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I’ve remodeled a home which entailed adding a laundry room on the second floor (previously located in the basement). The washing machine selected is a front loading model. When the spin cycle kicks on this machine you would think the thing is about to take off and the floor shakes enough to rattle pictures on the first floor.
I need to dampen the minor earthquake created by this machine. I commented to a manufacturer’s tech and his response was that it is normally not a problem because these things are usually sitting on a slab floor.
So here’s the idea. I lay a concrete slab under the appliances on the 2nd floor. Anyone think that this will dampen the vibrations?
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Sounds more like your machine is not level or balanced to shake that much.
Check it first and make sure all the adjustment legs are snug to the floor and one is not suspended.
Gabe
*the mfr's rep is blowin smoke... and forgeddabout the concrete..it ain't gonna solve the problem..BTW... laundry's belong ringt where you put it.. as close to the bedrooms as you can get them..
*Rep is full of soap suds.check the level would be right advice for a toploader but I don't know about front loader - worth a look to be sure.
*Just installed a front loader washer/dryer on the second floor and the homeowner commented that it was the dryer that produced the more noticeable noise downstairs directly below.
*Is it an older machine? Is the owner overloading the machine?I get the impression that there are some sort of spring dampers which significantly effect the amount of vibrartion and that they lose functionality over time or with overloading.As others have noted, the manufacturer's rep ought to get out more often. New construction in my area (where most houses are basement and/or crawl, very few on slab) almost always has the laundry on framed floors.
*I assure all of you that it's NOT the level, improper loading or overloading (a top loader by it's very nature cannot have an off balance load and overloading is tough to do on these puppies). Having owned one of the Maytag Neptune stackables for the last year+ I assure you that they're designed to sound like a Rolls-Royce engine on a Boeing 747-400. The new front loaders are very different sounding than traditional top loaders.Mine is not on a slab and does tranmit a bunch of noise below (but to an empty crawl space). I think your best bet is to treat the space like a sound booth with extra layers of drywall, heavy insulation all the way around and try putting it on dense rubber machine pads. Also, make sure to put it behind doors - that seems to cut most of the noise level down in my house.A final piece of advise, don't put any thing on top (like the iron or your favorite Waterford crystal lamp) that can fall and break. It'll be on the floor in no time.Good luck and happy earplug shopping!Seth
*Did I say "top loader by it's very nature". Sorry, meant Front Loader.
*I'm beginning to think the difference between your experiences lies more in the brand of washer or it's state of repair than the front or top loading issue.My Whirlpool front loader is the quietest washer I've ever had.
*Dido on the front load washer. Had to talk my wife into it, now she loves it so much she wants a new dryer, oh well. The best quietest thing I ever owned. Sits on joists over basement. Have a friend who poured a concrete curb under washer and dryer 3.5 inches high, works great and raises washer and dryer for less back fatigue.
*Bought the G.E. front loading washer and dryer and they are very quiet. I'd try talking to a different service rep. and contact the manufacturer to make sure proper leveling and balancing procedures are followed. Spin cycle on the front loaders is very fast compared to top-loaders but you should not have that much vibration transmitted to first floor.
*I just installed a brand new Sears Kenmore front loader in my newly remodeled 2nd floor bathroom, complete with new subfloor, underlayment, and vinyl tile. This washer is perfectly level. I bought it in part due to recommendations from folks on this site in an earlier conversation, who remarked that front loaders were much quieter than top loaders. What a disaster it's been so far. I've run about 15 loads of wash, of varying sizes, and every one of them produces a minor earthquake when it hits the spin cycle, with the washer dancing around the floor. I've never seen anything like it, and am stumped about what to do (I no longer have any other place in the house to put my laundry).Some folks are speculating here that the machines really to differ in vibration. Does anyone know if there is any source for comparisons on these matters? Consumer Reports checks washers to see which gets the most ketchup out of your shirts, but I don't recall that they discuss vibration.Any suggestions for adding a super vibration dampening pad under the washer?
*I agree with the others that this is likely a machine problem. But I would think, just a thumbnail estimate, that a 30" by 30" slab poured at 3" would neither overload the floor system, assuming a standard rating, and would tend to dampen any vibrations. Please consult a more authoritative source before pouring it.
*I think part of the problem is that you are on the second floor.The floor/wall system is resonating from the washer.You can change the resonance of the floor/wall system with the concrete but perhaps a heavy industrial rubber pad would work as well.
*It just dawned on me that there is a similar situation that comes up frequently. Large, heavy, noisy and poorly balanced AC units are mounted on commercial buildings every day. Those steel joists and corrigated decks can resonate loudly.A ,sometimes only partial solution, is special vibration mounts. The ones I am thinking of are about 4" in diamiter , about 3" tall, and have a telescoping black ABS shell and a mix of springs and rubber cushions to absorb the vibrations. I have heard, literaly, that they can do wonders. These, or similar, should be available at an AC supplier. I wasn't directly involved with these beasts but was in the area making a repair. Also I have had good luck talking to the counter help at a local AC wholesaler when tryng to solve unusual problems.
*On some of these washers the counterweights have shipping bolts that need to be removed. KK