INTRODUCTION 360° Testing Service has been retained to test an
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1. f Seconds Subject 1 Trial4 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 5 of 16 la gt i Y T indi a h i pid y eg a TE Fati 4i ETS Ege ae i 8 gg m UY d ba 3 a i E Th KI DS e KS E b L d eo er SS 7 zug io Rat A Fe f Seconds Subject 2 Trial N UTM oP W o aem Be ME d ri i ag T ie Zi a ta ES A 1 be E s E i Mier Xm P 1 a ECK Ze Eb Ke eg a Ld LE AE M is E o E EE we _ _m D Seconds Subject x Trial 2 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 6 of 16 ds e LI E Seconds Subject 2 Trial 3 f Seconds Subject 3 Trial 1 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 7 of 16 25 Seconds Subject 1 Trial 2 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 8 of 16 29 Seconds 2 Trial 1 nu ITA my Date Trial 1 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 9 of 16 o SN SC a GES ALD ocu 25 Seconds Subiect 3 Trial 2 It is evident that the hands of none of the tested subjects were completely dry even after the time out period of 25 seconds h2. such a water collection tank 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 16 of 16
3. 2009 INTRODUCTION 360 Testing Service has been retained to test an Brand electric hand dryer model SN 100084 as shown to the right Using tap water and multiple sets of participants hands 360 Testing Service performed tests and measurements to confirm product packaging and user manual labeling claims We also examined the product for defects or other issues The following presents our findings Test Protocol The primary intention of our tests was to confirm the product s claimed hand drying time of 5 to 7 seconds The packaging s labeling also has claims of 5 7 Seconds drying BACTERIA FREE ENERGY SAVER ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY DIGITAL TIMER EASY INSTALL FULLY AUTOMATIC WORLD S FASTEST HAND DRYER ECHO FRIENDLY product See the photo below Secoras MA drying A as 5 YEARS UNITED WARRANTY ECHO FRIENDLY product d 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 1 of 16 Features and Exhaust Air Velocity Measurements A Usage and Instruction manual was provided with the unit as well as hardware with which to mount the unit on a wall The user s manual is printed only in English and contains no manufacturer name or contact information Initial impressions of the user s manual is that it is very comprehensive and easy to understand However we did note that alth
4. ad expired In each case after just 7 seconds the hands of all subjects were very damp sometimes with droplets of water still visible on the hands After 25 seconds while hands were still somewhat damp moisture primarily remained in between fingers while exposed areas of the hands were dry or mainly dry Electric Hand Dryer Comparison Tests We compared some measurable characteristics of the Brand hand dryer with several other hand dryers as shown in the table below Sound Pressure Dry Exhaust Air Level Time Velocity Exhaust Air SPL dB Manufacturer Model Seconds Meters Sec Temp F A weighting Brand Brand Model 25 30 85 American Dryer Inc Global Dryer GX1 M 55 57 70 World Dryer 25 30 79 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 10 of 16 ve een patty E TN N TW D anc Ul TE 1 bn DRYER t n COEN Y et em wor Me Kaaner OC GI 7 DN es dia Mo n CT p URN Ls Elec TRITT T SENENG f L D cw y A Global Dryer by American Dryer Inc model GX1 M World Dryer model XA5 The Sound Pressure Level SPL was measured using a Phonic PAAS sound pressure meter set to A weighting The SPL meter was held at head height with the directional microphone pointing toward the dryer to simulate the SPL that a human ear would hear Electrical Power Consumption Using a precision Amprobe
5. d operate in this fashion quotes are from the bottom of page 4 and the bottom of page 11 respectively Self check indicator When a malfunction or error occurs the self check indicator on the right side will either light up or flash Turn off the power switch wait about 40 seconds until all the indicators go off then turn on the power switch If the indicator still lights up or flashes turn off the power disconnect the unit from the socket and contact your dealer immediately If the self check indicator in the display lights or is flashing turn off the power switch off and turn the power back on when all the indicators go off after 40 seconds We found that when the unit is idling the self check indicator light is off However when hands are inserted into the drying cavity and the dryer is activated the indicator illuminates continuously until the hands are removed It appears to be indicating that the unit is activated rather than that there is a fault This appears to be an undocumented feature and not an indication of trouble when the unit has been activated Cosmetic Issues The Brand hand dryer has a plastic case that appears to have been painted The paint does not fully cover all exposed edges as seen in the photos on the following page The power HOT and SPEED switches are concealed behind a small plastic door that readily swings open exposing those switches There is no way to lock that doo
