When shopping for new commercial front-load washers for your business, one of the first questions you need to answer is “hard-mount or soft-mount?” Your answer will depend on a variety of factors including budget, where the machines will be installed and how much space you have to work with.
At first glance, each type of machine looks relatively the same. But that’s where the similarities end. Hard-mount washers (also known as solid-mount or rigid-mount washers) require an installation to a thick concrete floor, steel base or concrete slab that will need to withstand the force created by the machine spinning. Because hard-mount washers cannot internalize inertia (force) and do not include a shock absorption system, they instead transfer the force into the concrete slab beneath them. Hard-mounts do not include a shock absorption system and they must be securely bolted down to operate safely. This results in higher installation costs and limitations on where they can be placed (and often moved in the future).
Soft-mount washers utilize a special suspension system that separates the drum from the frame to absorb force instead of transferring it to the slab. Heavy-duty coils dissipate the force efficiently with no unbalanced loads. The result is limited installation expense and greater install flexibility, the ability to spin at higher G-force and better overall laundry experience for customers.
8 Advantages of Soft-Mount High-Spin Washers
1. Lower Installation Costs
Unlike hard-mount washers, soft-mounts do not require reinforced concrete or expensive steel bases, so installation costs are significantly less. There’s no need to call in contractors to design, pour and finish expensive concrete bases and no need for time-consuming drilling, bolt down and grouting of machines. Delivery and installation can be completed in a matter of hours for soft-mounts versus a number days or weeks for hard-mounts.
2. Installation Flexibility
Because soft-mount machines feature shock-dampening technology, they can be installed on virtually any location, floor type or thickness….including over basements! This provides more flexibility when choosing a commercial space for purchase or lease since a wider range of options can be considered. Electrolux Professional EUD soft-mount washers are available in 18-80lb capacities to meet the needs of any laundromat owner.
3. High-Spin Speeds
Soft-mount washers push the limits of high spin with up to 450 G-force extraction compared to traditional 100G or 200G hard-mounts. While some hard-mount washers can approach higher G-force, it’s important to keep in mind these speeds can only be reached for a very short amount of time during the final spin cycle. Soft-mount machines hit higher G-force thresholds more quickly and for a substantially longer period.
4. Superior Extraction
In the old days, there were extraction machines often found in laundromats. The sole purpose of these machines was to spin out more water resulting in lower dry times. Today, we build them into our washer-extractors with advances in inverters and suspension systems. With soft-mount high-spin washers, the drying process is started in the washer as more water is removed from the load, so clothes spend less time tumbling in the dryer. In fact, recent real-world testing confirms that Electrolux Professional Ultra Dry washers remove significantly more water compared to the leading hard-mount competitor:
- Additional 15.36 lb of water is removed compared to 100G hard-mount washer
- Additional 5.48 lb of water is removed compared to 200G hard-mount washer
See how much more water soft-mount high-spin washers remove compared to hard-mount washers in our latest video!
5. Better Cleaning
Front-load washers in commercial environments like laundromats are subject to a lot of heavily soiled loads. With soft-mount washers, more dirty water, grit and soap residue are removed from the load resulting in better overall cleaning results. It’s a difference customers can see and feel after the wash cycle is complete and will help your business stand out from the competition. With hard-mount washers, dirt and residue left behind are baked into clothes during the drying process resulting in dingy, drab clothing.
6. Lower Gas Costs
Electrolux Professional soft-mount washers are designed to work as an integrated system with Electrolux Professional dryers. During the final washer spin, the drying process is initiated with high G-force extraction so more water is removed from the load. This reduces the amount of time clothes spend tumbling in the dryer, saving energy, time and money. In fact, dry times can be reduced by as much as 15 minutes compared to standard 100G hard-mount washers.
7. Faster Throughput
In order to achieve next level profit potential, laundromats need to maximize the number of turns per day for each washer and dryer pocket. We design laundromats for weekends because research shows that 50% of laundromat sales are made on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s critical to choose machines that help get customers in and out of the store as quickly as possible to free up machines and valuable parking spaces. With soft-mount washers, customers get an exceptional experience because they can complete laundry in under an hour, making for the “fastest laundry in town” — a powerful and exciting benefit that can be advertised to set your store apart from the competition.
8. Enhanced ROI
With faster throughput, more customers can be served with fewer machines. This has trickle down benefits that flow directly to your bottom line. Not only do you need to invest in fewer washers and provide less dryer pockets, you also gain an advantage due to less square footage required, as well as less parking spaces required. All this without sacrificing any earning potential. Over the life of the equipment, these reductions can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings that lead to higher profit.
Take the Next Step
Ready to learn more about soft-mount washers and how they can be a BIG impact in your business? Contact our team of laundry experts to get started today.