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dryers

Etowah
C

charliewash59

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Putting a new dryer system into our wash - is it worth it to add a VFD panel to the dryer system - a added approx $18,000 - would this be worth it.

Plus I know dryer systems can be all over the board but to install 2 on top and side dryers 15 hp producers (60 hp) what are brands to look at and what price could you expect now a days??
Thanks in advance
 
I'm in the same boat and an thinking about 2 on the top with one on each side using elephant trunks. All 15hp Premier Dryers. Any thoughts would be beneficial.
 
If the $18k for VFDs are just for just 4 blowers I would definitely pass.

If it’s for more then 4 blowers you should be able to dig in and calculate an estimated savings. Depending on what type of ROI you want it could be worth it.

For 4 blowers bought and installed I’d assume your going to be somewhere between $4k-$5k a blower depending on the brand and install requirements. This assumes all electrical is in place.

I’ve used Peco, premier, MacNeil, Sonnys, Moror City, Belanger and AVW brand blowers in the past. IMO they are all pretty damn similar and performance and have all hit bumps in the road at some point. I’d base your decision of a mix of cost, availability and fit (adjustability, size and aesthetic)
 
charliewash59 said:
Putting a new dryer system into our wash - is it worth it to add a VFD panel to the dryer system - a added approx $18,000 - would this be worth it.

Plus I know dryer systems can be all over the board but to install 2 on top and side dryers 15 hp producers (60 hp) what are brands to look at and what price could you expect now a days??
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Sonny’s, Belanger, Worldwide, Premier. Go with something with plastic blower housings - some are stainless. Some have silencing packages and some are just low dB models.
 
All of the dryer panels I have sold are set up with just motor starters/contactors. There would be no need for a VFD unless you plan on changing the hertz of the motor. I will use a VFD for the flash dry. If you are looking at the inrush, you may want to look into soft starts. Even then, you are going to be close to the same price as a VFD.
 
If I'm putting 2 at the top that will be in a dual nozzle and then one on each side, should I go with all 15hp motors, or 2 10's on the top?
 
I know I am a bit late on responding to this, but we use a VFD system for our blower setup. We have two mode functions. The blowers start out in low mode and switch to high mode when the vehicle gets nearby. It cuts down on electrical costs and prevents blowers from not reaching full speed in time to dry the vehicle. We have a flash dry in place before the final blowers as well. I believe we use MacNeil blowers but I could be wrong.
 
I have seen some locations with AVI dryers in a stainless steel housing, before switching to Sonny's dryers. Not sure how well the AVI dryers did but I do prefer Sonny's dryers. Hope this helps.
 
Over 15 years ago I added a VFD panel for my 6 Sonnys Dryers. Best move I made. The cars are just as dry and when I made the change, I saved over $300 a month in electric bills. Today's electric rates are higher and trending upward. Soft start panels are almost as much as VFD's, so Id rather pay the extra and get more energy savings.
 
I would use soft starts . It will save you a bunch of money . That's what most people are doing with the VFD's slowly ramping up the motors on start up . Expensive soft starts ....
 
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