6. e steamer Measurements of Hand Drying Time We performed tests over a time period of first 7 seconds and then the full 25 seconds over which the hand dryer will operate before it times out and stops automatically Note the bottom of page 2 of the user s manual states the time out period is 30 seconds but 25 seconds is stated in the last row of the troubleshooting table on page 6 we measured the time out period to be about 25 seconds Seven 7 seconds was chosen as that is the time period on the packaging label 5 7 seconds When we found that 7 seconds was consistently insufficient to dry hands then we performed identical tests except that we allowed the hand dryer to time out 25 seconds before the subject placed their hands on moisture sensitive paper We set up the hand dryer on a stepstool so that the drying cavity was at a convenient height for most adults A plastic container holding ordinary tap water was provided into which test subjects dipped their hands They then gently shook excess water off their hands for several seconds before placing them into the hand dryer s drying cavity The sequence of photos on the next page illustrate our hand drying test protocol During the 7 second tests they slowly withdrew their hands as per the instructions on the first page of the user s manual and then placed them palm down onto a sheet of moisture sensitive paper They lifted their hands and we photographed the paper wh
7. er hour somewhat higher than most gas powered portable leaf blowers 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 2 of 16 In an effort to reconcile our low air soeed measurement we set up the anemometer to measure the air inlet soeed at the bottom of the hand dryer see the following photo The flaps were sealed on a small cardboard box which was then taped securely to the bottom of the hand dryer Holes were cut in the box one matching the rectangular air inlet of the hand dryer the other matching the anemometer s vane sensor The unit was laid on its side so that air could freely enter the bottom through the anemometer vane sensor The unit was then started while the anemometer reading was taken The maximum inlet air velocity measured was about 12 meters per second To confirm that the box was not severely limiting air intake we also measured the exhaust velocity with the box taped to the bottom of the hand dryer we measured a peak exhaust velocity of about 16 meters per second close to our prior measurement without the box We then removed the box and re measured the exhaust velocity finding it to peak at about 18 meters per second This showed that the small opening for the anemometer did indeed at least slightly restrict the air intake However the measured peak is still far below the value published in the user s manual of 95 to 102 meters per second EXTRON
8. ich showed how much moisture still remained on the palm side of their hands and had been transferred to the paper After this photo was taken the subjects then used the paper as a towel thoroughly wiping the remaining moisture from their hands The paper was then straightened out and photographed again to show how much more moisture had been transferred from the subject s hands to the paper 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 3 of 16 For the full time drying test 25 seconds until the hand dryer timed out the same procedure was followed except the subjects kept their hands within the drying cavity rotating them slightly to allow the heated air to dry their hands They then placed their hands on another dry sheet of moisture sensitive paper the paper was photographed then they again used the paper as if it were a paper towel and thoroughly dried their hands on the paper The paper was then straightened and photographed once again The following photo sequence shows this process in detail The photos on the following pages show how much moisture was transferred from the hands of three subjects onto a dry sheet of moisture sensitive paper Each subject performed the test for each time period 7 seconds or 25 seconds at least twice to ensure repeatability 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 4 of 16
9. model ACD 51HP power quality clamp on digital meter and a Watt s Up PRO digital power analyzer we measured the power consumption of the Brand as shown in the table below Power Amps From From Power Usage Volt Usage Factor Condition Watts Manual Amps VAC Amps Manual PF Standby 37 38 4 126 2 0 03 1 Running w Heater 0 88 Running w o Heater 795 900 1250 1213 10 35 6 0 63 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 11 of 16 Standby is when the dryer is idling and not running The HEAT switch was turned on or off for the Running w Heater and Running w o Heater measurements Note that when the heater is not running the Power Factor of the unit becomes quite unfavorable 1 0 1 is desired and the apparent power Volt Amps becomes very high compared to the watts consumed Also note that when in standby the Brand hand dryer continuously draws just under 4 watts This standby power consumption is in contrast to the claims of environmentally friendly since that power does no work it is essentially wasted Over a year s time an idling Brand hand dryer will consume over 35 kilowatt hours of electricity Undocumented Feature The Usage and Installation Manual twice states that an indicator light that is on the top of the unit labeled CHECK on the unit but labeled Self Check in the manual shoul
