Washer is unbalanced is a common problem I’m running into these days in the appliance field. Any chance you have a washing machine that walks, jumps, or bangs? Keep reading to see the main cause on the most common washers on the market today.
Washer is Unbalanced. Why??
Why is my washer unbalanced and shaking all over the place? As said, that’s a problem I run into weekly while doing appliance service. First and foremost, I am talking about top load washers here, not front loaders. That is an entirely different conversation. Let’s start by talking about the different brands that will cause you this problem.
Brands that will have unbalanced Problems.
The most common are Whirlpool, Kenmore, and Samsung. Now, let’s break that down. Whirlpool is not just Whirlpool, they own a LOT of name brands including Maytag, Amana, Roper, Estates, Kitchen Aid, Jenn Air, and probably more that I’ve forgotten. Not to mention, a LOT of Kenmore products were built by Whirlpool.
Speaking of Kenmore, the Kenmore name is nothing but a name. Sears and/or Kenmore has never built an appliance. It has always been contracted out for another manufacturer to produce their appliances for them. In the beginning, it started with Whirlpool. Later, GE made some of the refrigerators. Today, they will put the name on anything, but they are mostly LG or Daewoo.
And lastly, we have Samsung. For the most part, Samsung is just Samsung, but you can also find Kenmores built by Samsung. At the beginning of Samsung’s coming to the US, they had a contract with Maytag. Therefore, some Maytag branded washers and dryers were actually Samsung designs.
Past the Confusion, on to the Problem.
In the past 10+ years, most washers are built with a “floating tub” supported by 4 spring-loaded steel rods. Those are called shocks. They act much like a shock on a car to keep it from bouncing after you hit a bump. They are intended to absorb the bump and keep things smooth.
However, just like when the shocks wear out and a car and it starts bouncing, the exact same thing will happen to your top load washer. There is nothing you can do to keep that washer “level”, or keep it from bouncing. There is even a lawsuit against one unnamed manufacturer about this problem.
Response Magic