Home Appliances How-to troubleshoot a rocking washing machine

How-to troubleshoot a rocking washing machine

February 12, 2016

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Home appliances sure make our lives so much easier on a daily basis, but when one decides to go on the fritz, it can be really frustrating and costly to fix.

I think most of us use many of our appliances almost everyday, so they definitely get a lot of wear and tear, and sometimes they just aren’t working as they should. I’m sure you could get someone in to give them a tune up of some sort, but with all the other costs we have to cover at home, appliance tune ups are not in my budget.

My washing machine has actually been making me nervous lately that it’s going to give out on me. The spinning cycle was a little too vigorous and there was a lot of banging going on. For awhile I tried to ignore it, but it then got so bad you had to shut the laundry room door and turn up the T.V.

I know, not the best option to fix the machine, but then I discovered that there are a few steps you can take to trouble shoot your crazy spin cycle.

Before you do anything, find out out where the noise is coming from and during what part of the washing cycle is it making noise. Once you know, I would try checking for any lose parts, and last of all make sure it’s level.

Where is that noise coming from?

When I first noticed that my washing machine was making a little more noise than usual I thought maybe it was just my washing load. Either it was off balance or I put too much clothes in for one cycle (I have been known to cram in that one last towel). After ignoring it and continuing to wash laundry, I noticed that the noise wasn’t going away so decided to do some investigating. This involved paying attention to my wash cycle and running in the laundry room when I heard the noise. Turns out it was only banging really loudly when my wash cycle was at it’s fasting spinning point.

Check for loose parts

Once I knew when it was banging, I had to figure out why. I know @Shelly_Wutke had this same problem with her new Samsung washer this past summer, and for her it turned out that they hadn’t known about the factory bolts on the inside of the machine. In my case it was actually the outside cover at the base of my washer right underneath the door. For some reason it had come lose and was banging back and forth during spinning. Nothing a little trusty duct tape didn’t take care of. When I have some spare time I’ll dig a little deeper, because I’m sure there must be some bolts or screws that have come lose somewhere.

Is it level?

Another reason you may have a rocking washing machine is if it’s no longer level. All you have to do to find out if you’re machine is no longer level is to gently try to push it back and forth. If there’s any rocking it means one of your leveling screws is more than likely floating. It’s an easy fix by just re-adjusting the screw until it’s back touching the floor. If the screw happens to be stripped or broken, an easy fix is to use shims. Just gently slide them under the uneven corner until all four corners of your washer are level.

Troubleshooting your broken appliances can save you a lot of money in the long run. I know my washer sounded like it was going to jump right out of the laundry room, but after a little investigating and patience it’s good as new.

The internet is a great place to start to look for simple ways to make your machines function properly. But after years of use your washing machine might be beyond repair, and that means it’s a good time to take a look at a few of the latest washing machines on Bestbuy.ca.