10. ough a switch panel is illustrated in the user s manual the manual does not provide any actual explanation of the switches on the panel see photos The HOT switch turns on and off the internal air warming heater while the SPEED switch provides two air speed options However we were unable to measure any difference in the air speed when the SPEED switch was set to H or L nor could we hear any noticeable change in the blower speed The SPEED switch did not appear to do anything at all The photo to the right shows the air speed and air temperature being measured with a precision Extech 0AN100 Thermo Anemometer The exhaust outlets on the opposite side from the anemometer were sealed off with duct tape while the anemometer temperature sensor were held in the exhaust air stream of the other side The peak exhaust air velocity measured was just over 18 meters per second but there was imperfect coupling of the anemometer vane sensor to the actual air stream since there are four sets of ducts within the dryers hand cavity The peak temperature measured by the anemometer was 108 9 Fahrenheit but thermocouples inserted into the exhaust openings showed that the temperature just inside the small openings is as geg as 122 F The manual does not give the temperature specification but does list the injection speed which is evidently the exhaust air velocity as 95 to 102 meters per second which is 213 miles p
11. peed which might be why it takes so much longer to dry hands than the published claims In addition the Brand unit also appears to draw considerably more electric power than specified in the users manual over 18 amperes compared to a claimed 15 amperes This amount of power is what might be expected if the unit were actually running at HIGH speed however and so we strongly suspect that throughout our tests it was actually in HIGH speed rather than low The noise level of the Brand is considerably higher than two other electric hand dryers against which we drew comparison but one competitive dryer Global Dryer GX1 M also required about twice as long to fully dry hands Unlike the competitive dryers noted and examined above the case of the Brand dryer is plastic The Brand s plastic case exhibited numbers of cosmetic flaws including lack of paint on exposed edges and somewhat poor fit of certain plastic pieces The Brand dryer is unique in that it is the only electric hand dryer we found that requires a water tank to collect the water blown off of hands The design of the unit is such that such a tank is actually required compared to more standard hand dryers because other units simply blow the water onto the floor from a single exhaust outlet The Brand however has two opposing exhaust outlets between which the hands are placed so that both sides are dried simultaneously Thus water would be blown downward into the unit were there not
12. r to prevent unauthorized access The door also does not fully fit properly 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 12 of 16 The exposed vertical edge is unpainted Top edge facing the user is unpainted Horizontal edge under the display panel is unpainted 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 13 of 16 Packaging Issue The Brand Model hand dryer is packaged into a large illustrated cardboard box as seen in the photo to the right The hand dryer is shipped laying down in a strong shipping carton supported and padded by two formed Styrofoam blocks on each side While it is easy to find a hand grip at the top of the unit the bottom side with the fragile air cleaner element cp il E d x d g E A E The bottom of the hand dryer has a fragile air cleaner element that is easy to tear or break To remove the packed hand dryer from the box it is necessary to reach down to the bottom of the box around to the back side and lift straight out There is no indication that the air cleaner element should not be touched during this unpacking operation 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 14 of 16 li umm 7 B8 12 gt H e r ki Lab y Ca A be ont i EN e x Here it is clear tha
13. t the air cleaner element is susceptible to damage while attempting to find somewhere to lift the unit from the shipping carton In the right photo note how the air cleaner element is being inadvertently bent in by the hand attempting to find a grip on the back side of the hand dryer Keep in mind that the unit comes wrapped within a plastic bag that is folded over the air cleaner element thus concealing it see the photo on the previous page bottom left Again it is clear that the air cleaner element is in danger of being damaged during removal of the hand dryer from the box It appears that the best way to remove the hand dryer is to turn the box upside down and then lift the box off leaving the hand dryer laying on the surface within the two Styrofoam blocks 360 Testing Service e 470 Nepperhan Ave e Yonkers New York 10701 e Toll Free 877 380 9545 Page 15 of 16 Conclusions In testing the Brand electric hand dryer did not dry hands within 5 to 7 seconds as claimed Test subjects each required at least 25 seconds for their hands to be fully dry After 7 seconds the hands of all participants were still damp or visibly wet The exhaust air velocity appeared to be about one fifth of the claim published within the user s manual However because the SPEED switch did not appear to work we could not measure or hear any difference between LOW and HIGH we are unable to determine whether the unit might be stuck in LOW s
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