Are there any resources online for get information on buying front- or top-loading washers to be installed in a second floor location? I just bought an LG front-loader that shakes the whole house even when the spin speed is on Low. I even reinforced the floor with 3/4" maple plywood and that solved the problem somewhat. I'm thinking I need to buy a small washer and dryer.
Ed S.
Or just mount it on some damper pads. They work well IME back when we lived in Chgo.
Its under warranty, maybe its defective.
you mean THE HOUSE ? hehe ps. i would really consider moving to a brick house
Both the washer and dryer are going back. When I called LG the woman repeated the warning four times that installation problems are not covered. So I saw it coming, LG says Home Depot did not install the washer correctly and Home Depot says the LG washer is defective and I'm stuck with a $1,000 piece of crap. Plus I called the Home Depot store today 4 times and the phone rang over 50 times for each call and I was disconnected once when I finally got a live person.
The washer has been getting worse with each wash we do. The last 2 loads rattled the house, the kitchen, my PC's, and things in a clothes closet I didn't think could rattle.
It's a huge cliche but you can't get customer service antwhere after the sale.
Thank you,
Ed S.
Make sure your washer is level all the way around. Sometimes my washer "shakes the house," but then only if the load is off balance.
Now you know why what a farmer brings his cows to a bull for is called, "service".
Jeff
I have an LG washer. LGs use extra high speed to spin dry the clothes, if the laundry is off center this can induce a lot of vibration if is not installed correctly on a solid floor, especially if they are mid span of the joists instead of over a support wall and if the joists have been weakened by cutting the drainage lines through them.
One word of advice, before you buy, always look up the manufacturer's web site and download the installation manual. If you did this you will see that they do not recommend installing them on second floors because of vibration.
Actually, installing a washer on a second floor is an invitation to disaster. There is no way that any machine will be vibration free. Water leaks and drain overflows in a laundry room because mostly the machines are run unattended, can cause water damage throughout the house.
Mine are installed in the basement.
Industrial vibration pads for heavy equipment are available. Would this help?
Check this out for one solution:
I would be more concerned that one day a burst hose or machine malfunction could bring down a cieling. time for a drip tray and auto solenoid valve set.
I grew up in row houses in South Philadelphia. The first home I bought after I got married was a row home (end Unit), which we lived in for 12 years. Then we got the suburbs sickness. I miss that security of brick and huge oak joists. Now the prices of row houses are through the roof as boomers leave the suburbs and move back to the cities.
Email HD corporate, you will have better luck as corporate knows HD needs customers. I handle my complaints with HD by email.
Samsung (VTR) is supposed to be one the quieter washers out there.
The washer is level, at least according to the levels I put on the 4 edges of the top. When the washer goes into the high spin the drum wobbles a good 1 - 1.5". When the Home Depot Customer Care guy called the manager of the store, he was told by the manager that LG does not recommend putting a washer on a standard floor, especially a second floor. I asked that question specifically before I bought the washer.
I'll buy a top loader again. I don't think there is anything I can do short of a very expensive floor reinforcement from below and above - ripping out floors and ceilings.
One problem manufacturers have is delivery people do not have the skills to install and level a top-loading washer, and certainly not a front-loader washer.
Ed S.
The washer is level, at least according to the levels I put on the 4 edges of the top. When the washer goes into the high spin the drum wobbles a good 1 - 1.5". When the Home Depot Customer Care guy called the manager of the store, he was told by the manager that LG does not recommend putting a washer on a standard floor, especially a second floor. I asked that question specifically before I bought the washer.
I'll buy a top loader again. I don't think there is anything I can do short of a very expensive floor reinforcement from below and above - ripping out floors and ceilings.
One problem manufacturers have is delivery people do not have the skills to install and level a top-loading washer, and certainly not a front-loader washer.
Ed S.
And salespeople will say anything to get the sale. I know, because "I was one" for 30 years. I personally never felt it honorable to lie just to make money but what I overheard coming from other salespeople sometimes made me emabarrased for my profession.
Tom G.
I really don't mean to sound like an ass when I say this, but this is what you get when you buy from Home Depot. That's about the last place I would consider for any major purchases. their selection sucks, their customer service sucks, and their "associates" are mouthbreathing morons. I have no experience with having anything installed by them simply because talking to their in-store employees is enough to set off those alarm bells and warning signs that say "these clowns have no idea what they're doing! You know more than they do about the stuff they stock and sell!" The only reason I go there is there's two of them between me and the nearest Lowe's, and the good independent hardware stores for the most part close early and aren't open on Sunday (when I often find I need something in the middle of a project.) I certainly wouldn't go there if I had the ability to plan ahead for a major purchase.
nate
My basement floor is below my sewer line. I run the washer on a tray with a dedicated drain to the outside. It would take a major remodelling to move the washer & dryer.
I think Samsung claims their front loader is ultra vibration resistant.
I've had Maytag neptune front loader which I kept for 5 years and then gave to my parents who have had it for 5 years. It was vibration free for the most part. Consumer Reports says people had trouble with it but it was great for us.
I now have a Whirlpool/kenmore which is a bit bigger than the Neptune. It vibrates more than the Maytag did.
The Maytag had 2 interesting features to prevent vibration. It had a liquid dampening system you could hear if you manually turned the tub. Sounded like water in the tub..... it was water in some sealed spot.
And it had a custom molded cinderblock inside. The whirlpool just uses a standard cinderblock counterweight.
WHirlpool now owns Maytag by the way.
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