Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take a genius or even an expert in the subject to know when and where electronic hand dryers are on the blink. Deny it all you like, but the vast majority of people up and down the nation seem to be instinctively hardwired to ignore or overlook all clear warning signs when it comes to these kinds of things, preferring instead to wait until they fall to pieces before calling in the experts. It’s the same with cars, home appliances and so many other things across the board – we wait, we wait and we wait some more by which time things have become all the more difficult or impossible to fix.
But digressing from life in general for just a moment, what can the proactive business owner do in terms of monitoring their own contingency of hand dryers by way of their general health, maintenance and performance? Assuming you’d prefer to do the sensible thing and head severe problems off, what kinds of warning signs should you be looking out for?
Well, the good news is that realistically it really couldn’t be much easier than it is – all you need to do is let your senses be your guide:
1 – Temperature Problems
For example, try to get out of the habit of assuming that when and where there are any kinds of temperature problems with regard to electric hand dryers, this is just part and parcel of their normal performance. It isn’t. In fact, when any kind of inconsistency of temperature is detected, this is pretty much the most reliable of all warning signs that something is wrong. The air could be too hot, it could be too cold, the unit itself could be overheating and things could really be up and down all over the place for no apparent reason. In any and all such cases, it should be interpreted as the only sign you need that a professional inspection is required.
2 – Excessive Noise
Another entry to the list in terms of concrete signs something is wrong is that of any kind of excessive or unusual noise coming from the unit. Hand dryers don’t tend to be the quietest or subtlest devices at the best of times, though there is a huge difference between a normal operational noise and making an absolutely ridiculous racket. And in terms of drawing the line between the two, it should be pretty easy for the owner of the units to pick up on the fact that this is indeed not how it sounded when it was freshly installed. There are thousands of reasons why there could be excessive noise production – some of which are wholly un-severe while others could be hazardous if left unaddressed.
3 – Violent Vibrations
Just as is the case with noise, there will always be certain hand dryers that vibrate more aggressively than others while in use. Nevertheless, there isn’t a quality hand dryer on the market that should be vibrating to such an extent as it gives the impression it’s about to bring the whole building down – something indicative of a pretty pressing problem behind the scenes. Noise and vibrations are normal to an extent, but it’s important not to overlook anything excessive as to do so could be more costly and risky than it is worth.
4 – Unusual Smells
A quality hand dryer in good working order is a fantastically effective and hygienic device to say the least. However, in the case of a hand dryer that hasn’t been properly looked after for and has ended up in a pretty sorry state of repair, effectiveness and hygiene inevitably take a knock. As such, any signs of unusual smells being emitted by the dryer should be interpreted as precursors to bigger problems. From unpleasant smells resulting from mould to burning smells created by damaged components and really anything else across the board you’d consider unusual – ignore them now and the consequences further down the line could be severe.
5 – Any Signs of Electrical Issues
Last but not least, you’d be forgiven for thinking that anyone detecting an obvious electrical issue or fault with any given appliance would report it or resolve it immediately. But you’d also be wrong as this is a perfect illustration of the way in which so many people come across these problems, assume that plenty of other people must have also seen the problem and thus reach the conclusion that someone else will take responsibility for it. After all, when there are huge blue sparks flying out of a hand dryer, surely the problem has already been reported, right? Just bear in mind that this may be exactly the same false logic going round the minds of everyone else, so if it happens to be you that comes across any sign of an electrical issue, consider it your responsibility to get it sorted.