I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
expensive.
It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
spare at the top and an inch each side.
I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
vibration.
Lifting the machine out and more
trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
to be my main problem.

I already have simple dolly rollers
but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
to find one anywhere.

Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
--

Mike

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 09:36:20 +0100, Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.

"door lifter" or "furniture lifter"?

Thomas Prufer

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 10:54:24 +0200, Thomas Prufer
<prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> wrote:

>On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 09:36:20 +0100, Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
>wrote:
>
>>Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
>
>"door lifter" or "furniture lifter"?
>
>
>Thomas Prufer

Hope I'm not being a bit thick here but the lifters I've found
recently seem to lift one edge of an object, then a roller device is
shoved under each of 2 raised corners. This seems ok for some object
out in the open but not so good for something that is fairly tightly
boxed in.
I'm sure that in the past I've seen something like a simple, low level
forklift type device which rolls under the entire base of the machine
then can be jacked up with a foot operated lever.
Can't seem to find one though.
--

Mike

I had this issue a while back and mentioned it here. In the end careful
placement of its feet seemed to do the trick, but of course if a load does
get off centre at spin time no amount of work is going to stop it, the
forces are too great.
Brian

--

--:
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Mike Halmarack" <mikehalmarack@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:5phpjid1l4ft8v649k0k6kubd2tg1mdilc@4ax.com...
>I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
> expensive.
> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
> spare at the top and an inch each side.
> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
> vibration.
> Lifting the machine out and more
> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
> to be my main problem.
>
> I already have simple dolly rollers
> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
> to find one anywhere.
>
> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
> --
>
> Mike

On 28/10/2023 09:36, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
> expensive.
> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
> spare at the top and an inch each side.
> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
> vibration.
> Lifting the machine out and more
> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
> to be my main problem.
>
> I already have simple dolly rollers
> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
> to find one anywhere.
>
> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.

I've managed to move ours over the past 40 years by sliding 2 old sheets
of laminate under the feet, then the w/m out on them. I should perhaps
have developed the idea commercially since you can now buy slides for
the same job - eg

https://www.bes.co.uk/appliance-slider-150-x-1000mm-pair-25173/

NB you do need to be able to rock the machine to get them under the
feet. Used to be simple and easy by hand. Now I sometimes use a plank
to lever under the case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmdQsa0NHME

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com> wrote:
> I already have simple dolly rollers
> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
> to find one anywhere.

If you already have a dolly, perhaps you could use air bags as used for
lifting doors:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amtech-J1820-Inflatable-Levelling-Household/dp/B08B3RPZL5/

Slide the dolly under, inflate the airbags to transfer the weight onto
the dolly, pull out the machine.

You can also use those airbags to lift corners to add wheels or other
devices underneath (although harder at the back of the machine).

There also seem to be hovercraft-type devices, but not cheap:
https://airsled.com/

Theo

On 28/10/2023 10:53, Brian Gaff wrote:
> I had this issue a while back and mentioned it here. In the end careful
> placement of its feet seemed to do the trick, but of course if a load does
> get off centre at spin time no amount of work is going to stop it, the
> forces are too great.
> Brian
>

I have some thin strips of wood on each side between the washing machine
feet and the kitchen cabinets. They have stopped the washing machine
from moving.

--
Michael Chare

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 09:36:20 +0100
Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
> expensive.
> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
> spare at the top and an inch each side.
> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
> vibration.
> Lifting the machine out and more
> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
> to be my main problem.
>
> I already have simple dolly rollers
> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
> to find one anywhere.
>
> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.

Does it have any built-in wheels or rollers? Some appliances have
rollers at the back, so only the front needs to be lifted. Considering
that washing machines are extremely heavy and almost always a close fit
in a fitted kitchen, they should be more common. Only fridges and
freezers need fairly careful levelling and hence at least three screw-in
feet.

I can recall a gas cooker that had rear rollers and a pull-out lever
under the front edge which put down rollers there.

One of my furniture-moving kits does have something like a tiny
forklift, plus a few dollies. I lost the box long ago. I think it's
something like this, though it's not obvious how to get the rear
dollies in place for a built-in item.

