Dyson Airblade Dripping

Question:

Someone mentioned that the Dyson Airblade had a water trap accessory.  I cannot find it anywhere. Do you know if this is true and where I can get it if it is?

Regards

Benjamin P, LEED AP BD + C

Senior Project Architect

Answer:

Benjamin,

When Dyson came out with their first hand dryer, the AB01 (Europe) and the AB02 (USA) the units had an aluminum casing and they also had a drain.  The idea was that whatever water came off of the hands would go down the drain and then would be "atomized" into the room.  This configuration did not last very long as Dyson realized that it would be better without any sort of a drain. 

In most cases, any water that is collected in the well evaporates with the force of the air blowing around.  In high use situations, the water does not have a chance to evaporate and it can drip down the sides.  If you have a very high use situation, then you can purchase a separate drip tray.   You can see two kinds here: http://www.restroomdirect.com/dyson-airblade.aspx  That may be the water trap accessory that you heard about.  Or a floor matt can be used.  Normally there is not enough drippage to create an issue, although part of the regular maintenance schedule of the restroom should include wiping down the hand dryers to keep them clean.

The Mitsubishi Jet Towel and World Dryer V-Max both are similar hand dryers that do have a built in drip tray.  Their philosophy is different.  Any residual water can be captured and then emptied periodically if necessary.  Honestly, both ways work well.  The Dyson Airblade is a little more elegant in that the water is dealt with at the time of use and there is not the additional burden of collecting water in a tray – which in turn needs to be cleaned.  On the other hand, the Mitsubishi and World Dryer models don’t have to worry about any dripping at the time of use.