of 75 dB. The drying speed for this dryer is about 30 seconds. The Model A hand dryer series has both automatic and push button operated hand dryers.

http://www.worlddryer.com/products/model-series

AirForce Hand Dryer

AirForce hand dryer by World Dryers is a high speed hand dryer which dries hands in just about 12 seconds. But the noise levels of this dryer is much less when compared to other high speed dryers with same speed. The AirForce hand dryer comes with a dB rating of 85.1 dB which is lesser when compared to other faster drying hand dryers which have a dB rating of above 90dB. One of the major reasons for lower noise levels in this hand dryer is that AirForce has around 11 air outlets and hence the noise is more dispersed.

http://www.worlddryer.com/products/airforce

More Quiet Electric Hand Dryer Resources:

http://publicrestrooms.lifetips.com/tip/126471/types-of-hand-dryers/types-of-hand-dryers/want-quiet-some-hand-dryers-are-louder-than-others.html

http://prodryers.blog.com/2011/02/18/quiet-hand-dryers-for-public-restrooms/

Filed Under: Bathroom Hand Dryers Tagged With: , ,

Mitsubishi Jet Towel Electric Hand Dryer: An Overview

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mitsubishi has been a leader in the manufacture of various electric products. In the year 1993, Mitsubishi Electric made a niche in the hand dryers market by introducing Mitsubishi Jet towel with a modern and innovative technology. The popularity of this hand dryer has been increasing ever since it has been introduced.

Mitsubishi Jet Towel electric hand dryer dries hands in as less as 8 to 10 seconds. The high speed Jet Towel blows dual streams of jet blast of air of speed 90mts/sec. This air removes the water completely from hands thus drying the hand. Since air is blown on both sides of the hand, drying gets faster.

Mitsubishi Jet towel electric hand dryer is an automatic hand dryer with sensors that detect the presence of hands and turn on the dryer automatically. The hand dryer is ergonomically designed and much simple to use. All that is needed is inserting the fingers-spread hands slowly into the trough of the dryer. The sensors activate the dryer and blow air. Slowly remove them. That’s enough to dry hands with this superfast Jet Towel. The front panel of the hand dryer is angled at 15 degrees and hence facilitates comfortable and easier drying for the user. The air nozzles in the dryer are also positioned appropriately so that the water droplets are not blown upward. The Jet Towel has an inbuilt heater which quickly warms up the air that is blown out to about 35°C. The warmer air further quickens the drying process.

There is a drain tank located at the bottom of the Jet Towel hand dryer. Hence the water droplets from hands are collected into the drain tank. This totally eliminates the mess of wet flooring. The drying method with Jet Towel is also very hygienic. Since the dryer is automatic, there is no necessity of touching anything. This decreases the chances of getting in contact with bacteria or germs. The opening of the hand dryer, the drain hose and the tank are made of an anti-microbial resin. The antimicrobial effect is further enhanced by binding a silver compound into the surface layer. When the bacteria or other microorganisms come in contact with the silver ions, the protein synthesis in the bacteria is been suppressed. Thus the growth and multiplication of bacteria is controlled. The dryer is also designed with in-built alcohol resistance and thus the dryer remains clean for long time.

Mitsubishi Jet Towel is designed keeping into consideration the safety of the environment. The Jet Towel dries hands in very few seconds using high speed air. Moreover the hand dryer is designed for excellent energy efficiency. There is very little electric power used for drying hands. Thus the hand dryers leaves very little carbon footprints when compared to many other conventional hand dryers. There is no wastage that may otherwise lead to landfills, nor are any trees cut down that may lead to deforestation.

The Mitsubishi Jet Towel is designed for quieter operation. The Jet Towel has a hyper nozzle that is characterized by advanced jet stream control technology which is Mitsubishi Electric patented. Hence there is less mutual interference between air currents and hence the noise is reduced. The Jet Towel is designed for good durability and hence has a long life.

Links:

http://www.mitsubishijettowel.com/

http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/bu/handdryer/overview/index.html

Filed Under: Bathroom Hand Dryers Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to Install an Electric Hand Dryer

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Installing hand dryers often require a professional and licensed electrician who can do the job of installation well. One of the major things to be taken into consideration is the electrical codes of your place. Different hand dryers manufactured may have different requirements in terms of power ratings, dedicated lines etc. Hence, the first thing that must be done when installing a hand dryer is reading the user guide and installation instructions given in the manufacturer’s manual.  All the hand dryers come with a user manual and instructions for installing and operating the dryer. Here are a few general tips for installing hand dryers.

Check the Power Requirements for Hand Dryers

First of all, you need to check if the power ratings and electrical load of the hand dryer matches with the main power supply available in your place. Most of the hand dryers require a dedicated circuit and proper grounding.

Choosing the Proper Location and Height for the Electric Hand Dryer

The hand dryers must be installed in a place that is convenient for drying and easily accessible. The surface on which the hand dryers are to be mounted must be flat and smooth. Hand dryers if installed in passage area, near or behind the doors are very inconvenient and hence should be avoided. One must also see to it that they are not installed above the wash basins or shelves. The hand dryers must be atleast 24 inches away from the basins and around 20 inches away from corners. When installing more than one hand dryer, one must make sure that they are atleast 20 inches apart. This causes malfunctioning of the sensor. Hand dryers must also be located at appropriate height so that it is easy to be used by men, women and children. The user guide given by the manufacturer contains the recommended height for hand dryers above the floor level and hence must be installed accordingly.

