Health And Maintenance Related To Rubbish Chute Hopper

[maxden 0]

For folks with the rubbish chute hopper "hidden" within cabinet/sink/enclosure

it is a good habit to open up the cabinet door to allow some sunlight to come into that area (in the morning), as a dark, humid, cooling condition, is almost a perfect condition for bacteria growth, especially airborne bacteria from the chute, whenever you open up the hopper to throw rubbish.

The UV light from sunray will help to kill those airborne bacteria and upkeep the hygenie of that area.

this is the reason why, you will notice, most of the hopper location are just adjacent to a window.

Hope this helps.

Edited July 23, 2008 by maxden

[maxden 0]

Knocking sound from the chute?

If you do hear this, it means some rubbish from higher floor has hit your hopper bucket.

It only goes to show that, with incorrect bucket length, it has higher tendency to be hit by falling object.

If you want to check if your bucket has been damage, open up the door, look at both end of the bucket, most of the time, they will have split end and this is an indication (as most of the design has got welding seam along this area)

And worst, the counterweight at the end of the bucket could no longer be there (cause by shearing of the bolts, by falling objects), thus causing the hopper door unable to close properly, which indirectly, allow even easy access of unwanted visitor like cockroach into your premises.

So if you still hear loud knocking sound from chute area, it is a good time to inspect your hopper.

[maxden 0]

How to select the hopper with correct length/size of bucket

Ok, for this time, you may need to open up the hopper door and dirty your hand a little.

Look up at the top of the structure behind the wall, there should be a "water drip" (inside the chute, after you open the hopper door, use a torchlight if needed)

Now, use a measuring tape or ruler, record down the depth of this wall thickness (to the front of the wall in your premises)

Ok, the ideal bucket length (meausre from behind the hopper door to the tip of the bucket) should be approximate the same length or slightly shorter.

For HDB, this shouldn't be much issue as there is only a couples of size and there are quite standard (but sometimes it does happen), but for private apartment, there are more than 10 different sizes and depth of the wall thickness, so do take note.

Thing to look out for, ask the company who is selling the hopper, how many sizes do they have, or is it one size fits all?

Another tip, look at the counterweight at the end of the hopper, is it welded on dead or tighten with bolts and nuts? For those welded on type, you can't trim the excess of the bucket to keep it flush with the internal wall, but with the bolts and nuts, you can do that.

We have seen end user with incorrect size bucket installed, came loose from the wall, as the rubbish from the higher floor, keep knocking on the bucket and thus, the mounting of the frame came loose and some eventually fell off from the wall.

hope this helps.

Edited July 29, 2008 by maxden

[maxden 0]

What does "Airtight" means?

Many of you must have heard or read about this airtight term used on most hopper advertisement.

First, before any purchase of hopper, do a closer inspection on the hopper itself, on the black sponge thingy, which is also known as closed-cell polyeurathane foam.

normally, you would see the 3 sides, top and both vertical, but always forgotten about the bottom part, take a look below, you may be surprise.

some hoppers in the market only have 3 sided foam.

another model

to be continue.

Next, some hopper will have 4 sided, but here is the trick

look closely on the bottom "sponge"

there is this little thin white line running parallel along the frame

with the design of the hinges so close to the frame, the door will crush/push down the foam whenever the door is closing.

when new, it is flat and flush, now, it will be "sloping" downward.

thus for now, it is not sealing properly and not that "airtight" anymore.

to be continue

another foam placement design

it is sticking perpendicular to the frame (right under the door), and the door is squashing it eveytime if it open and close.

overtime, the foam will be flatten

lastly, if the hopper is really airtight, you wouldn't need to do this

hope this would help you to better choose a real airtight hopper.

[maxden 0]

Just found a few more pic, which should be useful.

the both side of the foam was delibrately cut off, instead of bitten off by cockroach

look at how clean the cut is, the area without the foam is the bottom part, hidden under the bucket.

next

Look at the breeding location of the cockroach eggs, they are found right under the door, and if you look carefully, all the eggs are intact and are not crush by the door. Furthermore, the foam are found to be bitten or eat up by the cocokroach as food? The foam used seem to provide the roach with another source of food?

We seldom come across this, perhap due to the quality or the property of the foam used.

Hope this helps.

[maxden 0]

Tips tp take note during installation of hopper

About a month old hopper in a customer home, we were engaged to replace it, due to bad cockroach problem. look at the top of the door, it is the type with locking mechanism

the installation was just by some kind of sealant on the wall, hand pull and the bottom came loose.

