Resetting MFR Cycle Counter

There are still many Maytag MFR washers in service at laundromats and laundry rooms all across the country. If you are a new laundromat owner or new laundry room attendant here is a tip in case you see a similar message on the screen of your MFR washer. Don't make an appointment for a service call before you try the following tip:

IF you SEE THE ABOVE PICTURE or any similar message here is how you can possibly fix it:

Take the flat ESD key into lock at the top left of the washer.

Turn key to right until it stops.

DON’T FORCE KEY!!!

Press the Quick Wash button until the black arrow is next to "Service"

Press "Delicates & Knits"

The Service Tool Box appears

Press Quick Wash button until arrow gets to "Reset Service Counts"

Press "Whites" button until "Yes" appears next to Reset Service Counts

Press Quick Wash until arrow is in front of "Exit" then press Delicates & Knits

Screen returns to "Main Menu"

When screen looks like the above picture, turn the key back to the left and remove the key.

DO NOT FORCE THE KEY!

Price menu should appear.

You are done! 

Thank you!

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy

Fixing Maytag MHN30 Common Errors

Maytag MHN30 Front Load Washers:

What to do in case of:
ZERO MINUTES or SUDS on screen and lots of water or soap in machine

1. look on the screen
2. if it says "zero minutes" then machine was unbalanced either by too much clothes or something stuck to the inside of the tub
“Suds” means TOO MUCH SOAP was used
3. both are usually customer error so up to you about refunds
4. open door
5. redistribute clothes inside washer or spread out amongst multiple washers
6. open access panel on top

7. press down  white button twice (don't hold button down) screen flashes random numbers

8.  hold down right button on bottom row of the front panel until entire display flashes

9. press middle button in top row on front panel

10. close door

Door locks washer spins for 5 minutes.
Clothes should be spun out.
Explain clothes did get washed just too much soap or unbalanced load to spin out
11. spin clothes again if needed
12. look in soap drawer and scrape out all leftover soap

Maytag Washer MHN30 OUT OF ORDER,
 F29, F22, F28 or other "F numbers"

1. look on the screen 
2. have customer switch washers if beginning to wash or spin out if ending
3. open door (there may or may not be water inside)
4. open access panel on top

 

 5. press down  white button twice (don't hold button down) screen flashes random numbers

6.  hold down right button on bottom row of the front panel until entire display flashes

7. press center button in bottom row on front panel.
Door locks and washer does 10 minute test cycle

 8. If “F Number” returns after test period then there is an issue. Check service manual for codes and how to fix it.

 Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

Fix for Broken Toilet Tank Lid

Have you ever checked on your laundromat restroom and seen something like this?

Frustrating isn’t it?

You might wonder why toilet tank lids are being broken in the first place and why you as a laundromat owner should even care about this issue.

“I found my toilet tank lid broken three times in a year,” said owner Mike F.

“I wondered what was happening to it.

As it turns out it was a mixture of kids horsing around and standing on the toilet and being stupid. Some other people were using the tank to hide drugs for someone to pick up. Other people were having sex in the bathroom and somehow using the toilet when the lid broke. I got sick of it always being broken. I left the lid off for awhile.”

How many have just left the lid off?

How many of you replaced the whole toilet for lack of finding a correct size or model tank lid?

Maybe you tried the generic square tank lids that are sold at some hardware stores.

Whatever you have tried in the past, there are some owners that have come up with a simple, common sense solution:

Use a “L” bracket from a shelf and bolt it to the wall above the tank.

The bottom half of the bracket is against the top of the tank and holds it in place like the picture below:

Having the bracket alone might give someone pause at first before attempting to move the lid, however if they figure out all they have to do is pick the lid up and bend it backwards toward the wall you will have another broken lid on the floor.

The addition of the bar rail going across the top like one owner did, helps negate that because you can’t bend the bracket back as far to lift the tank lid off. It also looks more sturdy visually and that will scare off a few more would be vandals.

“There is one additional thing I do to help secure the lid,” said owner T.S. who owns multiple stores.

“I add some of the corner lid rubber bumpers from topload washers to the bracket in between the tank and the bracket. That helps keep the tank from sliding and secures it. It also helps keep the noise down if the tank moves because the lid doesn’t scrape the metal bracket.”

Mike F. used a similar method.

“I found a lid from a discarded toilet in an alley that looked like it would fit and it did. This time I secured the top of the tank with a four inch wide L shaped shelf bracket with some rubber insulation from a section of pipe insulation under it. So far no one has messed with it.”

