speed queen new front loader shake

[mhorn]

i bought a new speed queen front loader for my mother,,washes great, holds alot of clothes, but sales lit i read says unit has a good balance system that virtually eliminates vibration, which is not true at all,,, washer is approx 3 months old and when it ramps up to higher speeds in both rinse and then spin it sound like a steam eng starting to take off, at times you hear something banging, the entire cabinet swings left and right,, then when you feel like its going to shake apart it gets quiet and spins fine,,, its level, has rubber cup pads under legs that they sent, i even put a sheet of 3/4 plywood under it to make sure floor was not an issue,,, is this normal,, i love the controlls and it washes good, but i am afraid that its not going to last long,, dealer said thats normal until clothes strech out

 

[golittlesport]

were all shipping bolts removed from rear of the machine at installation?

 

[mhorn]

yes

4 bolts and brace from front and 2 bolts from rear

 

[henene4]

That machine uses balance rings IIRC.

Means there are 2 rings around the drum filled with liquid and/or steel balls.
One is front one is back.

As the machine spins up the liquid distributes exactly opposite to the load.

That might only happen after a certain speed has been reached.

Further, on lower speeds, the frequency of vibration is lower but the amplitude is higher.
As it spins up it vibrates faster but with less travel.

Any (non dynamicly adjustable) suspension can usually only be good a dampening either very good and with washers higher frequency vibrations are more common for a longer part of the spin.

Thus, the lower end rmps might sound louder than one would anticipate.

 

[nmassman44]

These washers perform better in the vibration area if they are installed on a concrete floor. A wooden floor , no matter how well its reinforced will still not be enough to stop the vibrations you describe here. I have my machines on a concrete floor and have zero vibrations ...then again I dont have a Speed Queen...

 

[eronie]

Are you washing mixed loads, or similar items, ie jeans, towels, sheets?

 

[fisherpaykel]

Vibrations on ramp up

Just a thought, did you screw the plywood panel firmly to the existing floor joists?

 

[mhorn]

loads are mixed no sheets, just work paints, shirts and under clothes and towels,, the floor is two layers of wood and now i added 3/4 plywood, used 3 inch scews and fastened then to joist,,when this starts to spin in rinse cycle as it starts to ramp up you can watch thru the glass door that tub shakes around like a flat car tire it shakes, at times makes banging noise, sound like a steam train taking off, then it gives short blast of high speed, you do not feel floor shake just washer going left to right, then when up to full speed quiet,,

 

[combo52]

SQ FL Washer Noise And Vibration

These are not the quietest machines but we have had darn few complaints about vibration in the last 4-5 years that the redesigned machine has been out.

 

I did a warranty service call on a new set installed in a 2nd floor laundry about 8 months ago where the customer had a weak floor [ the SQ dryer sitting next to the washer was moving more than the washer ] I leveled the washer better, set the lock nuts on the feet and installed four sticky over sized foot pads [ From SQ ] and have had no complaint since.

 

In general wash pretty full loads and don't worry about some noise, if you still are not happy have factory service look at it to be sure there is nothing  wrong, but the machine is not going to hurt itself in general, this washer is the most often used washers in hundreds of condo and apartment buildings in the DC area and I have seen no problems with the suspension or failures.

 

John L.

 

[combo52]

SQ FL Washer Noise And Vibration

These are not the quietest machines but we have had darn few complaints about vibration in the last 4-5 years that the redesigned machine has been out.

 

I did a warranty service call on a new set installed in a 2nd floor laundry about 8 months ago where the customer had a weak floor [ the SQ dryer sitting next to the washer was moving more than the washer ] I leveled the washer better, set the lock nuts on the feet and installed four sticky over sized foot pads [ From SQ ] and have had no complaint since.

 

In general wash pretty full loads and don't worry about some noise, if you still are not happy have factory service look at it to be sure there is nothing  wrong, but the machine is not going to hurt itself in general, this washer is the most often used washers in hundreds of condo and apartment buildings in the DC area and I have seen no problems with the suspension or failures.

 

John L.

 

[helicaldrive]

It will be somewhat noisy when it is balancing the load and its balls. This process involves speeding up and slowing down and speeding up again so the balls adjust, and during that the tub will sway horizontally or vertically.

You might be washing loads that are too small. Loosely fill the tub with dry clothes without packing it. Only exception would be jeans, fill it half full because they do not compress when wet. There is an ideal point — if the clothes, once wet, do not go past the halfway mark on the window, then you will get good washing action with no balancing problems. Slightly below the halfway point will yield better washing action.

But if the wet clothing level is, say, only 1/4 to 1/3 up the window, the machine will often need to go through several attempts to balance and the end balance will sometimes be less than ideal. And if you wash only one blanket rather than two, or a partial load of thick towels, the tub could slam into the glass and break it. This is a laundromat machine designed with the assumption it will always be operated full.

My SQ FL is over three years old and it is a very durable commercial duty machine. I am very happy with its performance. I have had no problems, and it gives me much cleaner and whiter clothes than the old fashioned full fill top loaders, with infinitely less detergent and water, and it handles bigger loads too. Once you get through your learning curve with load size and detergent dosing you will be very happy.

 

[jaums]

Name for the big speed ramp-up quiver?

Seems like all washing machines while ramping-up the spin, go through a point somewhat early on when there is a sudden increase in vibrating that quickly goes away as the speed increases. It also happens at the end when the spin is ramping down to a stop.

To a novice, it's kinda scary because it seems like it's tied to the increasing speed and it will continue to grow as the speed grows as if it's doomed to self destruct. But just then, usually, it amazingly smooths out. Or, if it's just too much, the machines slow down to try to re-balance the load.

It seems to be so universal that surely the engineers have a name for it. Anyone know?

 

[rolls_rapide]

Isn't it called 'resonant frequency'?

I noticed that my machine gets very noisy around the 800rpm - 1000rpm, but is substantially quieter, with much less vibration when it increases the speed to 1200rpm or above. That's assuming that the vibration sensor allows the faster speeds to go ahead. Sometimes it stays held at 1000rpm for the whole of the final spin.

The arty-farty indentations of various designs, on the side panels, are supposed to give structural strength whilst interfering with the resonant frequencies.

 

[agiflow4]

Would anyone recommend a Speed Queen front loade for a new double wide "manufactured" home ? My home is well built and well insulated. I really would like to go back to a front loader when the Amana kicks it.