The top need a scraper to break the sealant

now top portion is loosen

to be continue

Check out the hopper, top view

back view

just to take note, for a hopper to be really theft proof, installation is very important. Anchored bolts and proper cement will required to be used to strengthen the hopper. If not, the hopper will be able to come loose if a thief really want to come into your premises.

A proper installation job will take approximate 2-3 hours to anchor down the hopper, and with the correct cement, to HOLD and strengthen the hopper position.

]

Other hoppers with just using sealant for installation.

[maxden 0]

We have many enquiry about why Maxden hopper does not come with an integrated locking mechanism

just some of our points:

- for the past 30years in Singapore, there are about only 1 case of break in through the rubbish chute hopper, if someone really wanted to come into your premises, no hopper can stop them from breaking in. Check out today newspaper, a house was break into, the thief just smash down the metal window grill and came in through there.

- With the above photo indication from previous posting, if the entire hopper installation was just using sealant to mount onto the wall, do you think it is still strong enough to prevent theft entry? even though the door is "locked", with strong force, the door with the frame will just give way.

- Maxden hopper does not require a latch to keep the door close/shut, flush to the wall, we employ using pneumatic/magnetic gasket to do it (it comes with a patent on it)

- Many a time, those hopper with a latch, dependent on the latch to ensure the door to shut properly/ flush with the wall, thus, if the latch mechanism is broken, many a time, the door can't close properly.

- Also, if you notice, many aftermarket hoppers available in the market, most of the design look pretty similar with the flush handle and such?

hope this clears most of the enquiries.

[maxden 0]

Why Fire-rated?

For all condominium, it is no issue as it is mandatory for all private apartment to install fire-rated hoppers.

For HDB, it is not a requirement as it is exempted.

With reference from recent Straits Time article, there is a rise of rubbish chute fire, as reported by SCDF.

Thus we reckon, it will still be better for those lower floor residents to install fire-rated hopper from the open market.

FLAMES engulfed a rubbish chute in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 yesterday morning, forcing a conservancy worker to douse the fire with a nearby hose.

By the time the blaze was put out, all that remained was the burnt-out hulk of the rubbish bin and a foul stench.

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Investigations are ongoing, but residents suspect someone had mindlessly dropped a cigarette down the chute from a unit in the 15-storey block.

This scene, which is repeated three to four times a day, is the leading cause of fires at residential blocks.

In the first six months of this year, there were almost 1,100 blazes in rubbish chutes, garbage bins and common areas such as lift lobbies and void decks, according to figures released yesterday by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

That was a 10 per cent rise over the same period last year.

SCDF operations director Anwar Abdullah said rubbish fires are 'pretty much confined', but the blazes can mushroom if chutes contain flammable materials.

They can create a lot of smoke and affect young children, seniors and those with respiratory problems.

The blazes also make life harder for the cleaners who have to sweep up the mess, like Mr Yusof Khirul.

The 27-year-old conservancy worker at Bishan Street 11 has done his fair share of fire-fighting. In the past six months, he has been called by residents to put out four rubbish fires.

The Hungry Ghost Festival and Hari Raya cause him the most concern, because residents often forget to extinguish joss sticks and sparklers.

'They don't even think carefully about their actions, they just throw,' he said.

Mr Lim Chin Huat, a conservancy worker in Bishan Street 13, found himself battling a blaze two weeks ago.

It was the 62-year-old's fifth rubbish chute fire this year, one he said was sparked by burning charcoal.

'It's terrible. We can't even find out who it was that threw the charcoal into the chute. A dustbin has also been destroyed for no reason,' he said.

Estates in Ang Mo Kio and Bishan have posted pamphlets at lift landings, advising residents to extinguish burning items before throwing them down rubbish chutes. But some ignore the advice, leaving their neighbours hopping mad.

'It's so inconsiderate,' said Mr Gabriel Ong, 39, who works in sales.

'This kind of behaviour affects the whole block and it's so dangerous especially if you live on the lower levels.'

While the SCDF said the fire starters are difficult to catch, it has been keeping track of housing blocks with repeated flare-ups. Civil defence volunteers visit problematic blocks, advising residents to avoid tossing burning garbage.

Dropped items such as cigarette butts, charcoal embers and candles caused over 60 per cent of the 2,545 fires reported in the first half of this year, according to the SCDF. That was one of several figures released yesterday.

While fires around residential premises rose, it was a different story inside the homes. Household fires - including electrical fires, gas fires and cooking blazes - dropped about 8 per cent to just under 470, the lowest in five years.

The SCDF's ambulance service saw a total of 59,000 calls, a 10 per cent rise over the first half last year.

Burgeoning demand prompted the SCDF to earlier announce plans for private ambulances to start responding to emergencies in the middle of next year.

SCDF chief medical officer Tan Eng Hoe said this timeline remains, though the tender has yet to be issued.

Meanwhile, the public can do its bit by refraining from calling in false alarms. These jumped by a third to about 2,050 calls in the first half of this year.

the link --> http://straitstimes.com.sg/Singapore/Story...ry_269941.html#

[maxden 0]

Short/ narrow water drip (structure)

A recent job at a condo at Tg Rhu

water mark stain on the wall, due to narrow water drip, in which unable to stop the water from splashing inward during the flushing process.(we have rectified this problem)

upon full opening, we discover the counterweight is missing from the bucket end. Look at the shape of the bucket, it is due to narrow water drip structure, thus the bucket is constantly being hit by fallen object from higher floor, even the bolts which hold the bucket was being shear off, causing the counterweight to fall off.

look carefully at the both end, bucket edges are starting to split and already splitted

so remember, to choose the correct bucket length in accordance to your wall structure depth.

Edited September 9, 2008 by maxden

[GMC 12]

Well done Desmond.

[maxden 0]

Well done Desmond.

Hi GMC, thanks.

the above posting is mainly for education purpose.

as of market trend nowaday, hopper is just not another "unsightly" piece of metal hanging onto the wall, it is now, also part of the "deco" when the house is renovated, as what we have found out from many home maker.

just hope the above pictures and explainations help all the house owners to select a presentable and correct hopper.

[maxden 0]

Dear all,

some discussion of hopper

this is discussion thread by some forummers over other forum of the hopper

we hope it does not clash with renotalk policy.

[maxden 0]

TGIF!

Lets look at the regular maintenance of the hopper

The hopper is often a neglected item in your home, however, it does not means you do not have to do some simple maintenance for it.

A well maintained hopper can last you for many years, one of our pioneer customer had our hopper installed about 15 years ago and it is will functioning well today.

Lets us look at some basic cleaning, maintenance of the hopper.

Tip 1:

the area under the bucket is always the forgotten part when you clean your hopper, and it is the most critical area as many crushed cockroaches, debris, unwanted stuff are commonly found there. And all this undesired stuff will hinder the closing of the door, thus the door are unable to shut properly.

One simple way to do it, buy a baby milk bottle brush, or any "longish" brush, open up the hopper door, just push in this brush and all the dirt will be push out of the other end, just like brushing teeth.

Another way, you could use your vacuum cleaner, with the narrow tip head, to vacuum all the dirt out from there (that is if you do not mind using your vacuum cleaner)

hope this helps.

[maxden 0]

Tip 2

For owner with Maxden hopper, regular applying of light oil eg. singer oil on the gasket (on all the 4 sides) will keep the gasket pliable and improve the lifespan of the material.

For owner with other hopper, which material is of "sponge" type, we have no idea how should you maintain it as it is a kind of high density foam material. Perhap you can use some soft brush to clean the contact surface.

However, just take note that the black foam is not being "compress" even below the metal rail, the foam is suppose to be contacting the door surface to maintain the "airtight" condition.

Lastly, oil is infact, a better way to keep out cockroaches, why?

Cockroach breathe through the skin, not like human through the lung. Thus any contact of oil on their body, will make them very uncomfortable and unable to breathe properly. So, keep your pesticide for those roaches which has invaded into your premises instead of spraying into the chute.

hope this helps.

[maxden 0]

Tip 3

Do you know that beside regular maintenance for the hopper, the hopper can be repair and even overhaul?

Replacable parts (for Maxden's hopper only)

- gasket (after 15years or maybe longer)

- bucket (it may be smash up by the fallen object from high floor)

- stopper (it may get deform in shape)

- hinges (shearing may occur on the rivert)

- door handle

all the above are replacable, with the frame in place, thus no replacement is require as a new installation will create some level of noise and dust which is not desire.

Tip 4

We have recently re-secured a entire hopper of other brand, the whole frame with door is shaking.

upon close examin, we realise the 4 pins which hold the 4 legs from the frame, it either gone or loosen, thus we reinforce by firing new anchor pins into the 4 legs.

The proper installation should be using of cement to permanently hold the entire hopper, instead of just securing it by the 4 pins.

Another problem, the counterweight is missing, due to fallen object hitting and shearing off the riverts.

A bolt and nut should be use instead of riverts.

hope this helps.