As an owner you may have never had to deal with this issue. If you ever do have to deal with it, here is a possible solution thanks to these two owners.

 Thanks…or should I say “tanks” for reading.

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy

 

Dryers Not Heating: Clean Sensors

 

I've been meeting with many laundromat owners recently that seem to be complaining about their dryers not getting hot. Some of the owners were just starting in the business having taken over existing stores and using the equipment left in place. That is understandable. We were all new in the business at one time. 

More and more I got the same from existing owners. I started asking owners if I could open up the dryers and take a look. What I found were dirty lint traps, blocked sensors, and sail switches that were taped shut or really dirty.

If your dryers aren't getting hot and mechanically they are fine there are a number of things you can check and fix yourself:

1. Lint traps clean?

2. Sensors not clean or blocked

3. Clean you sail switch damper

4. Install new exhaust damper

We've already talked about cleaning the lint traps in a previous posts:

Clean Dryers Make You Money

Front Panel Dryer Treasure

This time lets look at cleaning the sensors and thermistor. If you don't keep either clean, the dryer won't read the temperature correctly and either not add enough heat or too much.

Different brands and models of dryers have different locations for their temperature sensors so take a look at your operation manuals, manufacturer site, video and laundry sites online, or just explore your own dryers until you find them. Some models have them located somewhere around the basket inside the dryer. Other models have them in the back of the dryer. In this example I'm using older Maytag dryers because these types of dryers are still prevalent in the field, especially in the geographic areas I work in.  

One sensor may look like this, Usually located above the lint trap on 30lb stacks and more centrally located under the basket in single pocket dryers. It has a tendency to collect lint and sometimes dryer sheets.

Sometimes this sensor points up rather than out towards the front.

These sensors are located usually directly under the basket above or just to the side of the lint trap. They are about the size of a nickel, and should be shiny silver. These tend to collect skudge or lint or covered by tufts of lint or dryer sheets. Just taking the lint off isn't good enough. The skudge needs to come off too. Just rub it with your finger or a cloth until it is shiny again.

Even a small amount of debris can goof up this sensor.

The sensor should be this clean. You don't need to use any cleaning solutions on it. Just use a cloth or rub it with your finger.

It is hard to see in this picture (I'll get a new one sometime), but there is a black plastic thermistor with a small red line on the top. The thermistor should be cleaned so you can see the red line.

If you take care of these sensors and check them every time you clean your lint traps you will have solved one of the problems that is causing your dryers to not heat.

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy

Clean Dryers Make You Money

 

I hope your dryer lint traps don't look like this!
If they do I'm here to remind you that they need to be cleaned!

1. Lint traps this dirty are a huge fire hazard

2. Dirty lint traps restrict air flow which makes your dryer use more gas

3. Gets customers mad they have to spend more money

4. You will MAKE money cleaning them

Large dryer lint trap after a quick vacuum.

Not perfect but a lot better than what it was!

Over $13 dollars found amongst the debris.
You save money in gas because your dryers are more efficient.
Customers love you because your dryers are great and they either bring more laundry or tell others to use your laundry because of the good dryers, and you find money inside the lint trap!

Ev

A Heck of A Nice Guy

Concussion: I'm Not Laughing

Authors note: unlike other blog entries on this topic, I'm continuously updating this blog post to give you a progress on my condition

October 5, 2016 I was hit on the head suffering a massive concussion. 

For details see other posts:

October 15, 2016:

I just realized I have not laughed since before my accident. 

That must sound strange at first because everyone keeps asking "what do you mean you have not laughed?" As a matter fact people have said that to me over and over again however it’s true.
I have not laughed.
It’s not that I haven’t found things funny, on the contrary there seems to be quite a few things that I find funny however I physically can’t laugh. 

Before suffering the accident I had a huge laugh-out-loud sound.
I love laughing.
I love to have those huge laughs that come from deep inside your belly and you laugh so hard that you even begin to cry. My friends say when I have one of these laughing attacks that "Ev has officially lost it."  

I have not had one of those laughs since September 30. I noticed that my dad never laughed again after he had a massive brain injury back in the early 1990s as a result of a robbery. I wonder if that is common with head injuries?

October 20, 2016:
My doctor gives me various tests during my re-exams.

I still get dizzy and have balance issues, sensitive to light, can’t look at screens, pain, numbness, and lots of other things.

I’ve been telling my doctor that I haven’t been laughing.

He explained that some of the things that I have experienced will go away and normal functions will come back. Some will come back part of the way, and some will come back all the way but it could take a long time, and some will never come back.

I asked if lack of laughing was one of the things that he has noticed in all of his treatments of people with brain injuries.

It is common with some brain injuries depending on where and how much of a blow the brain took.

He says that part of my problem is that since I was hit on the right side of my brain, which is the side that controls more of the emotions, that is impacting my ability to laugh. I found out through research and talking with my doctor that certain sides of the brain control different functions. For example the left side of our brain is the side that controls logic the right side is the side that controls feelings and emotions. Some things like math are done on the left side of the brain. Art, language, music come from the right. They don’t know exactly where certain things like humor comes from, however they do know that humor originates in many parts of the brain seemingly at the same time in a distinct pattern. In experiments involving humor, scientists have figured out the left side of the brain, the logical side, recognizes what you are hearing or seeing as funny. That signal then goes around the back of your head into the back part of the brain and from there enters some central part of the brain before travelling to the right side of the front of your brain. Picture the journey of this joke starting on the left side of your brain and rotating around in a U-shape starting from the left side front of your brain going around to the back and then coming finally to the right front of your brain. This is where the actual physical emotional release is triggered and from where the signal to laugh comes from.

Something that I find incredibly funny does not make me laugh whatsoever.
It is very disconcerting to me and I am worried about it.
To give you an example, recently the comedian Dave Chapelle was doing a sketch with another comedian from on Saturday Night Live. It was extremely funny! My kind of jokes. My brain recognized it as funny, and I wanted to laugh but could not physically laugh. I couldn’t even smile! My wife is rolling on the floor with hysterical laughter, the hysterical laughter that I normally have in situations like that.

I miss my ability to laugh very much. I hope it comes back on soon.

November 10, 2016:

Since my injury happened on the right side of my head, the doctor says that my emotions are impaired.

That is why I cannot laugh.

It is also why I am suffering some mood swings.

My personality has changed from being someone who was 100% optimistic all the time to someone that, while not quite 100% pessimistic all the time, it takes a big effort for me to be seeing things in a positive light. My wife says it’s the result of the most recent presidential elections. I recognize the intended humor in her statement, but I don’t think that’s the case.

December 1, 2016:

I still have not laughed, however I have smiled a bit when people tell me jokes.

At Thanksgiving there were several family stories that were funny. I was able to smile but not laugh. That gives me some hope but I really hope that my ability to laugh comes back.

December 25, 2016:

I’m celebrating Christmas with my family on the West Coast. It was the first time that I have seen and been to their house, and is the first time that I have celebrated Christmas with this part of the family in this part of the country.

We always have a great time at Christmas and my family does a fantastic job of putting out great meals and having a fun tradition. Funny stories are passed along about the past events of our family, remembrances our shared about our parents, as well as topics of the day and just enjoying each other‘s company.

It was a lot of fun however I still am not able to laugh.

Smile at something funny yes, laughing no.

Not laughing is really starting to worry me.

January 6, 2017:

We had a family dinner celebrating a late Christmas with the family here in the Midwest. I was explaining my recent injury as well as the treatment that I have been receiving and the testing of the cognitive abilities that I have been doing.

I’m trying to explain to everyone the changes in my personality and the fact that I can’t laugh. People have a really hard time understanding what I mean when I say I can’t laugh. As I tried to explain, they were interjecting their little comments in my stories as they always do. Normally I would find them quite funny and be able to banter back with them. They still were funny in this case, however I was able to laugh, a smile here or there yes but that’s it. It was very frustrating for me that I could not partake in the joyful banter.

Trying to explain to people who can laugh from someone who cannot laugh is extremely difficult. People don’t understand when you say that you can’t laugh.

I physically cannot laugh.

Has nothing to do with whether I find something funny or not. Doesn’t matter. While the left side of my brain may think something is funny and understands that it is funny, the right side is not allowing me to release that emotion and actually have the physical nature of laughing. I really miss laughing.

March 1, 2017: 

I’ve been released from the direct care of the attending Doctor who has been seeing me since my initial accident. I have told him that I am still not laughing, and he explained that somethings may never come back. I will know around a year after the incident what will come back. Certain things will and certain things will not, but after a year we will have a good idea he said. A slight forced chuckle is the only kind of laugh I can do at this point. I am beyond worried that I will never be able to enjoy a deep good long belly laugh like I have been able to in the past. As my friends used to say when I had those laughing attacks “Ev has lost it." I hope to be able to lose it again.

