Washing Machine Vibration Problem

Posted by Al B on December 18, 2006, 8:46 am

We have a Whirlpool Gold Catalyst Three-Speed Electronic Washer Model
No. GSX9885JQ1, Serial No. CP4602130 installed in April 2003. On the
clothes washer's slowest spin cycle, vibration radiates out to 15'
enough to loosen drywall screws and cause moldings to separate at
seams. On the regular spin cycle, the vibration is awful.

The problem was obvious immediately. The dealer returned to check the
installation and leveling and said it was OK. Then we had a Whirlpool
service call and the technician said the machine was operating
properly.

The house was completed in April 2003. The 3,000 sq ft ground floor
is supported by an 8-course block foundation and TJI's over a crawl
space. The laundry room and clothes washer is located in an area
resting on an 18' TJI span supported on the foundation at each end.

To damp the vibration, we braced one of the two TJI's right under the
washer with a 4x4. There is some improvement but not enough. We are
looking for more ideas as to what can be done.

Should we try installing additional bracing under the TJI's in the
location of the washer: more 4x4's, several permanent jacks, concrete
block columns, etc.?

An additional possibility is to install vibration-absorbing pads. One
product aimed at the retail market can be seen at
http://www.kellettent.com/ (very slow loading website): the "LP-13
Shake Absorber® Vibration & Isolation Pad" described at
http://www.kellettent.com/mountingpads.html.

The IQS Directory lists many suppliers of vibration absorbers, but
they seem to be mostly industrial:
http://www.iqsdirectory.com/pagetwoads.aspx?CatID=187.

We would be grateful for any thoughts, ideas, suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Al B.

Posted by on December 18, 2006, 9:15 am

See if you can search usenet for this problem, I recall someone
building a vibration dampening base with heavy duty springs and a bit
of plywood.
Al B wrote:

> We have a Whirlpool Gold Catalyst Three-Speed Electronic Washer Model
> No. GSX9885JQ1, Serial No. CP4602130 installed in April 2003. On the
> clothes washer's slowest spin cycle, vibration radiates out to 15'
> enough to loosen drywall screws and cause moldings to separate at
> seams. On the regular spin cycle, the vibration is awful.
> The problem was obvious immediately. The dealer returned to check the
> installation and leveling and said it was OK. Then we had a Whirlpool
> service call and the technician said the machine was operating
> properly.
> The house was completed in April 2003. The 3,000 sq ft ground floor
> is supported by an 8-course block foundation and TJI's over a crawl
> space. The laundry room and clothes washer is located in an area
> resting on an 18' TJI span supported on the foundation at each end.
> To damp the vibration, we braced one of the two TJI's right under the
> washer with a 4x4. There is some improvement but not enough. We are
> looking for more ideas as to what can be done.
> Should we try installing additional bracing under the TJI's in the
> location of the washer: more 4x4's, several permanent jacks, concrete
> block columns, etc.?
> An additional possibility is to install vibration-absorbing pads. One
> product aimed at the retail market can be seen at
> http://www.kellettent.com/ (very slow loading website): the "LP-13
> Shake Absorber=AE Vibration & Isolation Pad" described at
> http://www.kellettent.com/mountingpads.html.
> The IQS Directory lists many suppliers of vibration absorbers, but
> they seem to be mostly industrial:
> http://www.iqsdirectory.com/pagetwoads.aspx?CatID=3D187.
> We would be grateful for any thoughts, ideas, suggestions.
>=20
> Thanks in advance.
>=20
> Al B.

Posted by Doug Miller on December 18, 2006, 9:29 am

I suspect structural conditions in the home, rather than the washer. That's a
hell of a radius. Perhaps the washer is vibrating at, or close to, the
resonant frequency of some component of the structure.

>The problem was obvious immediately. The dealer returned to check the
>installation and leveling and said it was OK. Then we had a Whirlpool
>service call and the technician said the machine was operating
>properly.
>The house was completed in April 2003. The 3,000 sq ft ground floor
>is supported by an 8-course block foundation and TJI's over a crawl
>space. The laundry room and clothes washer is located in an area
>resting on an 18' TJI span supported on the foundation at each end.

