How to reduce washing machine vibrations

teepoo

Hi All,

Does anyone know how to reduce the vibrations produced by my washing machine?

When the washing machine enters it's spin phase it shakes the whole house! My wooden suspended floors do not help matters.

I have made sure the machine is completely level, but still it shakes the entire floor.

Some one suggested a rubber mat?

Thanks,
Pete.

iamcornholio

I'm not sure about the rubber mat. The drum is the problem

One solution may be to put less in it, and not overload - especially with the towels and larger stuff.

The drum may be out of balance or the holding springs worn.

Or you could try firmly wedging/packing the machine against adjacent kitchen units. This may keep it firm and prevent excessive vibration

Or contrary to MSE philosophy, buy a new one. When we changed our hoover model after 15 years, the replacement Hotpoint was so quiet, we were constantly checking to see if the kids had turned it off, or if we had actually switched it on.

moonrakerz

How long have you had the machine ? check that the transit bolts have been removed.

Secondly; inside the machine, under the drum is a large weight, either concrete or metal. Check that this weight is securely held by its mounting bolts.

barrymung

..also, check that all adjustable feet are in contact with the floor. If one of 'em has a gap under it then the machine will wobble!

kwatt

Hi teepoo,

A VERY common problem on wooden floors. Have a read at this article and it may shed some light and, IIRC, offers a few pointers.

HTH

K.

fairylights_2

whatever you do, DON'T pack the machine in. The casing has to move due to the force of the drum in the spin cycle. If you stop the drum moving, all the energy created will just destroy the inside of the machine.

That said, I have nothing much of use to reduce the noise. It is pretty much down to the flooring that you have. If you try standing the entire machine on a non-shiny single block of wood (so it can't wobble off) then it might reduce the problem a little ...

iamcornholio

The casing does not have to move - how do you think built in ones work?

The drum is suspended within the casing and movement and vibration of the rotating drum is compensated for by weights and springs.

If the drum does get out of balance, then that is what vibrates the casing and causes a lot of noise

Manufacturers may recommend a gap for ease of installation and airflow, but this would not prevent packing the machine as long as a sufficient gap is maintained

Peter_Perfect_3

Assuming that the problem is due to not being on a solid floor, the reasonable solution is to make it as solid as possible. For I had 45mm clearance below the worktop. So I built a 30mm solid plywood platform screwed with 12 screws through to the floorboards and joists. With the remainder of the plywood I made two 10cm x 60cm runners. Paint the runners and where the feet will slide with washing up liquid. Lift the washing machine on the runners and then slide the machine onto platform. Lift the front feet and clean off the washingup liquid. The solution for me made the situation usable. I would be interested if anyone tries this and what their results were like.

viibro1

Floors are simply not designed to effectively support a machine spinning 15lbs of wet washing at 1,500 rpm! I had the problem on a brand new Miele that was shaking our entire 1st floor and resorting the contents of our fridge! Fitted washing machine vibration pads five minutes and the noise and shaking disappeared.

Search 'curio vibration'

Hope this helps.

Steve

Blake558

Just purchased a WMF740G 1400rpm Hotpoint washing machine, I tried a test run with a few small t towels, the machine vibrated itself clear of the units and almost shock other kitchen units apart, when I looked in the kitchen it was almost to the point of pulling the water hose out of the wall or the back of the machine, this is a serious health hazard, the last hotpoint we had lasted for 14 years and only minimal vibration at the end of the cycle. The machine was set up correctly and level. This is going back.

DVardysShadow

Blake558 wrote: »

Just purchased a WMF740G 1400rpm Hotpoint washing machine, I tried a test run with a few small t towels, the machine vibrated itself clear of the units and almost shock other kitchen units apart, when I looked in the kitchen it was almost to the point of pulling the water hose out of the wall or the back of the machine, this is a serious health hazard, the last hotpoint we had lasted for 14 years and only minimal vibration at the end of the cycle. The machine was set up correctly and level. This is going back.

Have you undone the transit bolts?