--
Joe

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 10:53:20 +0100, "Brian Gaff"
<brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:

>I had this issue a while back and mentioned it here. In the end careful
>placement of its feet seemed to do the trick, but of course if a load does
>get off centre at spin time no amount of work is going to stop it, the
>forces are too great.
> Brian

It's not that this machine clatters about or is excessively noisy,
except perhaps a bit on final spin. It's just that I may want to run
it in the middle of the night and noise is not allowed between 23:00
and 08:00. I can normally hear the washing machine in the flat above
and would consider this noise at certain times.
--

Mike

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 13:44:27 +0100, Michael Chare
<mUNDERSCOREnews@chareDOTorg.uk> wrote:

>I have some thin strips of wood on each side between the washing machine
>feet and the kitchen cabinets. They have stopped the washing machine
>from moving.
>
>--
>Michael Chare

I've been considering this but was wondering that if the drum was
vibrating a lot and the rest of the machine couldn't roll with the
punches, whether this might be potentially damaging.
--

Mike

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 11:28:08 +0100, Robin <rbw@outlook.com> wrote:

>On 28/10/2023 09:36, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>> I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
>> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
>> expensive.
>> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
>> spare at the top and an inch each side.
>> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
>> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
>> vibration.
>> Lifting the machine out and more
>> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
>> to be my main problem.
>>
>> I already have simple dolly rollers
>> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
>> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
>> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
>> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
>> to find one anywhere.
>>
>> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
>
>I've managed to move ours over the past 40 years by sliding 2 old sheets
>of laminate under the feet, then the w/m out on them. I should perhaps
>have developed the idea commercially since you can now buy slides for
>the same job - eg
>
>https://www.bes.co.uk/appliance-slider-150-x-1000mm-pair-25173/
>
>
>
>NB you do need to be able to rock the machine to get them under the
>feet. Used to be simple and easy by hand. Now I sometimes use a plank
>to lever under the case.
>
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmdQsa0NHME

Great reply thanks. And simple enough for me to understand.

--

Mike

On 28 Oct 2023 11:55:08 +0100 (BST), Theo
<theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

>If you already have a dolly, perhaps you could use air bags as used for
>lifting doors:
>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amtech-J1820-Inflatable-Levelling-Household/dp/B08B3RPZL5/
>
>Slide the dolly under, inflate the airbags to transfer the weight onto
>the dolly, pull out the machine.
>
>You can also use those airbags to lift corners to add wheels or other
>devices underneath (although harder at the back of the machine).
>
>There also seem to be hovercraft-type devices, but not cheap:
>https://airsled.com/
>
>Theo
I'll dig my dollys out and see if an airbag would slide between the
bed of the dolly and bottom of the washing machine.
--

Mike

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:32:23 +0100, Joe <joe@jretrading.com> wrote:

>Does it have any built-in wheels or rollers? Some appliances have
>rollers at the back, so only the front needs to be lifted. Considering
>that washing machines are extremely heavy and almost always a close fit
>in a fitted kitchen, they should be more common. Only fridges and
>freezers need fairly careful levelling and hence at least three screw-in
>feet.
>
>I can recall a gas cooker that had rear rollers and a pull-out lever
>under the front edge which put down rollers there.
>
>One of my furniture-moving kits does have something like a tiny
>forklift, plus a few dollies. I lost the box long ago. I think it's
>something like this, though it's not obvious how to get the rear
>dollies in place for a built-in item.
>
>--
>Joe

I'll lift the front and give it a pull. It might have wheels at the
back. Thanks
--

Mike

On 28/10/2023 15:41, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 13:44:27 +0100, Michael Chare
> <mUNDERSCOREnews@chareDOTorg.uk> wrote:
>
>> I have some thin strips of wood on each side between the washing machine
>> feet and the kitchen cabinets. They have stopped the washing machine
>>from moving.
>>
>> --
>> Michael Chare
>
> I've been considering this but was wondering that if the drum was
> vibrating a lot and the rest of the machine couldn't roll with the
> punches, whether this might be potentially damaging.

Our machine does not try to move that much. It may of course depend on
home much we normally put in.

--
Michael Chare

On 28/10/2023 10:37, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 10:54:24 +0200, Thomas Prufer
> <prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 09:36:20 +0100, Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
>>
>> "door lifter" or "furniture lifter"?
>>
>>
>> Thomas Prufer
>
> Hope I'm not being a bit thick here but the lifters I've found
> recently seem to lift one edge of an object, then a roller device is
> shoved under each of 2 raised corners. This seems ok for some object
> out in the open but not so good for something that is fairly tightly
> boxed in.
> I'm sure that in the past I've seen something like a simple, low level
> forklift type device which rolls under the entire base of the machine
> then can be jacked up with a foot operated lever.
> Can't seem to find one though.

