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Hi there,(NSW strata law stuff):
I’m in NSW.. High rise apartment building(20 floors)..
50 yr old apartment building, all laundry facilities are common property(washing machine/dryer) each floor…
Basically with many children moving into the building/and adults as well of varying levels of health in the building(good health/bad health), I have concerns about communal washing facilities that are cold water operated not hot water… Spread of diseases such as e-coli/or Hepatitis etc and other medical problems can spread via communal washing machines…
Plus the irresponsible use of washing machines that often happens in communal washing machines..
Hot water would be fast more sanitary and hygienic.. Thing is though is Costs$.. How much would it cost to instal hot water tanks for the Building so each of the twenty floors would have hot water as option for the communal washing machines… Installing my own washing machine in my apartment aint an option due to space.. Im an owner.
But I imagine a levy would have to be raised by the OC and all OC members(eighty odd owners in the building) would have to pay for this common property instillation.. Only thing is, how much would it cost?
But I have serious hygiene concerns about cold water washing machines etc for a communal washing facility…
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Nothing to with strata but you can buy cold wash sanitisers…
<b>Dettol Laundry Sanitiser</b> removes 99.9% of bacteria such as Staphylococcus and E. coli in the <b>wash</b>, in both hot and <b>cold water</b>. Bacteria such as E. coli that cause infections can be left on clothes increasing the risk of re-infection … $7.99 woolies.
Disclaimer. I do not work for Dettol or Woolies.
The Dettol option makes sense. I’m not convinced that a “hot” wash will be any healthier than a cold one. Warm water can breed germs faster than cold and I wouldn’t be recommending spending thousands of dollars on a hot water system that may not achieve what you are hoping for.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
Agree that it’s probably a non-issue.
But even if it was an issue, it would probably be cheaper to install washing machines that will heat the water to whatever temperature is selected. Many can do that.
Rather than any massive building hot water systems installation.
There are washing machines that heat water. I have one and and it is very good.
This may be an option rather than replumbing the laundry.
Can you hear that distant rumbling? It’s the residents who prefer to use a cold wash – for a variety of environmental and economic reasons – asking why they should subsidise the additional electricity costs of people who prefer a hot wash.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
The cost to heat the small amount of water used in the washing cycle of modern, water efficient washing machines, is minute.
Residents who want cold can still select it and do their environmental bit.
But I agree, there still might be rumblings. But hopefully less than if the totally inefficient proposal suggested by the OP was adopted.
This from the Choice review of front-loading washing machines (which are generally more efficient and tend to have cold-only inlets):
Front loaders generally offer more temperature options than top loaders because they use an internal heater rather than hot water from the tap (which is a maximum of 65 degrees).
So while most front loaders don’t have a hot water inlet, they can comfortably wash at up to 90 degrees (which is partly why you can’t open the door mid-cycle). While heating water this way is more expensive than using off peak electricity or solar, the low volume of water used means top loaders are still cost effective to run, even on hot cycles.
The down-sides, according to Choice is that they are a bit noisier and can take two to three times as long to wash a load.
Swings and roundabouts … but as Austman observes, a better alternative than re-plumbing the block.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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