How To Choose Hand Dryers

This is part two of a manufacturer roundtable addressing some of the top questions facility cleaning executives have about hand dryers.

Sam Bernard
Global Category Director
Dyson Professional

William Gagnon
Vice President of
Marketing & Sales
Excel Dryer, Inc.

Dan Storto
President
World Dryer

Hand dryers can obviously be used in any facility type, but are there certain facilities that would benefit from the use of hand dryers over other facility types?

Bernard: Hand dryers can be installed in all types of public washroom, with high footfall areas such as shopping malls, schools and educational facilities particularly benefiting from them. That’s because paper towels can need frequent replacing in these areas, and there’s potential for overflowing trash cans and blockages if they end up in the drains. Highs-speed hand dryers can provide maintenance, cost and user traffic flow improvements.

Gagnon: There are some facility types that particularly benefit from our products. The first would be schools, especially large universities and other high-traffic institutions. They benefit the most because of the significant cost savings and reduction in the substantial amounts of labor, maintenance and waste that go along with paper towel use. Just think about a large university campus and having to manage stocking cases of paper, going to all the buildings to check all the dispensers and refill them, then dealing with all the trash. A lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of wasted time!
An increasing number of hospitals and other health-care settings are also choosing to throw in the towel in favor of the original, patented, high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer, for the benefit of healthcare workers and patients alike. As many hospital restrooms have low-flow toilets, clogging from flushed paper towels is a frequent and costly problem that our products solve. Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago reported that switching to our hand dryers virtually eliminated their plumbing issues and resulted in much cleaner restrooms overall. 
Restaurants are another type of establishment that comes to mind. Cleanliness and general appearance are top concerns for most eateries, and modern, high-efficiency hand dryers are the best choice to address both. For that matter, our versatile design and custom covers make our dryers ideal for any establishment that wants its restroom to reflect the style and feel of the overall design aesthetic.

Storto: Any facility can benefit from the installation of hand dryers. The decision is choosing what hand dryer is best for the needs of the specific facility. It can vary not only between buildings but also between areas within the same building.  Some hand dryers are surface-mounted ADA compliant, eliminating the need for costly recessed installation kits. There is also the option of selecting a hand dryer with adjustable settings for optimizing energy efficiency and having more control over noise in sound-sensitive areas.


What, if any, are the ADA challenges with hand dryers? What ADA requirements should managers be aware of before purchasing? 

Bernard: When installing hand dryers in compliance with ADA requirements, it’s important to adhere to the minimum/maximum clearance requirements. Facility managers should look for high-speed hand dryers that are ADA-compliant out of the box, meaning no additional wall recession or obstruction is caused. Additionally, when working on a new build or renovation of a washroom, it’s important to think about placing a hand dryer immediately next to wheelchair accessible sinks.

Gagnon: For any type of facility with a public restroom, it is crucial to keep in mind all ADA guidelines, especially when remodeling or installing any new features.
For hand dryers, ADA compliance means that all buttons and touch-free sensors must fall between a height of 38 inches to 48 inches off the floor. Hand dryers must be accessible for both right-handed and left-handed users. This allows for various wheelchair approaches in the bathroom, ensuring that every person can successfully dry his or her hands without a problem. Hand dryers also should be visibly different than surrounding materials so the vision-impaired community can easily access the dryer. Hand dryers must protrude four inches from the wall, as well, so visually impaired visitors can feel them easier.
Our slim, surface-mounted, ADA-compliant hand dryer provides an excellent, cost-effective solution for ADA compliance. For our original high-efficiency hand dryers, we offer ADA compliant recess kits when needed for installation.

Storto: The American Disabilities Act requires hand dryers to not project more than 4 inches from the wall. This requirement is intended to help protect visually impaired persons from accidently walking into the dryer.
Accessories that enable recessed mounting are available for some model hand dryers to bring them into compliance with ADA requirements, while other models are specifically designed to be surface mounted ADA compliant. To minimize installation costs, facilities should consider hand dryers that are advertised as surface-mounted ADA compliant. 
“Hands under” type dryers are typically mounted with the bottom surface 32 to 46 inches above the floor. “Hands in” type dryers are typically mounted with bottom surfaces less than 27 inches above the floor and are not restricted in the depth of projection from the wall.