Banging water pipes when washing machine on spin cycle

[Debby]

When my washing machine is on a spin cycle the water pipes can be heard banging all over the house. It s a recent thing and didn't do this before. I've checked it's not too close to the pipes. I read about water hammer but I don't understand why it would do this only on a spin cycle as surely the water isn't running then . Any advice please

 

[Chuck]

What you are hearing is the pipes vibrating but in this case the driving force is the spinning of the washing machine not the flow of water.

Three possibilities:

Washing machines have 'dampers' inside that, like car shock absorbers, reduce vibration by absorbing the energy and converting it to heat. These wear out over time and become less effective. They can usually be replaced but it may not be economical to do so.

If you have reduced the number of items you are washing there may not be enough to for the machine to balance its load. This will result in increased vibration. Consult your machine's instruction book for details of the correct load.

Pipes should be secured with clips roughly every meter or so. If the clips have come loose or been broken then the pipes will start vibrating. There can be a 'domino' effect. If the clip nearest the machine fails then the unsecured pipe will transmit vibration to the next clip, which will also start to fail, etc.

 

[rpm]

Is the machine still level on both planes or does it need levelling?

 

[Debby]

Thank you for replies . The washing machine is level and is only about a year old so I wouldn't have thought anything would have worn out yet but I suppose it's possible. I can't get to the pipes as they are behind a wall so inaccessible to check whether they are secure. Do you think it's safe to use the machine as I don't want to cause any leaks

 

[townfanjon]

Thank you for replies . The washing machine is level and is only about a year old so I wouldn't have thought anything would have worn out yet but I suppose it's possible. I can't get to the pipes as they are behind a wall so inaccessible to check whether they are secure. Do you think it's safe to use the machine as I don't want to cause any leaks

It does sound funny this is doing this on spin , can you see when you push the machine in its defiantly not touching anything , failling that if its still under guarantee it maybe worth a call to the manufacturer

 

[Chriswareham]

do not overlode the washing m try when empty is there play in the drum when empty
my be bearing