Remove the Cover and Fix the Dryer to the Wall

As per the instructions given by the manufacturer, unscrew and remove the cover of the dryer. Mark the appropriate positioning on the wall where the dryer is to be installed. Hold the dryer unit tightly to the wall and attach the unit to the wall by fastening it by the methods recommended. See to it that the hand dryer is placed at appropriate height and make sure that it is placed straight.

Make the Electrical Connections and Replace the Electric Hand Dryer Cover

As per the instructions given in the manual, make the electrical connections. Make sure that all the connections are made appropriately and are properly insulated. The wiring must be in compliant with the wiring rules. Make sure that you follow the local or national codes for wiring. This makes the device legal and safer to use. Once all the electrical connections are completed, replace the cover and tighten as mentioned.

Test the Hand Dryer

Switch on the electrical supply. In case of manually operated hand dryers, push the button to turn on the dryer. Place your hands underneath the dryer to feel the air pressure. Check if the dryer turns off within the time mentioned in the dryer’s manual. In case of the automatic hand dryers, place the hands below the air outlet of the hand dryer to check if the sensor detects the hands and automatically turns the dyer on. Remove the hands and check if the dryer stops.  Repeat this several times to make sure that the hand dryer is properly working. If the hand dryer is functioning as required, it indicates that the installation is appropriate. Else, you may have to reopen to check for errors and rectify it.

It is extremely important that all hand dryers are installed by a qualified and licensed electrician. Installation by an inexperienced person must be strictly avoided. All installations must be done by referring to the installation guide of the manufacturer. All the manufacturers provide with detailed installation instructions which must be followed for the proper functioning of the dryer.

More Electric Hand Dryer Installation Links:

http://www.handdryers.com/ada_hand_dryer_installation.asp

http://www.dysonairblade.co.uk/specification/install.asp

http://www.sloanvalve.com/Installation_Guides/0816786.pdf

http://www.ecoprod.co.uk/installation-and-maintenance/jet-towel-hand-dryers

http://www.airdri.com/hand_driers/products/pdfs/Airdri_Compact_Contour.pdf

 

Filed Under: Bathroom Hand Dryers Tagged With: , , ,

Hand Dryers and Hygiene: The Facts

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hand dryers are being widely used in various public places for drying up hands. Hand dryers are gaining market share especially because they are environment friendly. But to what extent are these hand dryers safe and hygienic? Hygiene being one of the important considerations of the modern world cannot be overlooked.

Drying up of hands is extremely important after a wash. It is only through drying that one can get rid of the bacteria or other microorganisms left behind after washing. Hand dryers work by blowing out either hot or cold air to dry hands. In case of traditional or older hand dryers, air that blows out is found to be the major cause of spread of bacteria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_dryer#Hygiene

One reason for this would be that the hands aren’t completely dry and hence the moisture in hands triggers the growth of microorganisms.  Another reason is that most of the older hand dryers are manually operated which require the person to push a button or other control. This control is often being touched by many hands and is more prone to the growth of bacteria. But the modern hand dryers have overcome this. They facilitate faster drying and are also automatic. They have sensors which detect the hand and hence turn on the dryer. There is no necessity of touching anything and hence no risk of getting in contact with bacteria.

Many people are under a myth that the air that comes from the dryer is the dirty and contaminated air from restrooms and that the warm and moist environment inside the hand dryer leads to the growth of microorganisms inside the unit which in turn blows out air that is contaminated. The Westminster Study showed hand dryers to be unhygienic while the use of paper towels to be hygienic. But this was later disproved by various other studies conducted. On such study was made by Mayo Clinic to determine the hygienic effects of hand drying using four different methods i.e. paper towels, cloth towels, warm air from hand dryer and spontaneous room air evaporation.  The study concluded that there was no significant difference in all the four methods when it comes to removing bacteria.

http://www.electrichanddryers.com/articles/MayoClinicHygieneReport.pdf

Furthermore, some studies suggest that warm air coming out of the hand dryer cleans off the germs and bacteria. One such study is the study made by the Doctors at University of Ottawa. The doctors here found through their study that the hand dryers are more effective in cleaning off the germs since the air can even penetrate through the skin while the paper towels can just clean the surface.

http://www.exceldryer.com/PDFs/HygieneStudies.pdf.

Moreover, the paper towels when used and left scattered can be a major cause of bacterial growth. The restrooms with paper towels need to cleaned more often to maintain proper hygiene. But this is not the case with hand dryers. There is no mess caused due to the hand dryers and hence the restrooms are cleaner.

The technological advancements have led to even more hygienic warm air and cold air hand dryers. The modern dryers effectively dry hand at a faster rate by blowing high speed air. Thus the drying is thorough and there is no risk of bacterial growth. Some of the dryers also come with anti-microbial technology. Such dryers have filters that filter the air to produce a cleaner and germ free air. The antimicrobial additives help in eliminating the growth of bacteria and germs.

http://www.worlddryer.com/why-choose-world-dryer/sanitary

http://www.worlddryer.com/products/airforce

http://www.airefficient.com/air-efficient-products/dyson-airblade/hygienic.php

Other Resources Related to Electric Hand Dryers and Hygiene:

http://www.cleanlink.com/sm/article.asp?id=871

http://blog.betterinnovations.com/2011/03/01/how-hygienic-are-hand-dryers/

Filed Under: Bathroom Hand Dryers Tagged With: , , , ,
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