Front load - heavy vibration

[washerdude]

From day 1 our new duet was really promising. But I was a little scared about the vibrations. It was nothing too much. But then, there were those loads that shoke the entire thing. So i got anti vibration pads, they worked. But today I saw how capable it is for shaking the entire house. It never shoke like this. On the final spin, pretty much the whole house was shaking, the laundry room had shelves and you could see the detergent boxes and bottles shaking. The floor was vibrating more then it ever had. But when I went downstaires, the sliding closet door for coats was vibrating so hard that they were very slowly moving. The closet is right under the laundry room. But thats not where it stops, the entire floor on the main floor had some movement and you could feel it as you walked around even the tissues from the tissue box was moving slightly. The chandelier was also swinging, not insane swining but like mm of movement. Clearly something isin't right here.

 

[frigilux]

You might want to consider earthquake insurance! Sounds like the machine went into a spin with a more-than-usually-unbalanced load.

My front-loader is on concrete, so no vibration issues.

 

[launderess]

Is the machine level?

Also what surface does it rest upon?

All H-Axis washing machines are happiest on solid/firm flooring such as concrete. From there some may adapt or be content upon various other types but YMMV.

If you are saying the washing in in basement and rests upon concrete, then the next thing to do is make sure it is level. This may or may not be actually "true" level with a spirit. Sometimes in order to adapt to slight sloping of the floor the best thing to do is level the back legs the while the machine is spinning slightly adjust one or both front legs until the vibrations stop or are minimal.

Being as all this may depending upon your home's structure/design it may not be able to cope with the forces generated by your washer hence the movements.

By design H-axis washers send the forces from spinning down through their legs to be absorbed and dissipated by the flooring into the building.

Finally watch how you are loading your washer. Ideally balanced loads shouldn't cause much if any vibration. If you are constantly having vibration issues that is not good.

 

[lorainfurniture]

1. Make sure machine is level
2. Remove lower panel, inspect shocks. They do wear out. Sometimes they break altogether.
3. Any weird noises during spin? Knocking, or like a plane taking off?

 

[washerdude]

The washer is on the second floor and it resets on ceramic tile. The washer is perfectly level from front to back, and the sides.

 

[mrb627]

In My Opinion...

Anti Vibration pads are more trouble than they are worth. Sure, they may reduce vibration transmission into the floor. But, they tend to be bouncy which causes the machine to shake more with even a slightly unbalanced load. Eventually, the suspension system in the machine will prematurely wear out from the excessive shaking. Pitch them out.

Malcolm

 

[DADoES]

 
Any washer on a 2nd floor is likely going to be problematic for stability.  What's under the ceramic tile floor is of much more consequence than than the tile itself.  Tile over a concrete slab would be fine but I don't imagine there's concrete supporting the tile on a 2nd floor.

 

[launderess]

Second Floor You Say?

What is the subfloor beneath the tile?

If this is a wood frame building then you may have to reinforce the flooring. For the record vibrations from h-axis machines installed on upper floors historically has caused problems.

Miele recommends installing its washers in corners where the flooring is usually strongest if they cannot be placed on solid/firm surfaces.

Agree with the above comments that those anti-vibration pads and even pedestals often are more trouble than they are worth.

 

[washerdude]

Im pretty sure its wood. Also this is a much more newer duet which has no bottom panel and i doubt the shocks have gone bad after 4 months of use.

 

[launderess]

Wood flooring normally has too much give for most h-axis washers liking. Again the washer generates forces that it naturally will send downwards. If not perfectly level and resting on a solid surface there are going to be problems.

Regarding shocks, no they shouldn't go after four months, but then again constant unbalanced/badly vibrating loads aren't doing them any favors. Main purpose of the shocks is to control the drum. More effort they must do the shorter lifespan I shouldn't wonder.

First things first. Check to ensure the unit is level. Often you can tell if the thing is not by watching how it goes into spin. If the machine sinks or moves towards one leg or another that is a clue. Also pressing down on each corner of the machine as there shouldn't be any movement.

Until you sort out the problem would steer clear of high spin speeds which tend to aggravate vibrations under certain conditions. . Also again make sure you are doing proper loads. Not under loading or overloading and other problems that cause vibrations.

 

[washerdude]

Thanks for the info! But now here is the issue with spin speeds, on normal, you can only pick high and medium and not slow. Sure i'd pick medium....but even that speed on normal has been modifed to spin faster then its usual medium spin speed, its almost similiar to its full 1200rpm even on medium on the normal cycle but about 300rpm or so less.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Washer vibration:

Anytime a washer is on ANYTHING other than a concrete slab vibration can be an issue. A perfect example would be my mother's KM DD washer that shook and bounced everywhere on the main floor while an identical machine in the neighbors basement never moved.
About the only washers I can recall that wouldn't bounce and shake the house on a wood floor were BD WP/KM machines. I would guess this had to do with their tremendous weight and lower spin speed.
WK78

 

[mrb627]

Lock Nuts on Feet?

Did the installers put the locking nuts on the feet?

I would loosen the front locking nuts, then on the next spin, get down and touch both front feet. You may be able to identify which foot has the most movement. Adjust that foot to reduce vibration. When acceptable, lock the nuts.

Be prepared to repeat this procedure once or twice a year.

Malcolm

 

[henene4]

If Normal dosen't allow for a slow speed, you might try the Heavy Duty (or simmilar) or Casual (may be called Permanent Press, EasyCare or simmilar) setting with an adapted soil level setting.
To keep drying times short but still have less vibration you might try to have a slow spin first to extract a big amount of water and than to respin the load at full speed.
You might as well think about changing your sorting habbits. Mixed loads of heavy and light items often get tangeled and&#92or are a problem for balancing routines. So you might try to sort into light fabrics (shirts, socks, underwear etc.) and heavy stuff (jeans, heavy cotton sweaters or such).
If nothing helps, in the end your best and most promising solution would be to settle for a toploader. But this is really only the last way out.

 

[retro-man]

You stated the machine is only 4 months old. I would call for servicing under warranty. Let them check the machine over, esp if this problem just started after 4 months of normal service.
Jon

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Duet

My Duet had similar issues. The lock nuts were not tightened. However, this had little effect. Where my machine is located is a cement slab, but it is on the pedestal. I do not like it because it causes this excess vibration and load out of balance issues. I have used other Duets that do not have this issue on a second floor without the pedestal. If you have one, it could be the culprit. Call someone out and see what they say, it is free after all.

 

[imperial70]

I agree with Malcom wrt the vibration pads.  Listen to what Laundress is saying carefully about the leveling technique.  I used the same technique a few years ago and have had trouble free spinning on a wood / vinyl tile floor.   The machine gets up to 1300 RPMs with minimal vibration.

 

OBTW:  My latest front load has adaptive vibration control.  There is a setting for the type of floor the machine rests upon.  Not sure if Whirlpool has something similar?

 

paul

 

[washerdude]

I noticed something about the feet when I was feeling for movements. Every foot has a bent part. Could this be the majority of the reason why it vibrates a lot?

 

[launderess]

Unless Something New Has Been Added

No, leveling feet/legs shouldn't bend or be anything else but straight. However this is easily sorted by looking up the part number online and comparing.

Would be highly unusual for all four legs to be bent on a brand new machine. Who installed the unit? Since the washer is still under warranty I'd contact Whirlpool ASAP and request replacements.

Are the stems of your machine's feet metal or plastic? Cannot imagine a front loader so out of balance it would destroy all four feet and not take down your house or a itself in the process.

http://https//secured.whirlpool.com...5f05852571d20046cadc/$FILE/8178587_rev_gb.pdf