Dyson Airblade V AB12 Hand Dryer - Not Working - Starts and Stops

Dear expert,
I bought two Dyson V blades, installed them via licensed commercial electrician, and they won't work... just snorts intermittently.  The lenses are clean and we have no idea whats wrong. they are getting ample power, each on its own 20 amp circuit @ 120 volts.

I hope you can help.  We received two new units from Dyson which when installed, do exactly the same thing.

 Please help.
 Best,
 Tim O.
 Billygoats BBQ.


Dear Billygoat,

Dyson reports that this problem is almost always the result of an improper ground.  

The Dyson Airblade hand dryers run digital motors.  Additionally, the sensor of the Dyson Airblade V AB12  is more advanced than other sensors.  It actually detects the electro-magnetic field that the user emits.  So if you put a piece of paper under the sensor it will not go off, but if you put your hand under it it will.  (Most other hand dryers are activated by infrared sensors and so would not differentiate between the two.)  

Often, when you have this kind of a ghosting problem, it is because the sensor is being stimulated by something else in the environment.  It could be an unsteady electric supply.  It could be an exceptionally bright or reflective restroom.  Or it could be because the hand dryer is mounted too close to a counter-top.  But the AB12 is different and so does not experience the reflective or mounting problems.  The unsteady electric supply could be a problem however, and specifically the improper ground would create this problem.

In a follow-up conversation with Tim, we ascertained that the hand dryers have been fitted with plugs and plugged in.

There are some people who plug their hand dryers into the wall rather than hard - wiring them.   There are some hand dryers that come with plugs, but the vast majority do not and they are intended to be hard wired.  While most hand dryers seem to work fine with the plug, please note that this may void the warranty and the UL (or similar) certification.  And we always recommend that the dryers are hard-wired.  This is safer and cleaner.  Furthermore, in this situation, it seems that the plug was hanging a little loose.  This makes the grounding issue more likely as the ground may be loosing its connection.

Tim, thanks for reaching out and and best of luck at Billygoats!     

Hand Dryer Expert

Hand Dryer Dripping

Dear HDE:

I am considering the Dyson Airblade AB14, but I have been told that water drips on the floor.  Would the AB12 "Dyson V" be better?  Does it have the same issue?

W.E.T.

Dear Wet,

The AB14 "dB" and the AB12 are very different.  The AB14 is the best known Dyson Airblade and it is a "hands-in" hand dryer, whereas the AB12 is more of a traditional "hands under" hand dryer.  Both are very effective and popular.

Wall mounted, hands-under hand dryers can sometimes leave a water stain on the wall underneath them.  So a lot of places make sure that they have a tile underneath the hand dryer or a least make sure that they clean the area regularly.  There are also splash guards available from some manufacturers, like this one from Excel Dryer, maker of the Xlerator:  Xlerator Hand Dryer Wall Guard. 

Regular sheet rock is not great under a  traditional hand dryer because it is absorbent.  So the AB12, like any other hand dryer could have the problem, although I have not personally seen that to be the case.  

On the other hand, I like the AB14 because it contains the water in the well and it can't spray on the wall.  However, with a lot of use you can have water dripping down the sides.  So, like the issue with the walls, you just have to make sure it is cleaned daily so that you don’t have marks on the floor.  I always look for evidence of dripping when I see the Dysons in Airports and other high volume venues, but it's usually not something that you can see at all.  So while I have heard some complaints about this, I don't think it is normally a big problem.   Most people love their Dysons.  But if you do have that problem, you can purchase a mat to go under the hand dryer, or there are actually drip trays that can mount to the wall under the hand dryer and catch the water there, such as this Driplate sold at Restroom Direct.  There are some similar hand dryers like the Mitsubishi and the World Dryer V-Max that have a tray to catch the water.  This is a nice solution, but it needs to be cleaned regularly as well.

Finally, the best solution to water with a hand dryer is the Dyson Tap.  The Tap is a hand dryer and faucet together mounted in the sink so that all water goes directly into the sink.