Morning all, Wondering if I could get some advice from you guys out there. We've had a bespoke kitchen made which includes a cupboard to house a standalone washing machine sitting on the cabinet base, with a dryer above sitting on its own shelf. The cabinet has been made with literally only about 1mm of clearance each side for the machine. The problem is that when the washing machine starts to spin it's hitting the sides and vibrating the whole cabinet, dishwasher to the side and even the kitchen tap. Also, the knocking is so loud that you can hold a conversation in the next room. Surely there should be some clearence around it to stop it touching the sides, or enough to space to attach some sort of rubber or foam to absorb the vibration. Also, wondering if it might be that it wasn't levelled properly before installing, but that's going to be a nightmare, as you can't reach the feet without taking it out. There is space for the cupboard to be made up to 15mm wider if necessary. Any advice about how this should have been designed would be welcome, so that we can have an intelligent conversation with the kitchen designer. Cheers
Typically you would leave 5mm gap to slide the unit in and out. However, that depends on what you agreed with the cabinet maker. Washing machine banging is normally due to; not levelled correctly, worn bearings or overloading
Thanks Sospan. The washing machines fairly new, so bearings should be ok. I have checked the front feet and they are firm. It is literally too tight a fit to see if it's rocking on the back feet. Knocking is still really bad, even with a light load. It was the designer who took all the measurements and specified sizes with the cabinet maker. Basically, it doesn't appear fit for purpose.
Thanks CGN, Is your 20mm gap for a machine standing on the floor or in a cabinet? I'm wondering if the cabinet shouldn't have a base so that the machine sits directly on the floor, with the plinth running across.
This is when it's floor standing. Of course it all depends on how much space is available when fitting the kitchen...but 620mm is 'about right' imo. If working with standard cabinets in your situation then a bit more tricky!
The problem with fitting them on the floor is that the baseboard and door will have to be reworked and you will get gaps where the baseboard swings in and out. You are correct that part of the problem is to do with the base it is sitting on. With the space underneath the base will be acting like a drum and the noise will travel underneath the units. One way to try an improve the situation would be to install some sound deadening material on the base and then fit another board on top.
It is unusual but not unique to have a washing standing inside a cabinet because of a) the noise generated as Sospan says and b) the forces applied to the base of the cabinet when the machine is operational. I would prefer to see the machine floor mounted. If it was, is the cabinet deep enough to accommodate the machine behind the plinth, is the machine door high enough to clear the plinth (they usually are), are there adjacent cabinets you could fix the cabinet to and is the plinth mounted on leg clips? If so, this would be my first approach as all that needs doing is 1. Remove the machine 2. Remove the plinth 3. bolt the cabinet to its neighbours using inter screws 4. cut out floor of cabinet 5. replace on floor - levelled as required 6. replace plinth Clearly a number of things need to apply for this to work but it might make sense as the next stage is to cannibalise the cabinet anyway. You will need to remove the plinth occasionally to access the drain port on the machine and you may want to arrange some alternative leg supports to the sides of the cabinet without infringing on the aperture. Pictures would help and good luck. Willy.
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