The washing machine is knocking

A modern washing machine is a great helper in the home! Its many functions and temperature settings allow you to wash any type and kind of fabric. You can use it to remove heavy stains or simply refresh your laundry.

But when it breaks down, we can't always fix the problem ourselves without detailed instructions. This article serves as such a guide. If your washing machine is making a knocking noise during the wash or spin cycle, this article will help!

Let's consider the possible causes of the malfunction.

• The first reason isn't even a malfunction. It's the uneven distribution of laundry across the inside of the drum.
• The second is a problem with the counterweight. It could break. It's also possible that the bolts holding it in place have come loose.
• The shock absorbers are out of order or the spring is broken.

Almost any washing machine repair should begin with disconnecting the power supply.

This is necessary to avoid unnecessary danger and electric shock. Therefore, before attempting to diagnose and fix the problem, unplug the appliance. In some cases, it's also best to turn off the water tap, thus blocking the water supply to the machine.

Let's look at the worst case scenario first.

The shock absorbers are faulty or the spring is broken

The combination of shock absorbers and springs in the washing machine's design allows for a semi-flexible drum support. This also serves to reduce vibration and prevent the drum from coming into contact with other parts of the machine during the wash cycle. This helps prevent various mechanical failures.

During operation of the machine, springs and shock absorbers may wear out or become damaged. This can cause the drum to become tilted, causing it to hit the sides of the drum during washing or spinning. If you hear this knocking noise, you should stop the wash immediately. Then, you need to find the problem and fix it.

Replacing springs (suspensions)

Remove the top of the washing machine body. Then remove the suspension spring. You may need to remove the counterweight during this process. Then replace the spring with a working one. And then reverse the entire process.

Replacing the washing machine shock absorber

To replace the shock absorber, you'll need to watch the video instructions below. The videos are in English. However, the video sequence is self-explanatory, so watch and review:

Malfunction related to counterweight

The washing machine may also knock due to a faulty counterweight. A counterweight is a special weight that is fixed at the bottom inside the machine body. It's made of concrete and is needed to dampen the machine's vibrations during the spin cycle and other operations. Over time, the locking mechanism can become loose. This can cause the counterweight to come into contact with the machine body, producing a knocking noise. This often occurs during the spin cycle.

If the problem is a loose fastener, all you need to do is tighten the bolts. However, if, upon opening the machine, you see a broken or fragmented counterweight, tightening the bolts won't solve the problem. To fix this, you'll need to order a new counterweight and replace the broken one.

Unevenly placed laundry

If your washing machine is making a knocking noise, it doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem. The problem may be that the laundry isn't evenly distributed inside the drum. In this case, the drum can tilt so much during the wash cycle that it starts knocking against the walls of the machine. This problem mostly occurs in older models. So, if you have an older washing machine, be sure to pay attention to this.

Newer models, however, typically don't have this problem. They automatically distribute the items being washed so that this situation doesn't occur. If you experience a knocking sound in an older machine, stop the wash cycle and rearrange the items in the drum. Then, restart the spin cycle.

   

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