That's a pretty long span! How deep are these joints, and how far apart on
center? Is there any bridging to brace adjacent joists against each other?

>To damp the vibration, we braced one of the two TJI's right under the
>washer with a 4x4. There is some improvement but not enough. We are
>looking for more ideas as to what can be done.

If bracing one joist helps, it stands to reason that bracing two joists would
help more.

>Should we try installing additional bracing under the TJI's in the
>location of the washer: more 4x4's, several permanent jacks, concrete
>block columns, etc.?

That would be my first step, yes -- 4x4s spanning not only the joists under
the washer, but also one more joist to each side, with jacks underneath. See
if that helps.

If my guess about resonance is correct, you do *not* want to put the 4x4s at a
distance from the end of the joist which is any integer reciprocal (1/2, 1/3,
1/4, etc) of the joist length, because the resonant frequency of such segments
would be merely the second, third, fourth, etc. harmonics of the resonant
frequency of the entire joist.

So for an 18-foot span, don't put your supports at 9', 6', 4'6", 3'7", 3',
2'7", 2'3", or 2' from either end.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Posted by dpb on December 18, 2006, 10:10 am

Al B wrote:

...

W/O seeing it, obviously can't comment definitely, but that certainly
doesn't sound like what a "properly operating" washer spin cycle should
do. I'd have sent the thing back the first time if they couldn't get
it to run smoothly, but that is obviously too late after over 2 yeears.
Still, the easiest/most satisfactory solution might be to just get a
new washer.

If the washer really isn't any more imbalanced and causing more
vibration than in a normal washer spin cycle, then the underlying
structure may be amplifying the input by hitting a resonance. In that
case, figuring out a mode of motion and stiffening the structure to
shift that could help.

I suppose one could manage to build a cradle to hold a base platform
and suspend it from a flexible strap (like, say, a muffler hanger) to
isolate the machine from the floor, but seems like a lot of work to get
around what sounds like a manufacturing or design defect.

I guess one could try to check to see if there are any consumer
complaints on this particular model and I would definitely contact the
manufacturer directly starting w/ the complaint place and moving on up
the feeding chain until I got a satisfactory response. Such things
need to be in writing, not just phone calls, to have any chance of
being effective. Again, by waiting this long, you've kinda' lost some
leverage.

Also, guess you could do a few simple diagnostics tests -- disconnect
the drive belt and run the motor alone to make sure it's balanced.
Check the belt for defects and the pulleys for roundness. Rotate the
tub and check for concentricity there. Make sure the dampening system
is actually working. Don't know what Whirlpool uses in theirs these
days, old systems often had a weight on a sling. Someone already
mentioned that such systems were typically strapped down for shpping --
despite a service call, it's still possible you got a dummy and he
didn't catch something even that obvious.

One last consoling thought -- If it is really this bad, seems like it
would tear itself apart in a fairly short time, so you can get it gone
soon, anyway! :)

Just some semi-random semi-ideas....

Posted by HeyBub on December 18, 2006, 10:50 am

Al B wrote:

Try running the washer through its cycles, first with no water, then with.
This should eliminate any possibility that the load is the culprit.

In both these tests you should be able to balance a coin on edge throughout
the entire washing process. Well, maybe not a coin, but you get the idea.

If the machne shudders like the hinges on the gates of Hell, you should call
Whirlpool and fuss like the third monkey on Noah's gangplank.

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 > last >>

Similar Threads	Posted
Washing machine vibration , need help to troubleshoot	March 20, 2007, 7:54 pm
Washing machine problem	August 11, 2005, 1:30 am
Washing Machine Problem	August 9, 2006, 10:29 pm
washing machine problem	August 19, 2006, 5:38 pm
Washing Machine Problem	September 16, 2006, 7:54 pm
Washing Machine Problem	August 23, 2007, 1:27 pm
Problem with washing machine	June 30, 2008, 3:53 pm
GE Profile Washing machine problem...	November 13, 2005, 1:45 pm
Washing machine draining problem	November 28, 2005, 1:48 pm
Whirlpool Washing Machine problem	July 5, 2008, 8:07 pm