We have a new Bosch front loader washing machine and MUST have it on the second floor.
The vibrations are threatening to wreck havoc with the ceiling fixtures and shelving on the first floor and generally sound like and feel like an airplane is landing in our house. Also, once the machine starts to ‘walk’ the spin is less effective and I end up redoing the spin cycle and then more hellish vibrations…
What can we do about this? How, structurally should we reenforce the floor under it?
Replies
Before you go crazy with structural reinforcing, try putting a 1/4" or 1/2" thick rubber mat under the washer. It may be enough to damp the vibrations.
Bob
i just had a maytag front load washer and dryer delivered last week. the primates who delivered the units knew nothing about the installation procedures...neither do I but I don't install appliances for a living. i soon found out they did not remove the shipping bolts. as soon as the first load hit the spin cycle the washer was jumping three inches off the floor.
check to make sure all of the installation instructions were followed.
The machine should not be vibrating that much. Front loaders are supposed to be very well balanced. I have one that repalced a second floor top loader that used to shake the whole house. The new machine is a front loader that spins much faster but does not shake the house at all.
I'd talk to the vendor who sold the machine and maybe to Bosch. If it is running normally then you need to isolate the vibration by setting the machine on a rubber surface designed to isolate the vibration from the structure.
Stiffening the structure of your house could actually make it worse. The idea is to uncouple the source (machine) from the structure.
is it level??
You also may want to check the owner's manual to see if there are some shipping straps or supports that should have been removed when installed.
These straps and blocks (if they are in there) are installed at the factory to keep the innards from bouncing around during shipment and install. When removed, internal springs and counterbalances within the washer are then free to absorb these vibrations.
It's worth checking out. . .
We brought a front load Maytag Neptune a few months ago. After checking around we found that most front load washers are not designed to function on wood floors. One model (don't recall which) specifically stated it had to be used on a slab. We chose the Maytag model after the dealer in our area guaranteed it would work on our second floor home or he would take it back and give us a full refund. Our floor is a 26 ft. clear span and it works very well. You notice when it spins but the vibrations are less than from our old top loader. As to your question what to do about it. I do have a friend who has a Whirlpool on a wood floor and she just doesn't run it on the high spin cycle. You might call the company and talk to a rep. for ideas, worst case you may not be able to fix it. The rubber mat will do nothing and may make it worse.
I've had a Whirlpool Duet for about 4 years. It's installed on a framed platform to raise it to a height that cuts down on the bending over. It's quite as mouse. I'd check the unit as advised above. One of my wife's relatives has a Bosch on a framed floor and there's no problem there.
Birth, school, work, death.....................
http://grantlogan.net/
I used to be a Maytag repairman . We started to have lots of problems with moving washers when they were in spin. It turned out that in most cases the units were on ceramic floors. Ceramic floors were just starting to be popular. Even bandnew homes were experiencing this problem. Every wooden floor has a certain amount of bounce and combined with a ceramic floor the units used to skate across the floor.
We had this one call where the laundry room was accessed by one door and the washer had moved away from the wall and blocked the door from opening in. That call was fun. The Maytag guy wasn't loney that day.
roger
have a friend who is an hvac guy who kinda had the same problem... he just likes quite... his washer & dryer are on a platform hung from the ceiling prob not more than 1/2 off the floor if that...with the same type spring damper deals that he hangs big AC units with... the way he did it looking at them u really wouldn't know... but they are isolated from about everything... I'm sure thats not the fix to your problem... just made me think about it
p
Ditto on the previous advice. We've had out front-loading washer for a few years (on a wood floor), and it is super quiet. It's a lot quieter than the old top-loading agitator-style washer we replaced.
I installed it myself, and there were a couple stabilizer rods (for shipping) that needed to be removed; would not be good if something similar was left inside your washer. Also, there's a counter-balance weight that must be in proper position to work correctly.
When I was looking into front loading washers over a year ago, I seem to recall people having this exact problem with front loaders.
One solution I saw mentioned more than once was to have the unit on something with more mass... I think in one case the owner actually poured a 3'x3'x1" deep concrete slab for a mini foundation for the unit to rest on.
Funny thing about the installers, they left me with the electric dryer instructions, not the gas dryer that I bought.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Trade it in for a wringer washer...
<trade it in for a wringer washer...>and put it on the front porch.............Birth, school, work, death.....................
http://grantlogan.net/
You gotta problem with that?
Here is a directly related thread that approaches the issue from a slightly different angle:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=66366.1
I feel your pain.
Solution:
a. Confirm the packing screws have been removed. Chances are they have - but still confirm.
b. You need to increase the mass below your machine. This means you need to pour a concrete pad which is the width and depth of your machine and 3" - 4" thick. You may want to include a membrane between the pad and the existing floor so it can be removed if needed. Pad MUST be poured in place. Form should have 4 sides but no bottom panel.
c. Be 100% certain that the top of the slab is level in all directions. It is a TLC job.
d. Be certain the machine is level and all its feet are touching the pad firmly.
One last thing - DO NOT add ANY kind of cushion - rubber, dense foam or otherwise - below the machine. It will not act as a vibration isolator. It will actually increase the wobble.
Been there. Done that.
Let us know how it works out.
Frankie
There he goes—one of God's own prototypes—a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.
—Hunter S. Thompson
from Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
Edited 12/31/2005 12:37 pm ET by Frankie
Before pouring a concrete pad, evaluate the strength of the floor. Dunno the weight of 4" of concrete offhand, but it ain't light.Make the pad wide enough to fit under both washer and dryer, and include some reenforcing rod/mesh. This will spread the vibration over more joists.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
just curious if a pad for an outdoor ac unit would work...help
p
Well, Shirley, what happened!
I work for a company that gets letters from homeowners with this exact problem all the time. Most mc-mansions these days have a 2nd floor laundry room. The only solution (after making sure the unit is level, etc.) is to send the machine back and get a large top-loader. The companies are aware of the problem. Not sure if they're working on a solution.