Washing machine shakes and walks across the floor? Level it first
A washer that bangs and walks across the floor on spin is almost always unlevel, or was never leveled after delivery. Put a level on top, adjust the feet until the bubble is centered front-to-back and side-to-side, and tighten the lock nuts. If it walks even when level, check for shipping bolts. Ten minutes, and anti-vibration cups if you want insurance.
- Adjustable wrench or the socket that fits the leveling feet
- A level a torpedo level is perfect
Our washer started its spin cycle and then tried to leave. It banged, it hopped, and by the rinse it had walked a good four inches out from the wall and was leaning on the dryer like it needed a minute. Biscuit will not go in the laundry room during a spin cycle anymore, and honestly I do not blame the dog.
A washer that shakes hard enough to move is not usually broken. It is standing crooked, or standing on feet that were never set right the day it came off the truck.
Level it
- Put a level on top of the machine and read it front-to-back, then side-to-side.
- Most washers sit on four screw-out feet. Turn the low corners down until the machine sits solid and the bubble is centered. You want all four feet carrying weight, no rock.
- Here is the step everybody skips: tighten the lock nut up against the cabinet on each foot once it is set. If you do not, the vibration walks the feet right back out of adjustment and you are doing this again next month.
- Rock the machine by the corners. Solid, no wobble, means you are done.
I checked my level with the torpedo level from Big Ron's box, not the app on my phone. The phone app told me the floor was fine. The floor was not fine. Trust the bubble.
If it still walks when it's level
Two things. If your machine is newer or recently delivered and it shakes violently even sitting dead level, look for the shipping bolts. Front-loaders ship with big bolts through the back that lock the drum for transport, and if the delivery crew left them in, the machine will beat itself half to death. They come out with a wrench and they are supposed to. That is a zero dollar fix and the most common one nobody mentions.
If it is level, the bolts are out, and it still hops, that is when anti-vibration cups earn their keep. The feet sit down inside rubber cups that grip the floor and soak up the shimmy. Seven bucks for a set of four. I put mine in after leveling because this machine has a history and I did not trust it.
What went wrong
Nothing dramatic, which is why it took 40 minutes instead of 20. I leveled it, felt good, and did not tighten the lock nuts, so the first spin walked one foot loose and I got to do the front two again. Read step three. It is the whole step. The quarter is for the second time I crawled back there.
The Damage
| Item | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Everbilt anti-vibration washing machine cups, 4-pack (41-H1001) | Home Depot | $6.93 |
| Sales tax | $0.42 | |
| Total | $7.35 |
Deb's verdict. "The dog will go back in there now. That is the metric."