Air bag lifters can be handy for making space to get other things in:

https://www.axminstertools.com/hand-tools/decorating-tools/glass-glazing-tools/air-wedges

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On Saturday, 28 October 2023 at 09:36:27 UTC+1, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
> expensive.
> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
> spare at the top and an inch each side.
> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
> vibration.
> Lifting the machine out and more
> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
> to be my main problem.
>
> I already have simple dolly rollers
> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
> to find one anywhere.
>
> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
> --
>
> Mike

BTDT. The most efective approach didn't use anything under the feet.

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:36:04 +0100, Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
wrote:

>It's not that this machine clatters about or is excessively noisy,
>except perhaps a bit on final spin. It's just that I may want to run
>it in the middle of the night and noise is not allowed between 23:00
>and 08:00. I can normally hear the washing machine in the flat above
>and would consider this noise at certain times.

Some machines have a "no final spin" setting...

If yours does, you might wash at night, and spin in the morning?

Thomas Prufer

On 29/10/2023 07:14, Thomas Prufer wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:36:04 +0100, Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> It's not that this machine clatters about or is excessively noisy,
>> except perhaps a bit on final spin. It's just that I may want to run
>> it in the middle of the night and noise is not allowed between 23:00
>> and 08:00. I can normally hear the washing machine in the flat above
>> and would consider this noise at certain times.
>
> Some machines have a "no final spin" setting...

Isn't that to do more with which wash cycle you select? For instance, a
delicate setting may have no spin in the cycle but then the rest of wash
may not be ideal for everyday use.

As a side issue, I'm currently in the market for a new machine and some
of the early like for like candidates have been crossed off the list
ruled out because of labelling on the controls. For instance, the
Hoover brand seems to have abandoned words in English in favour of a
dozen or so meaningless icons for the program selection. They seem to be
part of the same group that make Haier which have labelled all the
programs in readable English.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 17:52:06 +0100, John Rumm
<see.my.signature@nowhere.null> wrote:

>Air bag lifters can be handy for making space to get other things in:
>
>https://www.axminstertools.com/hand-tools/decorating-tools/glass-glazing-tools/air-wedges
>
>
>
>--
>Cheers,
>
>John.

The penny just dropped on this one. Ta muchly.
--

Mike

On Sun, 29 Oct 2023 08:13:12 +0000, alan_m <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

>On 29/10/2023 07:14, Thomas Prufer wrote:
>> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:36:04 +0100, Mike Halmarack <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> It's not that this machine clatters about or is excessively noisy,
>>> except perhaps a bit on final spin. It's just that I may want to run
>>> it in the middle of the night and noise is not allowed between 23:00
>>> and 08:00. I can normally hear the washing machine in the flat above
>>> and would consider this noise at certain times.
>>
>> Some machines have a "no final spin" setting...
>
>Isn't that to do more with which wash cycle you select? For instance, a
>delicate setting may have no spin in the cycle but then the rest of wash
>may not be ideal for everyday use.

I had a Siemens that had an explicit "no final spin" setting that ISTR would
defer the final spin until a button press (or one had to set the machine to a
dedicated spin cycle and manually started that -- I forget).

Useful for things that benefit from being taken out immediately after the spin
to reduce wrinkling.

Thomas Prufer

On 29/10/2023 08:13, alan_m wrote:
> On 29/10/2023 07:14, Thomas Prufer wrote:
>> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:36:04 +0100, Mike Halmarack
>> <mikehalmarack@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> It's not that this machine clatters about or is excessively noisy,
>>> except perhaps a bit on final spin. It's just that I may want to run
>>> it in the middle of the night and noise is not allowed between 23:00
>>> and 08:00. I can normally hear the washing machine in the flat above
>>> and would consider this noise at certain times.
>>
>> Some machines have a "no final spin" setting...
>
> Isn't that to do more with which wash cycle you select? For instance, a
> delicate setting may have no spin in the cycle but then the rest of wash
> may not be ideal for everyday use.
>
>
> As a side issue, I'm currently in the market for a new machine and some
> of the early like for like candidates have been crossed off the list
> ruled out because of labelling on the controls.  For instance, the
> Hoover brand seems to have abandoned words in English in favour of a
> dozen or so meaningless icons for the program selection. They seem to be
> part of the same group that make Haier which have labelled all the
> programs in readable English.
>
Have a look at te all British Ebac range.
As good as any Miele. Distinctly quiet too.