 

April 15, 2017: 

A small laugh! Not the belly laugh that I was hoping for. This was the first time that I actually was able to give a quick laugh. It was a little more than just a "ha ha" but it was something and not forced.

 

June 30, 2017: 

It has been I’ve noticed that things are getting slightly better in that I am able to give a short small laugh when I find something funny. If I hear a joke or see something in a movie or on TV that I think is funny, I’m able to give a quick "ha ha," but anything beyond that initial chuckle is still forced. I hope this is progress because I really miss not being able to laugh.

 

July 28, 2017: 

Still no belly laugh. I hate that term but it is the most common way but I think I can describe the kind of laugh I am talking about.

 

September 10, 2017: 

I was talking with some of my friends, one of them made a joke. Unfortunately I cannot repeat the joke here, because part of it involves the context of what it was said, but I had an actual laugh! Instead of just ha ha, it was ha ha Ha.

 

September 30, 2017:
Since that laugh that I had that I wrote about in the last update to this article,
I haven’t had any laughs. Bummer.

 

October 9, 2017:
I laughed! For two seconds I actually had the deep laugh that I have been looking for! I was sitting in the crowd at a performance of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. John Cleese came out to do a question and answer session after the movie. As part of his monologue he talked about how we make fun of each other through jokes and that if we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves and each other we is the human race are going to be in trouble. He started telling a lot of ethnic jokes about all different nationalities and people were laughing, except me.

He then told a joke about Belgian drivers. I didn't understand the joke and I’m not sure why it was funny, but I found myself laughing with the very deep down laugh I have missed for over a year! It was only two seconds, but it was such a relief! 

I hope this is a good sign that more coming!

 

October 23, 2017:
It has been two weeks since I had my laugh. As short as it was it was like something popped a cork on a champaign bottle and everything came out. The worry and consternation about not laughing has been gone for these past few days. It really is like having a weight off my shoulders. While I haven't laughed since, for a couple of days I felt "normal." I can feel a sense of worry (Is that the last laugh I'll have) or anticipation (when will I laugh again) building again but it was so nice to finally have that release even it was for only  a couple of seconds.

November 24, 2017:
I laughed again! We rented "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" for a family movie night. Even though I have seen the movie tons of times, I got several chuckles from seeing my family enjoy it for the first time. I've seen and quoted the "ball handling" snippet several times and I knew when it was coming in the film, for whatever reason it made me laugh hysterically for a few seconds. For the second time I felt the weight off my shoulders.

January 20, 2018
I haven't had any more laughing since November, but tonight I had an uncontrolled laughing fit again for a couple of seconds. My wife said something serious, it doesn't matter what it was. I responded "Since when?" After that I just had the urge to laugh. While she and I were trying to figure out what was funny I had my uncontrolled laugh for a couple of seconds again. The moment shot a lot of levity into our conversation. Don't know what was funny but I'll take it!

March 18, 2018
Nothing since January. 

June 26, 2018
Just cruising around Youtube I stumbled on a new video by comedian Bill Engvall.
I've always enjoyed his comedy so I watched. I had several smiles and forced chuckles. He ended with a continuation of his signature "Here's your sign" routine and I got my longest uncontrolled laughing fit! Probably 30 seconds!

October 5, 2018
It has been two years since my concussion. I'm still sufferening several side effects. I've documented the lack of laughing because it to me is the most notable outside sign. People say to me "I've seen you laugh and chuckle at things." Yes that is true that I'm smiling at funny things and having forced chuckles at jokes, but these are things that I used to LAUGH at and sometimes have the uncontrolled deep in your tummy type laughs. I don't have those anymore and I worry that I'll never get that back. When laughing is such a big part of your life and you can't do that anymore it is extremely sad and frustrating.

In addition to not laughing, over the summer I saw an endocrinologist and it is her opinion that my concussion messed up the pituitary gland and that gland is not sending the right hormones and signals to my thyroid. Causing an imbalance in a number of hormone levels, brain fog, tiredness, and inability to handle hot weather (never a problem before but this summer was horrible). I still see red when I close my eyes (described in another entry), I still have those days when I can't process anything and need to lie down in a dark room. My personality isn't the same. Instead of being a upbeat person naturally, now to be an upbeat person it is forced. Hard to describe in words here. I'll try again later. It sucks that I'm still dealing with this stuff two years later.

