Washer shaking on 2nd floor - Need suggestions

[BADSIX]

good post kevin

 

[NitroPress]

Re: Washer shanking on 2nd floor - Need suggestions

I'd do a search on the net to see what most people have done to solve the problem.

He's gotten every answer there is and I don't find fault with most of them (although I don't think most of the fixes will work well enough to really solve the problem). It's up to the OP to pick a fix and implement it, not keep searching for repeats of the same answers...

 

[treasureseeker]

Re: Washer shanking on 2nd floor - Need suggestions

Wow!!! After going back and reading all the postings, I'd just throw the washer to the curb and get a toploader. Let's see, you are going to have porch swing springs added to it, Isolation pads under it, a two ton piece of steel bolted to the floor with cattle pads, foam and concrete on top of that and God knows what else has been suggested. THis sounds like the grounds for a new show on Discovery Channel...Extreme Home Repairs

I'd do a search on the net to see what most people have done to solve the problem. Here is one site that has Bosch machines with problems and fixes http://www.fixya.com/support/bosch/washing_machines

But if the cattle pads don't work the OP has an excuse to get a Pony.

 

[Ron Lombardo]

You could try Vibration Isolators fastened to the bottom of the washer .. this what I did .. only problem they raise the washer another 4". The real solution is a Inertia Base ... but usually they weigh as much as the equipment you trying to quiet so in a redidential hosue the load would be too much .. i quieted mine down with 4 Isolators.

Ron

 

[StRacerDuke]

Update for those of you who may use this thread as future research:

After the repair man said it functioned as designed and the vibrations were not out of the ordinary we purchased some vibration reduction feet for the washer and a matching pair for the dryer. The feet helped the washer slightly but it was still not correct.

Note the dryer started acting up. When the repair man came out to check on the dryer he found the vibration feet actually caused the structure to flex and dislodged some of the rear bracing. He fixed it under warranty and recommended removing the feed. After removing the vibration feed everything worked fine again.

The next step on the washer was to further isolate it from the floor. I purchased a few shop foam pads and put them on the floor, followed by a piece of plywood, the the vibration feet. This basically created two layers of absorption. When we ran the washer on the lowest spin cycle it was much better, but still not perfect.

After a lot of research we just gave up and purchased a new washer. We ended up with an Electrolux front loader. They were the only company that offered a buy back guarantee if their washers shook the house on the second floor. I'm happy to report that the washer has been perfect from day one. Zero shaking even without the vibration feet.

Just a side note to those who were in the re-enforce the structure camp:

One thing I left out from my original posts by mistake is that the washer is directly over a 30' steel I-Beam used as one of the main structures of the house (custom home). The load is transferred through steel supports into the foundation walls. Improving the substructure wouldn't have done anything in this scenario unfortunately.

I suspect that either we had a bad Bosch washer that was deemed okay by the quality control group at Bosch or all Bosch washers shake like ours did.

 

[JunkBonds]

Re: Washer shanking on 2nd floor - Need suggestions

It's common knowledge (or should be - for salesmen at least), and most second floors don't qualify.

That is a really nutty thing to suggest. (not poking at you Nitro).

My laundry is in on the main floor and it still shakes.

Really, main floor or second storey...they are built the same.

 

[NitroPress]

Not to poke back, JB, but there is considerable difference between ground-floor and upper-story construction, even over basements. Some older houses might be as sturdily built on the uppers because craftsmen used to do it that way, but the vast majority of houses built in the last 50 years use much lighter construction, with greatly reduced rigidity, in the second floor. There is a blanket recommendation against upper-floor laundries for good reasons.

If your laundry shakes on the first floor, I'd say you either have structural issues you shouldn't have, or a really violent washer. Adequate construction, especially if the laundry room is part of the original layout, should limit shake in a first-floor installation.

 

[BUCKNERBUCK2]

I have a Bosch on the 2nd floor. It does indeed shake. Turned the spin cycle down, but I honestly don't worry about it much? Certainly not enough to carry the 220 lb machine out and lose money on the deal. It doesn't move, and what will it hurt?

 

[Falcon67]

X2 on Samsung - ours has some kind of "vibration reduction technology" built in. However, in our old pier and beam house it had to sit on a chunk of stall blanket to keep it still. You could still feel some vibs with your fingers on the end tables in the front of the house. It will still go nutso if a large load of towels mixed with jeans gets cockeyed in the machine. Otherwise, it's been good. The old house was built in 1928 and even a top loader out of balance would shake the hell out of the place.

Funny note - our new house has tile in the laundry. It's also a slab on grade. I noticed that when the washer got a little out of balance, it would scoot around on the glazed tile. I set the washer on it's stall blanket - and both washer and blanket scoot around on the floor. I ended up pulling out the blanket and just letting the washer make a right turn into the wall when it feels like it.

 

[BigE]

Update for those of you who may use this thread as future research:

Just a side note to those who were in the re-enforce the structure camp:

One thing I left out from my original posts by mistake is that the washer is directly over a 30' steel I-Beam used as one of the main structures of the house (custom home). The load is transferred through steel supports into the foundation walls. Improving the substructure wouldn't have done anything in this scenario unfortunately.

I suspect that either we had a bad Bosch washer that was deemed okay by the quality control group at Bosch or all Bosch washers shake like ours did.

No offense, but unless the I-Beam was as wide as the washer and the washer sat directly on it, it doesn't rule out reinforcement.