--
There is nothing a fleet of dispatchable nuclear power plants cannot do
that cannot be done worse and more expensively and with higher carbon
emissions and more adverse environmental impact by adding intermittent
renewable energy.

On 28/10/2023 15:44, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 11:28:08 +0100, Robin <rbw@outlook.com> wrote:
>
>> On 28/10/2023 09:36, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>>> I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
>>> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
>>> expensive.
>>> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
>>> spare at the top and an inch each side.
>>> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
>>> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
>>> vibration.
>>> Lifting the machine out and more
>>> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
>>> to be my main problem.
>>>
>>> I already have simple dolly rollers
>>> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
>>> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
>>> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
>>> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
>>> to find one anywhere.
>>>
>>> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
>>
>> I've managed to move ours over the past 40 years by sliding 2 old sheets
>> of laminate under the feet, then the w/m out on them. I should perhaps
>> have developed the idea commercially since you can now buy slides for
>> the same job - eg
>>
>> https://www.bes.co.uk/appliance-slider-150-x-1000mm-pair-25173/
>>
>>
>>
>> NB you do need to be able to rock the machine to get them under the
>> feet. Used to be simple and easy by hand. Now I sometimes use a plank
>> to lever under the case.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmdQsa0NHME
>
>
>
> Great reply thanks. And simple enough for me to understand.
>

Occurs to me the video I linked was for stuff with wheels at the back.
If anyone as weak as me wants to go that route for stuff with 4 feet a
small trick is to put each slide in at an angle so it first goes under
only a rear foot, /not/ under both on that side. That means you only
have to tilt to lift that one foot off the floor. You can then tilt to
lift the front foot and swivel the slide under it. And still use both
hands to tilt and your foot to move the slides.
--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On 29/10/2023 08:14, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2023 17:52:06 +0100, John Rumm
> <see.my.signature@nowhere.null> wrote:
>
>> Air bag lifters can be handy for making space to get other things in:
>>
>> https://www.axminstertools.com/hand-tools/decorating-tools/glass-glazing-tools/air-wedges
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Cheers,
>>
>> John.
>
> The penny just dropped on this one. Ta muchly.

Or cheaper version:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003823025922.html

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On Saturday, 28 October 2023 at 09:36:27 UTC+1, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> I have a washing machine on a concrete floor in my upstairs flat that
> I want to quieten so that I can use it at night when power is less
> expensive.
> It's currently inserted into a built in cupboard gap with an inch to
> spare at the top and an inch each side.
> I'm hoping to be able to add rubber feet or a mat and perhaps also
> some stiff foam sheets at the top and sides to further reduce
> vibration.
> Lifting the machine out and more
> trickily lifting it in again after adding rubber feet or mat is going
> to be my main problem.
>
> I already have simple dolly rollers
> but I'm looking for something slightly more useful to lift and lower
> the machine. I've seen some expensive air lift devices on YouTube but
> I'm sure I've seen a much simpler mechanical device in the past that
> slightly jack up the appliance as well as rolling it but I can't seem
> to find one anywhere.
>
> Any advice on the various aspects of this job would be most welcome.
> --
>
> Mike

Is it possible to use a thin bladed saw and remove the obstruction during the operation then replace it with concealed fixing on completion?

On 28/10/2023 15:48, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> On 28 Oct 2023 11:55:08 +0100 (BST), Theo
> <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> If you already have a dolly, perhaps you could use air bags as used for
>> lifting doors:
>> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amtech-J1820-Inflatable-Levelling-Household/dp/B08B3RPZL5/
>>
>> Slide the dolly under, inflate the airbags to transfer the weight onto
>> the dolly, pull out the machine.
>>
>> You can also use those airbags to lift corners to add wheels or other
>> devices underneath (although harder at the back of the machine).
>>
>> There also seem to be hovercraft-type devices, but not cheap:
>> https://airsled.com/
>>
>> Theo
> I'll dig my dollys out and see if an airbag would slide between the
> bed of the dolly and bottom of the washing machine.

If you need something to lift the front of a washing machine by a few
inches then dig out your garden spade or fork. A block of wood placed in
the correct position for a fulcrum point and stand on the spade handle
to lift the machine. A few extra blocks of wood could be inserted at the
front of the lifted appliance so that you can remove the spade for more
access.

You probably need to first remove the front bottom plastic trim cover
(the one you have to remove to get to then drain pump filter) or you
could be levering onto something that will break easily.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk