Another Stupid Question: Vibrating house

trackingtime

I have a very old house (about 300 years) and it is about to collapse as the washing machine in the first floor utility room vibrates so violently that the floorboards vibrate, which in turn causes the ceiling to vibrate, which in turn causes the walls to shake.............I think you can probably imagine the whole sorry scene.

Now I am not a complete novice when it comes to bodging things up. So I have already packed extra carpet tiles underneath the washing machine but without much, if any success.

So I am open to any suggestions as to a possible remedy, thanks.

The alternative is to throw out the current machine, less than 1 year old and return to the river each day, oh dear! Beaten by modernism again.

bestyman

Has the washing Machine always done this?
Have you checked that the transit bracket is removed and the Legs are level?

nelly_2

dont some come with a screw that you undo after delivery? the screw holds something in place while in transit but needs to be released so that the whole thing doesnt shaake?

Poppycat

Yes it normally comes with a large screw for packing, they shouldnt vibrate that much. LG do a model that doenst vibrate much at all, drive something or other they call it.

trackingtime

I took all the packaging and screws for transit out on delivery and it still shakes.

Does anyone know of some type of foot cups which could be placed over the feet to reduce vibration????

Thanks

jobbingmusician

OH is a retired washing machine engineer. He wants to know

Does it always do it, with all loads? What about if it's empty?

Is the machine level? (I told him yes, based on what you'd said above)

Has it always done it?

What is the make and model number?

I think that's all for the time being....... :rolleyes:

alanobrien

trackingtime wrote:

I have a very old house (about 300 years) and it is about to collapse as the washing machine in the first floor utility room vibrates so violently that the floorboards vibrate, which in turn causes the ceiling to vibrate, which in turn causes the walls to shake.............I think you can probably imagine the whole sorry scene.

Now I am not a complete novice when it comes to bodging things up. So I have already packed extra carpet tiles underneath the washing machine but without much, if any success.

So I am open to any suggestions as to a possible remedy, thanks.

The alternative is to throw out the current machine, less than 1 year old and return to the river each day, oh dear! Beaten by modernism again.

The understanding and elimination of Vibration is a science in itself and IMHO a lot of fun with Turbo machines spinning at 20,000 rpm

Unfortunately even if you put rubber cups under the feet of the machine it will not help much unless they are very very thick. Some DIY places and engineering merchants sell "Tico" pads for this purpose and they do work to some extent.

There are 2 "proper" remedies.
One is to stop the machine vibrating the other is to stiffen the floor underneath the machine.

If the machine has not always vibrated heavily then its likely the bearings are going south and need replacing.
If it has always been like this then the manufacturer did a bad job balancing the drum.

A "sandwich" of rubber matting and plywood in the middle would probably do it but its tricky to make something like that and then you have to stop the machine from "wandering" off the thing.

I had a similar problem with a machine in a shed once
it was shaking it to bits so i ended up cutting a hole in the floor and mounting the thing on patio tiles.

Poppycat

I wonder if you could get some thick dense foam to absorb some of the vibrations

I found this on net

Washing Machines. If your machine is making noisy vibrations the machine probably isn't balanced. Check to see if the floor is even, and sturdy enough to support the machine. Also check to see if the adjustable feet are set correctly.

Washing Machines. These can also make shake loudly if the load is unbalanced due to bulky items. Rearrange the load evenly to correct this problem. Too much detergent has also been known to cause such problems.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

If your house is 300 years old the floor probably won't be level - have you checked?

uncle_buck_3

Is it a Hoover Or a Candy machine? (Same company)

I ask as out 18 month old Candy machine is the noisiest machine I have ever heard. It's totally level & balanced but it still shakes like mad when it's doing a spin cycle....& it's on a Concrete floor!

trackingtime

It's a Hoover Nextra with the huge 7.5kg load and is about 9 months old.

So it may be a common problem, that is comforting in one way and very disheartening in another. I may not be able to find a sesible solution afterall.

Bummer Buck!