Panasonic Washing Machine Vibration and Wobbling

30 March 2018

Introduction

Just bought a Panasonic Top Load Washer NA-F75S7 for about SGD$275 with a 5% rebate from Lazada,  Singapore.  The delivery was fast,  all done within 3 days. We have used Hitachi washing machine that lasted more than 20 years;  then a Samsung washing machine that broke down after 4 years in operation.

This Panasonic is one of the cheapest and the most popular model.  We like its spin rinsing function that many other machines did not have.  It really makes washing cleaner.   But there were a few problems with this machine and one of them was that it took a longer time to wash and spin.

Why?

We discovered that the rinsing and spinning cycle repeats itself as shown in this video.  The timer jumped from 9-minute back to 14-minute during the spinning cycle.

We understand it is part of the design as it was stated clearly on the machine as shown below to carry out the "Unbalance Recovery".   But this was almost a daily affair making washing a nightmare.   We also discovered that the machine vibrated and wobbled a lot during the spinning cycle.  That could have contributed to the problem.

The Options

We have 2 options

1.      Return the washing machine as it was still within 14 days from the delivery date; 

2.      Keep the machine and try to fix the problem without voiding the guarantee.

We chose to keep the machine as we anticipated that the other machines of the same range might have similar problem. 

How to Fix?

The machine wobbled partly because the floor wasn’t flat.  Fortunately,  the machine came with a mounting adjuster but we could solve some wobbling but not the vibration problem.   We tried to redistribute the clothing nicely before washing.  This helped little to reduce the frequency repeats in the rinse and spin cycles. 

Why Vibrate?

The machine is just too light.  The casing is like made from sardine can materials.  Someone on the web forum suggested to add weight within the machine but we have chosen to add a support at the back as shown below

Whats’ Needed?

1.      One piece of 2 x 3/4” wooden strip,  about 3 feet long and cut into the following length

a.       2 pieces of 15” long to be attached to the wall and the machine

b.      2 pieces of 3.5” long as spacer

2.      1 piece of 3/16” thick  rubber sheet that can cut into 4 Nos of 3/4”x 2” rubber stud;

3.      Tools; for example, wood saw,  nails,  wood screws,   hammer etc

Step by Step

After cutting the wooden plank and rubber sheet into pieces assemble them like as shown in the following picture

 

Drill holes in the wooden plank to the exact dimension to match the holes on the washing machine.  

Fix the whole bracket to the wall as shown in the above  picture

Remove the 2 back panel screws to allow the timber frame  to be screwed onto the panel

 

The completed assembly is as shown

 

Performance

The machine performed perfectly in every washing cycle without any wobbling or any vibration.  It has never miss a "step" ever since we have fitted the timber frame..