I keep seeing balancing rings on washers, but I have no idea how they actually help balance a spinning load. Thanks to any and all who can provide information on this admittedly very basic question.
How Do Spin Balancing Rings Work?
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SactoTeddyBear
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Re: Spin Balance Rings:
Are filled with approx 1/2 to 3/4 full of a Fluid {not sure of what it is} that when the Load starts to Spin, if it goes Off-Balance, the Spin Balance Ring Fluid Shifts towards the opposite side from the Unbalanced Load, to Counterbalance the Tub, in hopes to more evenly Balance the Unbalanced Load. This will allow an almost perfect Balanced Spin, from the Load.
I'm not sure of other Brands, but I do know for sure that the Whirlpool and Kenmore Model Washers have the Spin Balance Rings, ever since the Direct-Drive Washers were being Manufactured.
I hope that this helps you with your inquiry Eugene.
Peace and Fun Laundry Times, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...
Are filled with approx 1/2 to 3/4 full of a Fluid {not sure of what it is} that when the Load starts to Spin, if it goes Off-Balance, the Spin Balance Ring Fluid Shifts towards the opposite side from the Unbalanced Load, to Counterbalance the Tub, in hopes to more evenly Balance the Unbalanced Load. This will allow an almost perfect Balanced Spin, from the Load.
I'm not sure of other Brands, but I do know for sure that the Whirlpool and Kenmore Model Washers have the Spin Balance Rings, ever since the Direct-Drive Washers were being Manufactured.
I hope that this helps you with your inquiry Eugene.
Peace and Fun Laundry Times, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...
Maytag was the first to patent and use a liquid spin balancer ring on top of the tub in their AMP models. It was filled with a light weight oil. I do not know the specific physics behind it, but liquid tends to gather on the opposite side of the unbalance. Modern washers are using a water filled ring, it works just OK but other methods are still needed to balance the load.
Frigidaire used steel filings in the tub ring and then sealed it with a plastic plug & glue. The ring was not packed to the point where these cannot shift. We took Robert the parts of a WO-65 some years ago and put the tub in the van on its side. The filings settled and the first spin attempt was a disaster.
After the AMP series, Maytag went to a ring at the top of the tub filled with cement as did Hotpoint, and probably many others with solid tubs.
Even the tub rings that are not liquid filled act as an inertia weight for stability.
WP-made machines had that D-shaped tub opening with a snubber riding on it to stabilize the wiggles, but with the heavier suspension of the old machines and the weight of the load low in the tub after the drain when the spin started, they did not need more at the top. With small loads, washers that used a spin/drain were more likely to have the water swirl the items together and make the load unbalanced so they needed the heavy top ring to prevent the tub from swinging too wildly during the drain with the hope that, if the washer could spin most of the water out, the load might lose enough weight that the ring would weigh enough to keep the top of the tub stable during spin. I guess we have all seen Maytags drain and the tub sometimes starts swinging around to the point where you think the unbalance switch will trip, but then a good deal of the time it will become more stable as the speed increases and more water is spun out of the fabrics.
The new WP made machines don't have the snubber at the top of the tub anymore so the water-filled ring might be its replacement. If you remember, the original design of the direct drive machines did not have the neutral drain, so they gave it a balance ring like other washers that spin/drain. The tub ring is only partially filled with water so that if it freezes, it does not crack the plastic ring. If you have noticed a new WP-made washer spin with an unbalanced load, the suspension is such that the unbalanced side tips downward as well as sideways. As I have heard it explained, that, along with the spinning motion is supposed to force the water in the ring up to the higher side to add weight at the top of the tub on the lighter side to help even the forces at the top where they are more magnified than at the base where the weight of the motor and tranny, along with the stabilizer springs, limits the pivot. With no unbalance switch in the WP and KA versions, if they cannot balance, they will just thump and bang their way through to the end of the spin.
After the AMP series, Maytag went to a ring at the top of the tub filled with cement as did Hotpoint, and probably many others with solid tubs.
Even the tub rings that are not liquid filled act as an inertia weight for stability.
WP-made machines had that D-shaped tub opening with a snubber riding on it to stabilize the wiggles, but with the heavier suspension of the old machines and the weight of the load low in the tub after the drain when the spin started, they did not need more at the top. With small loads, washers that used a spin/drain were more likely to have the water swirl the items together and make the load unbalanced so they needed the heavy top ring to prevent the tub from swinging too wildly during the drain with the hope that, if the washer could spin most of the water out, the load might lose enough weight that the ring would weigh enough to keep the top of the tub stable during spin. I guess we have all seen Maytags drain and the tub sometimes starts swinging around to the point where you think the unbalance switch will trip, but then a good deal of the time it will become more stable as the speed increases and more water is spun out of the fabrics.
The new WP made machines don't have the snubber at the top of the tub anymore so the water-filled ring might be its replacement. If you remember, the original design of the direct drive machines did not have the neutral drain, so they gave it a balance ring like other washers that spin/drain. The tub ring is only partially filled with water so that if it freezes, it does not crack the plastic ring. If you have noticed a new WP-made washer spin with an unbalanced load, the suspension is such that the unbalanced side tips downward as well as sideways. As I have heard it explained, that, along with the spinning motion is supposed to force the water in the ring up to the higher side to add weight at the top of the tub on the lighter side to help even the forces at the top where they are more magnified than at the base where the weight of the motor and tranny, along with the stabilizer springs, limits the pivot. With no unbalance switch in the WP and KA versions, if they cannot balance, they will just thump and bang their way through to the end of the spin.
Can someone tell me what is in the GE FF balancing ring?
Sand or graphite?
Sand or graphite?
Thanks for the info, everyone! It's SO nice to have all you knowledgeable people around the house.
knitwits1975
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Don't think the filter flos had a balancing ring.
andrewinorlando
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Filter Flo washers use a cement cinderblock at the bottom of the machine to balance the load. The block is stationary. Not quite sure of the physics behind this. But it sure makes those suckers heavy.
westytoploader
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Actually, the Filter-Flos do have a balance ring at the top, and while I've heard the Frigidaire solid tubs weigh the most, the GE perforated tubs still weigh a ton! I'm still wondering how I was able to get the tub out of the Dispensall and put it back in single-handedly.
knitwits1975
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I guess that explains the diesel locomotive noise on the spin cycle.
GE balance ring
I believe the GE balance rings have a saltwater solution in their new-style washers.
I believe the GE balance rings have a saltwater solution in their new-style washers.
