Why is my washing machine shaking and leaking?
Washing machines often start violently banging around when running bigger, bulky items over time, and can develop a slow leak during the agitation wash phase. These mechanical issues disrupt normal laundry cycles and make the appliance unreliable for heavy loads.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1trying to carefully balance loadsDid this help you?
- 2avoiding bulky items like blankets, sheets, and pillowsDid this help you?
- 3washing similar items together and filling the machine about three-quarters fullDid this help you?
- 4leaving it alone if there are no issues with clothes being pulled into the drumDid this help you?
- 5Buying larger screws for a tighter hold on the stacking kitDid this help you?
- 6Checking if the washer is levelDid this help you?
- 7Washing larger loads to prevent balancing issuesDid this help you?
- 8Avoiding small loads with heavy wet items like towelsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“over time it started violently banging around with bigger, bulky items.”source ↗
“Lately it has developed a slow leak during the agitation or "wash" phase.”source ↗
“Finished a load and saw it tilt, any recommendations”source ↗
“I just noticed this back and forth movement in my dryer. It moves under very light pressure, surprisingly the dryer runs relatively quiet. I have noticed some rhythmic rattling while the dryer is running, but nothing too crazy for it being a 12-year-old Samsung.”source ↗
“This stack Samsung washer is brand new and shakes so violently that it moves into a different spot after each cycle.”source ↗
“The screws were too loose the first time and the stacking kit broke, so I had to buy larger screws for a tighter hold and that seemed to fix the problem, but the machine still shakes like this.”source ↗
“Yeah the washer is leveled it seems like the inner barrel is tilting”source ↗
“Recently I washed just 4 towels in a load and the whole machine did rock slightly and shifted it a bit out of place.”source ↗
“Right I understand and appreciate your advice. But is my washer not likely broken?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why does my washing machine keep overflowing every few months?
- 9Why does my washing machine drain make a loud gurgling sound?
- 38Washer making a loud screeching noise during spin cycle
- 3Why is water overflowing from my washing machine dispenser tray?
- 2Why does my washing machine keep giving an inlet error?
- 3Why does my dryer take multiple cycles to dry clothes?