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We have an LG front loading washer that vibrates violently and walks when it goes into the spin cycle. Our house is wood framed, built in 1991, and our laundry room floor is vinyl.

We've had multiple service calls and while the inner drum was replaced, the last call verified there was nothing wrong with the washer itself. I've confirmed it's level and we've also tried turning on LG's SPINSENSE mode (recommended for use on wood floors or flooring with less support) and rubber feet - neither of which remedied the issue. We're basically down to low spin speed for everything and even still there is walking.

We're now at the point where we're exploring different options to reinforce the laundry room floor:

  1. Re-adhere the sub-floor from above with additional screws then replacing vinyl with ceramic tile
  2. Reinforce the floor from below with 4x6 beams going perpendicular to the main support joists

Before going any further with hiring a contractor, we were wondering if either (or both) of these options would resolve our issues. We've heard similar stories of front loaders walking in cement basements, so not sure if a stronger foundation is the solution, or if we should just go with a top loader.

Thoughts?

Tim Brennan
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2 Answers2

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this is a common problem and is most easily remedied by one of two approaches (and this is entirely assuming the unit is in good working order and the harmonic balancer is in good shape and balance)

1) restrain the unit - just mount angle iron or wood or whatever around the base to keep it from moving. just ensure that you have a thick foam pad or strip around the base where the appliance "rubs" the restraint frame. this will absorb some of the vibration and damp the transferred vibrational energy.

2) replace the leveling feet with urethane elastomer vibration dampers (sorbothane or some such product - these are not just rubber feet). they simply thread into the holes where the leveling feet were (just buy the right thread or some adapter to make it work). they come in many different heights, styles, etc. and though expensive, are far cheaper than reinforcing the floor or any such approach. see here for details:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-vibration-damping-mounts/=12buqho

fyi - i have done this for many customers machines and have even used a set on the washer we owned before our current unit - it fixed the problem essentially instantaneously

personal privacy advocate
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Before attempting any sort of repairs to the house, I would first try to verify if the issue is with the house or the machine.

Take the machine outside somewhere that you have a concrete pad (patio/driveway/etc). Make sure it is level and run a garden hose to the cold water. Then run it on cold without soap (so you don't have to deal with any sort of local waste draining laws) and see if it still hops/walks. Note that many washing machines won't drain properly if the drain hose doesn't go higher than the top of the unit (or at least the water level inside the unit) so you may have to rig up something ("A frame" ladder comes to mind if you have one) to hold the drain hose.

If the unit works fine on a concrete base then you very well might have a flooring issue. However, before I started ripping out the flooring in my house to reinforce the joists. I would try to reinforce on top of the existing flooring first. You might be able to get away with an extra, thick piece of plywood or even a thin steel plate

kinar
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