How to Reduce Vibrations from a Washer and Dryer

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By TigressCalliope
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Front loaders are notoriously shaky

You just got a brand new washer, and you're excited as all get out to use it. But when it gets to the spin cycle--or maybe even earlier--you hear a noise that sounds like your house is falling down. In fact, it feels that way, too. A washing machine that vibrates too much can actually cause structural damage. Some vibration and a bit of noise is normal. But not the kind that has you running to the washer at top speed. So what to do!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Wrench
Level
Cow/horse mat
Utility knife

Step 1

A brace that holds a bolt in place

Remove the shipping bolts and braces. On the back of the washer, are four bolts that are used to keep the washer from getting damaged during shipping. Check to be sure these are removed. If not, remove them with a wrench. It's shocking how often delivery people don't remove them, OR don't remove the braces that keep the bolts in place. Make sure these, too, have been removed.
Step 2

Level the washer. If there are feet on your washer, use a level to see that the four feet are even. If not, the washer will vibrate back and forth on the legs. The feet are easily leveled by turning a knob on them.
Step 3

Don't use a pedastal. The new pedestals are handy, but they make for more vibration.
Step 4

Put the washer on a concrete floor. Most serious vibration problems occur on the first or second floors of a house. Concrete tends to deaden vibration problems. If you don't want to put your washer in the basement (the most likley place for concrete), consider changing the flooring underneath your machine. Wood and tile create the worst vibrations. Carpet is a bad option too, since if your washer leaks, it's toast. Basically, consider concrete.
Step 5

Here's an example of a horse mat.

If none of these work, there's a sure-fire way to reduce vibrations. Buy a horse or cow mat. These thick rubber mats are for use in stables. So you'll need to find a tack shop either online or locally to purchase one. Expect it to weigh about 100 lbs. They cost about $50. Buy a size that is larger than the area you need. Cut it to size with a utility knife. Finally, you can use your washer without sitting on top of it, trying to keep it from moving across the floor!

Comments

jayellobee said

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on 11/11/2009 Hate to dampen toonz simple and cheap 'effective' idea for reducing vibration but about 2 years ago I tried this on a stacked, in the closet front loading washer/dryer. It worked initially but I believe all it did was transfer the vibration to the walls and cause (hopefully mild) structural issues as the wall boards/floor joists have now been wiggled. Keep the noodles in the pool.

t00nz said

on 9/20/2009 Here's the simplest and cheapest way yet to reduce those vibrations. Don't be fooled by its simplicity. It is very effective as it directly dampens the vibrations:

http://washervibrationfix.blogspot.com/

willa123 said

on 1/21/2009 Great comments I had this problem and I feel alot of these suggestions are commonly looked over mistakes, Quick little not to comment #5, there is a simpler solution, there are companies out there that make "feet" or "pads" specifically for this application, the best I have seen are the ones from www.vibrationsolution.com

"if none of these work, there's a sure-fire way to reduce vibrations. Buy a horse or cow mat. These thick rubber mats are for use in stables. So you'll need to find a tack shop either online or locally to purchase one. Expect it to weigh about 100 lbs. They cost about $50. Buy a size that is larger than the area you need. Cut it to size with a utility knife. Finally, you can use your washer without sitting on top of it, trying to keep it from moving across the floor"