Firming up suspended wooden floor?

[diy_fun_uk]

For all the messing about and difficulty of making rigid propping etc I'd just cut out the floorboards and cast a rough concrete slab on the oversite, doesn't look like too deep a void in that area - a bit of scrap timber shuttering and some weak mix concrete. You'd just need a bit of thought on the DPC side of things.

In a property where we had his issue before, we strongly considered this as the void was a lot less. However in this property, the void is deeper, yeah it's still a crawl space but the tower of concrete would need to be pretty high. I think what I'll do is try shoring up first and if that doesn't work I'll consider other options such as concrete.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I suspect that the problem lies in the quality of the components used in free standing machines these days as integrated machines do not seem to suffer from the same problem but are much more expensive ( or used to be).

They use blocks of concrete, with the drum plus concrete suspended on springs, to counteract the the vibration from an unbalanced load being spun at high speed. It's the concrete, which makes washing machines so very heavy.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

For all the messing about and difficulty of making rigid propping etc I'd just cut out the floorboards and cast a rough concrete slab on the oversite, doesn't look like too deep a void in that area - a bit of scrap timber shuttering and some weak mix concrete. You'd just need a bit of thought on the DPC side of things.

That would certainly fix the issue, though would involve a lot of disruption and be a lot more expensive. My utility/house is a slab floor, the washer cannot be felt or heard on its high speed spin. It does though have a slight tendency to 'walk' across the floor.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Presumably your old machine didn't have this issue? I know you've already rejected this machine once (did you ever run that one?) but I'd reject the machine if your old machine didn't do it. How do you know it isn't a problem with the machine itself? Could you try using it in a diffrent location in the house before you go ripping up your floor?

 

[jj4091]

They use blocks of concrete, with the drum plus concrete suspended on springs, to counteract the the vibration from an unbalanced load being spun at high speed. It's the concrete, which makes washing machines so very heavy.

Yes I understand that Harry the point I was trying to make is that the op does not mention the floor shaking or flexing just a vibration in the floor. On that basis I don't think stregthening the floor will make any difference as he will still feel any vibration the machine gives off at the higher spin speed even with a completely balanced load. As has been suggested building a separate concrete pad would stop vibrations being transmitted through the floor but looking at the pic I would guess he would need to shutter it out & then mix half a cubic metre of concrete. Not a task I would fancy doing, I think I would rather live with the vibration.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Presumably your old machine didn't have this issue? I know you've already rejected this machine once (did you ever run that one?) but I'd reject the machine if your old machine didn't do it. How do you know it isn't a problem with the machine itself? Could you try using it in a diffrent location in the house before you go ripping up your floor?

I've thought about this and concluded it comes down to tolerances. My previous machine was integrated, so it was less deep overall and the front feet were recessed (slightly further back.) My new machine isn't integrated, so the front feet are a good few cm's further forward compared to the old machine. I think this could be making the difference, although only a few cm's, the front of the machine is resting further into the unsupported span. The machines are comparable weight wise (old 71.5 kg, new 68.5 kg) give or take.

I don't think the machine is unbalanced. With an empty drum, it'll spin up to 1000 rpm (haven't tested beyond this) with virtually no movement/vibration from the machine itself. All four feet are planted, it's as close to level as it needs to be and it doesn't walk. With a load, spinning at 600 rpm significantly reduces floor vibration, at 800 it starts to become too much. As I touched on before, if I stand immediately in front of the machine when the drum is turning very slowly and a heavy item (e.g. wet towel) drops from top to bottom of the drum, you feel the single (small) thump under foot when it lands, indicating to me the floor is bouncy. I could of course be wrong, however my current thought process is the floor needs shored. I'm not intending to rip it up ... yet

Also, although I get your rationale, it's amazing how many stories you can find online of people who have faced similar issues i.e. old machine no floor vibration, new machine, mega issues! 9/10 the machine itself is fine and would act accordingly if on a solid floor, which I don't have

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Yes I understand that Harry the point I was trying to make is that the op does not mention the floor shaking or flexing just a vibration in the floor. On that basis I don't think stregthening the floor will make any difference as he will still feel any vibration the machine gives off at the higher spin speed even with a completely balanced load. As has been suggested building a separate concrete pad would stop vibrations being transmitted through the floor but looking at the pic I would guess he would need to shutter it out & then mix half a cubic metre of concrete. Not a task I would fancy doing, I think I would rather live with the vibration.

When you watch the front feet with the machine loaded and spinning, you can see them moving up and down at very high frequency. Although I've never stood on one, I suspect the feeling I get when standing in front of the machine is similar to that of a keep-fit vibration plate, albeit to a reduced degree! As I touched on in the reply I've just posted, the machine itself doesn't shake excessively and doesn't walk even 1mm. It's planted to the spot. So I'd say it's the spinning of the machine causing the floor to vibrate. I'm in a timber kit bungalow and the floor is generally bouncy. I can stamp my foot in the lounge and something a few feet away e.g. plant will shake, albeit just very slightly.

I'm prepared to give the shoring up a go, as you say the concrete route is a step too far I think. I'd sooner live with a max spin of 600

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I can stamp my foot in the lounge and something a few feet away e.g. plant will shake, albeit just very slightly.

That is true of any house suspended floor, my upstairs floor have give. The first suggested fix of a concrete paving slab and a car jack bracing a length of timber under the floor is a quick cheap solution and well worth the effort of trying.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

For those interested, a brief update on this. I've shored up 3 of the floor joists closest to the underside of the machine and there's a definite (although not perfect) improvement. Pre works, I had to limit the machine to a 600 rpm spin and even then the vibrations in the kitchen were quite noticeable. At 800 rpm even more so and the vibrations could be felt (albeit slightly) in the adjoining lounge/diner area.

Now, I can comfortably put the machine on a 1000 spin and the vibration in the kitchen is minimal to almost non existent, although it increases when standing immediately in front of the machine as my shoring isn't that close.

On testing, if I try a 1100 spin, it's still not bad although I probably wouldn't go to that level, and 1200 results in what is to me excessive vibration. So, whilst I can't fully exploit the spinning capabilities of the machine, overall I'm happy with the results.

 

[conny]

With the current set up you have done do you think a few thick noggins between the joists under the machine might reduce the vibrations even further?