November 17, 2018
No laughing fits since June. I enjoy watching my wife have a serious laughing fit at something. There is a bit of jealousy there too that she can laugh like that and I can't.

December 28, 2018
Getting ready to go to a late Christmas celebration with my in-laws, I recounted for my wife the time that my mother-in-law caused an uprising at a previous Christmas celebration. I did it in a reporter voice and style that had me cracking up!
This is the first time I've been able to laugh by something I did or said and not an external factor like a comedian.

April 21, 2019
Riding in the car coming home from an Easter celebration at my mother-in-laws house, my teenage son takes off his shoes and the stench in the car was funny. I don't know why but it was the longest sustained laugh I've had in the last two years. Yet again it was an organic laugh brought about by the situation. I'm happy about it! I'm not sure if I should be concerned that my last two laughs somehow involved my mother-in-law.

September 4, 2019
No sustained belly laughs until today! At dinner my son made a choking sound that reminded someone of a cat spitting up a hairball. Laughs ensued for the next 10 minutes!

October 5, 2019
Three years since the concussion. No laughs since the previous entry.

October 5, 2020

Four years since the concussion.

November 24, 2020
In a Zoom call my sister made a funny joke about pictures on a camera phone and I fell out of my chair laughing. Easily the first laugh in several weeks.

December, 21, 2020

One year ago I was going through cancer radiation treatment.
Since sometime in June laughs have been coming a little easier and more frequent, but still long stretches in between. Just to explain again what I'm talking about. I don't mean a little chuckle or a simple ha ha. I am referring to a physical block in my brain that thinks something is funny but short circuts when I want to physically laugh. That uncontrolled laugh that makes you cry, have trouble breathing, roll on the floor. I miss it.

February, 11, 2022

It has been a long time since I updated this column. I still don't laugh as often as I used to, however it seems like once a quarter I have a good long laugh. I still miss laughing.

Laundry Room Cleaning Checklist

If you have a laundry room or laundromat and need a task list to help train your laundry staff, here is a guide to use.
Feel free to take parts that apply to your laundry room and edit them for your own use on a sign or flyer.
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy 

Cleaning Checklist and Instructions
Remember:
-Unless noted, please use only soap or soap and water, no chemicals,
 when cleaning washers
-Dry off glass and stainless steel after washing to prevent streaking and rust

Stainless Steel Washers

1)     Wipe down big stainless steel washers with WATER ONLY on a rag
Then dry off with clean rag to avoid streaking
Stainless Steel polish can be used after cleaning, but still needs to be dried to avoid streaks
Be sure to wipe off:

A. door around window        
B. front of machine
C. Top of machine especially the area in front of the soap tray
D. clean inside soap drawer with wet rag or maybe a soft bristled pad or brush if lots of build up
E. wipe completely around inner door gasket making sure to get rag into crevices to get old soap
F. clean mold between glass & rubber gasket with rag or soft scrubbing pad
    This may involve rotating or taking off gasket (check with manager first)
G. area around coin slot should be free of dirt in crevasses
H. leave front door open at least an inch to let inside air out

2)     White/Tan front loading washers use water only. Please check:
A. top
B. soap drawer (little remaining liquid okay but no chunks) should be soap build up free
C. front window (you need to dry this with a rag)
D. area immediately under front of soap drawer and where fingers go to pull out drawer
E. wipe off inside glass with wet rag then dry with dry rag
F. wipe out bottom of black door seal inside door. You'll find paper, socks, debris in here
G. using edge of rag, scrape out old soap from the crease that connects the flat part of the rubber door gasket with the outer lip of the gasket
H. wipe off metal area and rubber gasket around the basket opening once door is open
I. wipe off back of washer door
J. area around coin slot should be free of dirt in crevasses
K. using the edge of the rag, scrub out soap from creases and cracks in the front panel
L. scrape soap powder from area between soap drawer and top of soap drawer holder
M. leave front door open at least an inch to let inside air out

3)     Top loading washers please check:
A. inside washtub
B. top of lid and top of the control panel
C. top and sides of agitator
D. inside the edge of the lid
E. area around coin slot should be free of dirt in crevasses
F. soap/bleach dispensers should be empty and wiped out with water and rag or soft brush
G. leave lid open to air out washer

