Noisy Clothes Washer?

If your clothes washer has suddenly decided to start speaking a new language, there are some steps you can take in an effort to silence or at least quiet your noisy washer. Most of the time when a washer is exceptionally noisy it's because the washer is vibrating during the spin cycle, but sometimes other problems cause a clothes washer to become extremely noisy. The following information provides steps you can take to quiet a noisy clothes washer.

Check the Level of a Noisy Clothes Washer

When a clothes washer is exceptionally noisy during the spin cycle, the noisy clothes washer is more than likely trying to spin with an unevenly distributed load. Observe your noisy clothes washer during the spin cycle. If the noisy washer is extremely shaky, it's first important to check the distribution of the clothes within the washer. A heavy or large item that has shifted to one side will cause excessive wobbling, and quite often will make a clothes washer more noisy than usual. If your clothes washer becomes unbalanced, simply stop the noisy clothes washer and redistribute the items within. When washing future loads of clothes, try not to place a heavy item in the washer alone. A washer will wash and spin more evenly when items are well-distributed and equal, and it typically won't be quite as noisy.

If the clothes within your noisy washer seem to be evenly distributed, the washer probably isn't level. Even if the clothes washer was leveled when it was first installed, clothes washers typically become unaligned and noisy after repeated use. After a clothes washer spins hundreds of times, it's bound to become somewhat unlevel and noisy. An easy way to check a clothes washer to see if it is level is to fill the clothes washer and observe the holes lining the tub. If the clothes washer is level, the water will be touching the same line of holes all the way around.

Leveling a Noisy Clothes Washer

First check the level of your clothes washer by placing a carpenter's level on top to determine which side is higher or lower than the other. Next you'll need something to prop the front of the clothes washer on such as a wooden block. Most clothes washers have feet that turn in both directions to change the height of either side. Simply turn the feet in either direction in an effort to level your noisy washing machine. Remove the block and set the washer down to recheck the level. Continue this process until your noisy clothes washer is level. Once it is level, your clothes washer should no longer be noisy. If your clothes washer is still noisy, try the following simple check.

Check a Noisy Clothes Washer for a Broken or Loose Spring

If your noisy clothes washer is level, the problem may lie within the snubber assembly. Many clothes washers are equipt with this noise absorbing device, and if the snubber assembly has a broken or loose spring, it won't keep your clothes washer from being excessively noisy and extremely annoying. Don't be afraid to check the snubber assembly. It doesn't take a clothes washer repair person to open the top of the washer and check this common problem.

The first order of business is turning off the water and undoing any hoses connected to the top of your noisy clothes washer. It's also very important to unplug the clothes washer. Every electrical item should be unplugged before doing any type of service no matter how simple it seems. The next step is to cover the end of a putty knife with a piece of masking tape. This will help prevent the putty knife from scratching the paint off the clothes washer. Place the tape-covered putty knife in the crevice between the top of the clothes washer and the cabinet approximately two to three inches from each corner. This should be the area of the clip that you need to press in order to release the top on each side.

Once the top of the noisy clothes washer is open, locate the snubber assembly. The snubber assembly consists of a friction pad and a spring. Check the spring to see if it's broken or loose, and check the pad if the snubber adheres to it. Clean the friction pad and sand it with fine-grit sandpaper if necessary. If this doesn't work, the friction pad may need to be replaced in order to silence your noisy clothes washer once and for all.