Will washing machine destroy kitchen?

[EpoxyResin]

Our washing machine is relatively new (Christmas) but not fancy (Beko). Even a medium-sized load on an 800 spin means it generates a fair wobble despite the feet being perfectly set on the floor. I guess it's just poorly counterbalanced inside.

Anyway, new kitchen just installed with a gap for the 600mm washing machine. It fits in the gap but there is no room to spare - maybe a couple of mm either side... I'm scared to run the machine in the gap in case the wobble shakes the kitchen to pieces! Or at the very least the plumbing (sink etc. also in that run of cabinets). Am I being silly or is this actually a possibility?

I bought a crumb rubber mat and have tried it on that (it's in the middle of the kitchen floor for now) and, whilst this is great at reducing vibrations through the wooden floor, it actually makes the machine wobble worse. Which we did expect but still, we had to try.

Last resort, I'll buy a new machine. Will a more expensive brand guarantee less wobble? Should I look for a narrower model? Or am I being silly and the current one will be fine??

Thanks!

It's probably fine… however I would take anything off the counter above before you set it away. I would hope a kitchen would be robust enough to withstand a wobbly washer! Try it on just a spin cycle and you can always pause it if it gets carried away

That's a really good idea cakes, perhaps I'll start it with a low spin and see how the whole thing holds up.... It's a ceramic sink as well so I don't want to crack it - the new kitchen's my pride and joy and I'm not blooming well damaging it for the sake of a washing machine!

The cheaper disposable washers have that problem (the sort where your old washer breaks and you think "oh it'll be 100 to repair the old one but a brand new one is only 200")
If you buy the lowest model of one of the most expensive makes, it will cost twice as much but actually be worth repairing if it eventually goes wrong.
Ours only vibrates if it's not level, other than that you don't really notice the spin particularly.

john that's what I was hoping you'd say about more expensive washers! I never thought I had a good reason to buy a fancy brand as I'm a purely practical sort and don't fear a passable if not gleaming wash, but I didn't realise there would be vibration issues to consider.

Glad to hear I could be pretty confident I'd get a less wobbly machine from upgrading. I read online that Miele machines went through a phase of being terribly wobbly and there being product recalls etc. so I wasn't sure if the issue was one of washers universally. There is hope!

We have a Bosch and a Siemens (two because we inherited one unexpectedly ) and haven't had wobbling problems with either, maybe try those brands?

It's not like you can never do any laundry again!

Is it wobbling on a full load or with stuff like towels in? My washer is usually fine, but jumps a fair bit with towels as they're so heavy when they're wet and tend to bunch up a bit. It helps to make sure you don't just bundle everything in together as you put it in so it doesn't form one big lump. I make sure I put a handful in at a time until it's all in rather than an armful, all at once, if you know what I mean.

The dishes on my drainer sometimes adjust a bit when the washer spins, but it's not managed to demolish everything yet.

Pick it's wobbling even on a half sized load with no heavy items in; just toddler's clothes and underwear :(

Outside of it's housing you can visibly see the side to side movement of the top of the machine, so in a space where it has literally 1mm either side it is certainly going to be putting all that force into the units. In the old kitchen it was in a huge gap with many cms either side of it and still used to bring things crashing down on the work surface above, but DP assured me it just needed levelling when we took it out. Alas, not so.

That is a very tight fit - I'm amazed you could slide it in there!

Stating the obvious, but you're going to have to measure very carefully if you decide to replace it, as there's a fair bit of variation. There are compact washers, but they tend to be shallower, rather than significantly narrower. My Siemens is enormous, but that could be because it's a washer dryer.

It really is tight (perhaps I'm remembering it being more tight than it is, but I don't think so!), but DP's the one who's been getting it in and out :) The machine itself is a couple of mm over 600 so perhaps that's why, although the spec on the ones I'm looking at online all say 600 so hopefully they won't come much larger than my current one.

Siemens appears to have a good rep for vibration-reducing technology!

Did you remove the transit bolts before you put it in place? The instruction manual should tell you how, if you haven't.
If they are left in place it makes washing machines shake.

I was going to suggest transit bolts too.

I was going to suggest transit bolts too.

Yeah, unfortunately the transit bolts are definitely out. I'm loathe to buy another machine as I've just started maternity leave, but I am a bit precious about the new kitchen still. Guess I won't know what'll happen until I try and run it in situ!