Dryers
A. wipe fingerprints off glass (this is done daily or on as needed basis)
B. wipe metal frame around window on the outside of the dryers
C. wipe around the glass frame on the inside of the dryer doors
D. check lint trap drawers (the drawer located just below the door)
E. area around coin slot should be free of dirt in crevasses
F. clean tops of dryers and tops of molding around dryers
G. using an old hanger, hook, or saw blade scrape out garbage from under dryers

Garbage
A. empty all garbage cans. It is okay to combine bags if only half full.
B. if mostly empty, but not stinky, feel free to leave for next time
C. trash gets thrown out in dumpster
D. keep cleaning closets and other access rooms free of dirt, trash, and clutter

     Outside
      A. pick up anything large, obvious, or ugly outside.
           Full property cleaning three times per week
      B. any large vents outside make sure clean of lint at least once per week.
            A little lint is okay
      C. windows should be cleaned at least once per week and more often after rain or
           frost to get kids doodles off
      D. window ledges both inside and outside store
      E. door windows follow same procedure

     Bathroom
      A. use bleach type cleaner and old rag or some piece of clothing someone is throwing
           away or a lost sock to clean the seat and the rim.
           Please wear gloves since it involves germs
      B. scrub inside of bowl with toilet brush at least once per week,
           more often if brown build up
      C. clean base of toilet by the floor at least once per week
           to prevent old urine build up
      D. keep handle and top of tank clean with bleach type cleaner
      E. sinks should be free of soap residue around handles and brown water stains

     Floor
     A. sweep floor dispose of dirt in garbage
     B. sweep rugs. Dirt can go in garbage or swept outside the door
     C. mop floor where there is soap or dirt or soda spill
          Dry with rag or air dry if store closed
     D. mop floor on a daily basis.
          Be sure floor is dry before customers arrive,
          or dry with towels/mop if store is open
     E. empty mop bucket by dumping into scrub sink, or toilet

    Machines Not Working or Error Codes on Screen
     A. any “error codes” or out of order messages please place
          an “out of order” message on the machine with your initials, date, and what you                think the problem is or was
     B. Anyone needing refund, have them fill out refund slip & put it in mailbox

    Store Doors
    A. Please close them when you are done cleaning or if they are
         propped open during the day
    B. At night close them and lock

    Clothes/Trinkets left behind
    A. Dirty clothes that are unwashed found in washers throw away
    B. Wet clothes found in washers after doors are locked at night bag up
         and put in lost and found with tag with date, what washer found in,
         and who found them.
         If unclaimed after 72 hours throw away, or dry and put into lost and found
    C. Dry clothes left in dryers after closing bag up and put in lost and found with tag               with date, what dryer found in. If unclaimed after 14 days add to donation pile
    D. Rings, wallets, watches, or anything else that looks like someone will want it back
         please report to office and put it someplace secure in the cleaning supplies area

3 Phase vs. Single Phase Power Explained

 

I'm not an electrician. I'm in laundry equipment.
For some strange reason, even though I talk about laundry equipment all day to many people, I have a mental block about remembering the difference between 3 phase vs. single phase electrical power.
How does my mental block affect your hotel, laundromat, long term care facility, or any other business that uses laundry equipment? If you don't know the difference and understand what kind of equipment to buy when you need to replace your equipment you could cause damage to your equipment, your electrical system, or even start a fire.

So if you don't know the difference either, here is a quick explanation:

First you need to know what "phase" is. 
"Phase" is how you describe the distribution of an electrical load from an AC power supply over a period of time. Don't ask me to explain it beyond that.

Single phase power in a piece of laundry equipment usually means it has two wires that need to be hooked up. One is the wire with the power phase) and the other is a neutral wire.  Usually your household appliances use single phase power.

If single phase power has one power wire, then logically three phase power has three power wires.
Sometimes there is a fourth wire for a neutral as part of the circuit.
Almost all commercial buildings are wired with three phase power.

Practically what is the difference? Three phase power distributes power more evenly along any one or multiple circuits. It is also usually used when you have larger motors like AC or heating units, or multiple big machines that often operate at one time-like in a laundromat.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT?

Most new laundry equipment can be installed in either a single phase or three phase powered building because they have a transformer to "convert" power (convert isn't the proper term but I'll save the reason why for another article that explains what a transformer does) to the appropriate phase.
If you are dealing with older equipment or retooling an old store, know you can put a single phase machine in a three phase circuit, but you CAN'T put a three phase machine in a single phase circuit.
If you do that the consequences can be...well imagine all life coming to a complete stop and atoms everywhere exploding faster than the speed of light. 
Okay, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. 

Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy