10 Questions you should ask before buying second hand industrial laundry washing machines.
Question 1) Is it Safe?
Let’s face it a 3000Kg machine that’s got a spin cycle of 750rpm could be lethal if something goes wrong. The current guidelines by the Health and Safety Executive ( HSE UK ) states that both the seller and the buyer are responsible for machinery safety. The seller cannot simply state ‘ Sold as seen ‘ to protect himself against his liabilities. If the machine you are looking at appears to have little or no evidence of maintenance, or generally looks in bad condition – walk away and don’t consider it. Your safety, and that of your employees is always paramount.
Question 2) Do you know its history?
If you are buying a machine from site, it’s always a good idea to see the machine operating in situ if you can. Always enquire how old the machine is, what hours it has operated at, and as to see the meters if installed ( older machines may not have them ). Caution – If the machine has been out of service for some time and left idle, it may develop faults, for example ‘ flats ‘ on the shaft seals, leading to major repairs.
Question 3) What about the machines’ structure?
Are there cracks around the drive assemblies? What about the seals and drive bearings? What about corrosion and wear on the dampers, door seals, locks and hinges? Our advice is: Use a torch, get on your hands and knees and inspect it inside and out – and if in doubt use a qualified engineer to provide an objective machine condition report.
Question 4) What sort of process controls does the machine have?
You need to ensure the machine you look at has the relevant controls for the variety of processes you will require. If it doesn’t, it could be inefficient and cost you more to run. Check the wiring – is it neat – or a tangled mess? Is there a wiring diagram and operators manual? Does the machine have a card or drum control? A dedicated microprocessor or a PLC? Consider what’s on offer as it may have staff training implications if it’s an unfamiliar type.
Question 5) Are spares and support readily available?
All industrial laundry equipment requires regular servicing and spare parts from time to time, to provide optimum efficiency. This will be a financial headache if the machine is a rare model and the parts are expensive and difficult to get hold off. Not a problem you need if your machine has broken down, leading to inconvenient and more importantly, expensive down-time. Also consider technical back-up. Who will service this type of machine?
Question 6) Does it come with a warranty?
Does the seller offer a warranty? 3 months? 6 months? Or if they don’t offer a warranty at all, you should seriously consider – why not? They obviously do not have much faith in the machines they …
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