Walking top loaded washing machine
- Thread starter TryAgain1
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No the load isn't balanced lots of large items get washed all the time I don't have any control over bulky items being washed
Laminate is unsuitable for kitchen , not stable enough for a washing machine .
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If you open the top, the drum should be on springs - you can shove it about to feel if something's assymetric (or fixed).
My machine is on a stiff tiled floor. Concrete floors are not immune either. If your floor is actually bouncing (resonating) then that's worst case of course. I called AEG and that's the first thing they asked: "Is it a solid or tiled floor", and then said to use pads. There's a really slight, barely detectable slope and it goes downhill, so I adjusted out the feet on the downhill side (the direction it walks). That more or less stopped it moving. I put a pile of cut carpet tiles under the feet which stopped it, but they're a bit of a nuisance so I took them out. It comes slightly forward so I just shove it back once in a while.
If I put something heavy in it like a rubber-backed mat, it gets excited and you can move it with a slight slide pressure.
The ideal solution - as with a car suspension, is to relatively increase the non-vibrating mass. In a WMac that'll be a block of concrete bolted to the case. But the more they make the drum hold, the less room there is for that, and the shorter they have to make the suspension springs. Bigger diameter drums exacerbate the vibration energy too of course. Top loaders are less heavy than front loaders, about 50kg rather than 70 ( I checked). That's against you.
If you're desperate, you need an engineered vibration absorbing material which is designed to turn the energy to heat, so rather than acting like a spring it's like a shock absorber. Car tyres are like that, you don't want a "bouncy" rubber. I have to use such stuff under high-mag microscopes. A couple of mine weigh 15-25kg (a lot) which helps, but you still have to isolate them from the building movements. A reverse of the WM situation, but direction doesn't matter. The best remedy is Sorbothane(TM) from Sorbothane.com . You look up the mass and the frequency to select for which foot thickness and material you need. You may find it rather expensive. You can get the mats on Amazon but they don't work the maths for you, use the maker's website. You'll need the higher Durometer stuff I expect - allow say 15kg per foot.
Your load per area of foot is quite high so really you'd use a spreader plate under the foot (like a carpet-protecting cup) - it gets more complicated.
A single sheet of Sorbothane would be most convenient, below those plates, but most of it would be wasted.
The distribution (rotation) speed of the machine is set to line the drum evenly with your basket of socks before it spins. In a front loader you can see the said socks just falling off the inside of the top of the drum as it goes round, so they roll around and spread evenly. It's drum size dependent, something around 30 rpm. (It's a standard school maths question.). The speed can be off if there's a fault, but you can't distribute a doormat.
My machine is on a stiff tiled floor. Concrete floors are not immune either. If your floor is actually bouncing (resonating) then that's worst case of course. I called AEG and that's the first thing they asked: "Is it a solid or tiled floor", and then said to use pads. There's a really slight, barely detectable slope and it goes downhill, so I adjusted out the feet on the downhill side (the direction it walks). That more or less stopped it moving. I put a pile of cut carpet tiles under the feet which stopped it, but they're a bit of a nuisance so I took them out. It comes slightly forward so I just shove it back once in a while.
If I put something heavy in it like a rubber-backed mat, it gets excited and you can move it with a slight slide pressure.
The ideal solution - as with a car suspension, is to relatively increase the non-vibrating mass. In a WMac that'll be a block of concrete bolted to the case. But the more they make the drum hold, the less room there is for that, and the shorter they have to make the suspension springs. Bigger diameter drums exacerbate the vibration energy too of course. Top loaders are less heavy than front loaders, about 50kg rather than 70 ( I checked). That's against you.
If you're desperate, you need an engineered vibration absorbing material which is designed to turn the energy to heat, so rather than acting like a spring it's like a shock absorber. Car tyres are like that, you don't want a "bouncy" rubber. I have to use such stuff under high-mag microscopes. A couple of mine weigh 15-25kg (a lot) which helps, but you still have to isolate them from the building movements. A reverse of the WM situation, but direction doesn't matter. The best remedy is Sorbothane(TM) from Sorbothane.com . You look up the mass and the frequency to select for which foot thickness and material you need. You may find it rather expensive. You can get the mats on Amazon but they don't work the maths for you, use the maker's website. You'll need the higher Durometer stuff I expect - allow say 15kg per foot.
Your load per area of foot is quite high so really you'd use a spreader plate under the foot (like a carpet-protecting cup) - it gets more complicated.
A single sheet of Sorbothane would be most convenient, below those plates, but most of it would be wasted.
The distribution (rotation) speed of the machine is set to line the drum evenly with your basket of socks before it spins. In a front loader you can see the said socks just falling off the inside of the top of the drum as it goes round, so they roll around and spread evenly. It's drum size dependent, something around 30 rpm. (It's a standard school maths question.). The speed can be off if there's a fault, but you can't distribute a doormat.
I screwed down 18mm plywood through the laminate into 18mm chipboard flooring and the washing machine still occasionally walks
So I should cut the laminate out and have the washing machine sat flat on 18mm chipboard?
First, check that all the transit bolts were removed during installation and that the machine doesn’t rock when you press down on each corner. Also make sure the laundry is evenly distributed, as a single heavy item can cause severe movement. If those checks don’t help, stop using the spin cycle and arrange the manufacturer’s call-out, as the suspension or drum-balancing system may need attention.
The transit bolts were removed and the machine is solid ie does not rock when pressed down on each corner. Since screwing down 18mm plywood through the floating (unsecured cheap) laminate into the 18mm chipboard (floorboard) and screwing the floating laminate (further away) down around the washing machine; the washing machine no longer walks (so far). The original side loaded washing machine previously used sat directly onto the 18mm chipboard (floorboard) and did not walk about
That suggests the movement was caused by the floating laminate flexing or sliding rather than a fault with the machine. The plywood has created a firmer base, but keep an eye on the surrounding laminate because floating floors need room to expand and screwing them down can sometimes cause lifting or buckling. If it remains stable through several full spin cycles, you’ve probably identified the problem.
The Left Hand Side of the floating floor flexed up/down originally (prior to the plywood) by a mm or so each spin cycle on the top left foot (of the washing machine) would move leftwards. The other laminate sections were pushed under skirting board so mechanically fixed. The washing machine is in a corner so 2/4 edges so 3 edges of the washing machine are sat on fixed (under skirting board) laminate. Originally every spincycle the front left WM foot (only corner not on fixed laminate) would walk leftwards. So after at least 3 spin cycles the washing machine does not move. And I also screwed down the laminate on another area. Said laminate is all under counter top so no chance of someone walking on the laminate causing life
That makes sense and confirms the unsupported section of laminate was allowing the front-left foot to move during spinning. The plywood has now given all four feet a firm, consistent base. If it stays level and doesn’t move or vibrate excessively over the next few washes, it sounds like the issue is resolved. I’d just occasionally check the surrounding laminate for any lifting caused by expansion.
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