Dexter Washer Maintenance Tips Every Laundromat Owner Should Know

Dexter T-series washers are built for commercial environments (see our Dexter T-series equipment guide for the model range), but no machine runs forever without maintenance. Here are the maintenance tasks every laundromat operator should be doing.

Daily Tasks

Wipe down door gaskets. Moisture collects in the rubber door seal and breeds mold. A quick wipe at the end of each day prevents odor and deterioration.

Check for leaks. Walk your machines and look for water pooling underneath. Catching a leak early prevents floor damage.

Weekly Tasks

Clean the soap dispensers. Lift each hopper lid on the top deck and rinse the compartments with warm water. Dexter lists this as a daily task, and dispenser buildup is the usual reason a softener compartment stops flushing.

Run a cleaning cycle. Run an empty hot water cycle with a machine cleaning tablet or white vinegar to clear residue from the drum and drain lines.

Monthly Tasks

Inspect drain hoses. Check for kinks, clogs, or loose connections.

Check the drain valve. Dexter T-series washers drain through a 3-inch gravity drain valve, not a pump filter. Check that it opens fully and doesn't leak; debris in the valve is the first thing to look at on a SLOW DRAIN ERROR.

Check V-belts and clear the motor. Dexter's published preventive maintenance schedule has no bearing lubrication step; it calls for checking V-belt wear and tension and clearing lint from around the motor. Bearing replacement is still the most expensive repair on a commercial washer, so keep vibration down: belts, anchors and load size.

Quarterly Tasks

Retighten anchor bolts. T-series vended washers are hardmount, so there are no suspension springs or shocks to inspect; the slab and anchor bolts do that job. Loose anchors cause excessive vibration and accelerate bearing wear.

Clean inlet hose filters, then test the valves. Slow fill usually means a clogged inlet screen before it means a failing valve; Dexter's quarterly schedule calls for removing and cleaning the hose filters. The control throws SLOW FILL ERROR when low level isn't reached in 7 minutes, so a machine that still fills slowly with clean screens needs its valve coils tested.

Organize Your Soap Trays

While you're maintaining your Dexter fleet, consider installing color-coded soap tray organizer kits. They reduce customer errors, cut down on callbacks, and take about 5 minutes per machine to install (here's the step-by-step Dexter kit install). Available for T-300 through T-600 models; before a fleet rollout, read the common Dexter install mistakes.