A fire department drying cabinet has one job: turnout gear, boots, gloves, helmets and masks have to hang dry on the hook again without being damaged. The ECODRY series from Sollstar does this with condensation drying in a closed loop at a very low operating temperature, with the gear hanging and no drum. This protects membrane, reflective trim, Velcro and seams, which are the first to suffer under heat.
Installing the cabinet requires no alterations: 230 V from a Schuko outlet, a 1.8 m power cord, no exhaust air and no additional ventilation system. It is ready to run from a room temperature of 7 °C and is designed for rooms with increased humidity, so it also suits the apparatus bay and locker room. The timer runs for 6 h, 24 h or as a 7-day program and can be aligned with the duty roster.
When choosing a model, what decides is the quantity that has to dry at the same time and the available width. The ECODRY SET 4 PREMIUM needs 650 mm and holds 4 pairs of boots, 4 pairs of gloves and 4 helmets. The ECODRY SET 8 PREMIUM needs 1,300 mm and doubles that to 8 pairs of boots, 8 pairs of gloves and 8 helmets or masks. Both are 2,110 mm high and 830 mm deep.
For procurement, the installation site matters as well as the quantity. A drying cabinet for PPE being reprocessed belongs in the black (contaminated) zone, separate from personal clothing, as provided for by the black-white separation in DGUV Information 205-035. It is also worth checking the care instructions for the turnout gear: the outer shell is often treated with fluorocarbon resins, and this water-repellent finish only cross-links again above 70 °C after washing. The ECODRY runs both operating modes, the very low temperature for everyday use and above 70 °C for the finish.
For life-cycle costs, three figures from Sollstar are relevant: one service a year, a service life of up to 15 years for the ECO generator and up to 60% less power consumption thanks to the condensation technology. The housing is hot-dip galvanized industrial steel with powder coating in RAL 7035/7038. The ozone generator with air filters is standard equipment on both sizes; if you want to work ozone-free, you can get UV-C or plasma on request.