# New washer for second story laundry room



## NoHax (Feb 20, 2009)

Several years ago I was experiencing this same aggravation with a shaking and rattling house when my washer was on the spin cycle. It was time to replace my old worn-out Sears Kenmore washer that would wake the dead by shaking our house so much. I was very impressed with a top-loading Maytag washer after the Maytag salesman tossed in several huge encyclopedia-sized phone books and then selected the spin cycle for a waterless spin test. Very minimal noise and vibration were present with a very out-of-balance load condition inside the washer drum. My wife and I were impressed, so we purchased one. 

On the pier-and-beam wood floor in my house, the vibration was dampened considerably but not entirely eliminated by using the new Maytag washer. Since your laundry room is on the second floor of your house, the wood subfloor (as you know all too well) is an excellent conduit to broadcast the vibrations, shaking and noise throughout your home.

If a new washer doesn't cure your vibration problem, then you will have to attack it by externally dampening the vibrations before they reach the floor to transmit throughout your house. This is a cheaper solution than ripping up the second floor and rebuilding your house. Depending on how cheap (bad) or expensive (good) your second floor is constructed will determine the effectiveness of a vibration isolation system.

In addition to a vibration isolator under each washer foot, a further isolation measure might require a thick plywood sheet (3/4”+) be placed under the washer between the isolators and the floor to spread out the vibrations over a larger floor area instead of just under the tiny footprint of each washer foot.

Sometimes when you experience a problem such as this you have to swat flies with a flame thrower or go duck hunting with an anti-aircraft artillery weapon to get a satisfactory result. This might be one of those occasions. An extreme problem could require a drastic countermeasure.

Of course, you could always move the washer (and utility room) to the ground floor and your problem could eliminate itself. That is, if your home is erected on a concrete monolithic slab. Even a wood ground floor (pier-and-beam) is better at absorbing vibrations than an upper floor.

I have no experience with the newer front loading washers. Someone may come along to discuss if they incorporate a better vibration/harmonic dampening system.

Take a look at the following web site for an example of an elastomer vibration isolator that you could use under each of the four washer feet. *Let me reiterate that the subfloor in your house could be a determining factor whether any type of external vibration isolation system could possibly cure your problem.*

http://www.vibrodynamics.com/english/ml-02-08.html

_[No affiliation with the above web site or its contents.]_

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## Mr Chips (Mar 23, 2008)

thanks. a couple years ago i put a foam antifatigue type mat under the washer, and that seemed to help a little, i image the isolators would help as well, but i have known for some time we'd be 86ing the washer, as the mold build-up in the door gasket bothers my wife a lot more than the shaking. It's controlable, but annoying for sure

I have read some favorable reviews on the newer LG front loaders, as to the shaking and mold, but we are still a little gun-shy.

i have thought of screwing a sheet of plywood under it, which i will probably do before i bring in the new units. someone even suggested ripping out the drywall ceiling below and sistering some of the joists that are directly under the washer, although i'm not sure this would help all that much....


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## Jacques (Jul 9, 2008)

anything you can do to stiffen floor will help, along with not putting on pedestals. all these FL have mold/odor problems. they all require consumer maint [he det,run clean cycle,don't use liquid fab softner-if poss. on and on. having said all that; they're fine in the proper application. i like GE way above LG.


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