Ozone Laundry Promises Can Come True with a Well-Designed Program
On-premise laundry (OPL) operators have been hearing about the promise of ozone laundry for a long time. When ozone installations failed to live up to expectations, operators naturally became skeptical about it.
The truth is that ozone laundry systems CAN save energy, reduce chemical use, and maintain or even improve linen outcomes, but only when the system is designed and installed properly. The way to achieve this is to implement a systematic program that includes assessment of the unique laundry operation, proper design and installation, training, and professional service backup. Under the control of a total program, ozone laundry can deliver on the promises it makes.
Over-promising and Under-delivering on Ozone in the Past
A lot of on-premise laundry operators have heard the exaggerated claims:
- Ozone will totally eliminate the use of hot water for laundry.
- You won’t need chemicals anymore.
- Linen quality will improve dramatically.
- Ozone systems work their magic automatically.
- One size system fits all.
Companies anxious to make sales made claims like these for the obvious reason that they needed to break into the industry and generate revenue. But they were not capitalized or organized well enough to sustain a long-term ozone laundry product that could deliver reasonable gains to laundry operators. Claims were based on theoretical or optimal conditions rather than the real world circumstances of each unique on-premise laundry.
What was missing was a systematic program of evaluation, design, and operation that was built on objective information about the OPL plus excellent engineering of the ozone system.
Reality-based Ozone Laundry Programs Do Work
Every OPL is unique, and the ozone system that serves it needs to be properly matched to it through engineering and design. Not every OPL will experience the same outcomes because each one faces different demands. Today, laundry operators can greatly improve operational and linen outcomes with a full service ozone laundry program based on operation-specific needs analysis; sound engineering and design; customized system installation; verifiable energy and cleaning performance; and comprehensive service backup as needed.
A reality-based ozone laundry program is the path to operational stability, energy savings, and excellent linen outcomes.
Step 1: Analysis of the OPL Demand and Outcome Factors
The first step is to systematically analyze the laundry setup, routine linen load and required outcomes of the laundry operation. The analysis will include:
Characteristic soiling, load size and frequency, type of linens, and linen applications all need to be taken into account.
The details of the laundry equipment and its water and energy supplies need to be evaluated in the context of the demands placed on them.
An assessment of the types of chemicals and wash routines needed to achieve required outcomes for the typical linen applications is needed to determine how an ozone system will interact with – and change – the chemical prescription.
Baseline measures of key variables including water used, energy used, chemicals used and operational linen outcomes are needed to evaluate the ozone laundry installation and identify opportunities for further savings.
A projected cash flow analysis based on current and projected energy costs, chemical demand, and operations is required to make the final evaluation of the optimal type of ozone laundry installation. This step will include targets for water, energy and chemical use.
Step 2: Engineering and Design of the Ozone Laundry System
Based on the analysis in Step 1, engineers will select ozone components matched to the laundry operation. Ozone sanitation capacity requirements will vary with size of machine and load, linen application and implied water temperature needed, soil types anticipated, and residual chemicals needed. In this step, the system designers will also specify how the components will be integrated into the existing equipment and water supplies, including an installation diagram.
Step 3: Installation of the Ozone System
Using the ozone system installation diagram, technicians will install and test the system. Ozone production will be monitored in a live test environment before turning the system over to routine operations.
Step 4: Monitoring and Verification
The routine operations of the system can be measured for energy used, water used, chemicals used, and linen outcomes. These tests should be made under routine operational conditions and compared to both the same measures before the ozone laundry installation and to the levels projected in Step 1. Importantly, the ozone laundry program should be able to verify energy savings, especially if the utility used by the OPL offers a rebate or rates reduction benefit to energy-saving installations (many of them do).
Step 5: Management and Maintenance
A well-engineered ozone laundry system should not change routine laundry operations for workers in any way. Further, these systems should be reliable for extended periods of time, within the lifespan of ozone components (good quality components should last 10 years before the ozonator needs to be replaced). To ensure this, periodic service should be made to evaluate ozone output and make adjustments as needed to optimize the impact of the system.
Dependable Ozone Laundry Programs Exist
Though they are rare in the industry today, high quality ozone laundry programs do exist. DEL Ozone, a technology leader in ozone sanitation applications, operates a full-service ozone laundry program backed by a full performance guarantee. This is possible because DEL’s equipment is among the best-engineered in the world and it is a 35-year old company with a well-known commitment to service backing up its sales.
“Reliability” and “ozone laundry” can now co-exist in one on-premise laundry. The key is a full-service program that tailors the ozone laundry system to the exact demands of the operation to guarantee optimal outcomes.
For more information about the DEL Clean ozone laundry program call 800-676-1335 x279, email o3info@delozone.com or visit DEL Ozone.
