Hanging a W/D Stack from Ceiling

15 years ago

I'm renovating a small 150 year old rowhouse. I have to put a W/D stack on the 2nd floor. It will shake the whole house (maybe the whole block). To make it worse I like the Speed Queen stack and Consumer Reports says it shakes more than the others.

I'm thinking of decoupling it from the house by putting it on a rigid platform that's hung from the attic joists by 4 chains with isolation hangers in them (springs and rubber). I'd build a frame over the joists to spread the 380 lb. load. Then it can shake all it wants.

I called Speed Queen to see if they thought the machine would survive not being restrained but he said he didn't know. He may have thought I was joking.

Can anybody here comment?

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Comments (7)

brenton_2008
15 years ago
Reading your post has made me still think the world is working just fine. Well I know one thing, and that is the balance of this set is on the base plate, and the leveling legs. So if you hang it, there is no balance control period. Now I am not a engineer, and in todays times, new ways and ideas are out there. So of what I have experienced with fixing this stuff, from what I know, this is not a viable solution. The other point to consider, is call up the manufacturer and see if they will still carry the warrantee if something fails before your warrantee runs out. The 2nd area of concern is to me all the work to hang this set, what if you have to work on it, have you a suspended plat form for the Appliance guy to work on to. Not like the Speed Queen guy, I know your not joking. I would love a pic of this set up when you have it suspended and working. This is really interesting for me, as I am 65 and have never experienced something like this beofore, so hanging a stacked W/D from the Ceiling, all I can say is "Cool Idea". As a appliance repair person, is there going to be room for a ladder to get at the dryer if something goes wrong, and is there help to remove the dryer off the washer to get at the washer, and is this done from a ladder or again a suspended Plat form big enough to support me or the appliance guy. Brent@CanBC
suburbanmd
15 years ago
I think there's a real potential for disaster, if the machine's vibration causes the suspended platform to swing wildly.
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asolo
15 years ago
This is nuts. You're going to spend a lot of money and time and have a damned disaster on your hands...probably sooner rather than later. The washer, expecially, needs firm footing to bear on. You're specifically removing that and replacing it with springs and rubber. Did I say this was nuts? Yes, it is.
suburbanmd
15 years ago
I bet it could be made to work, with a properly tuned combination of chains, springs and dampers. It might take some trial-and-error and a lot of patience. Some knowledge of suspension design would also help. But it is a cool idea.
catman_gw
Original Author
15 years ago
Lessee... You all raise good points. I didn't think anybody would answer.

First I'll tear up the guarantee and make sure my Blue Cross is paid up.

I should be able to make a base with a few pieces of angle stock. I'd replace the leveling legs with threaded rod, drill the angle for them and fasten them with jamb nuts to make the mount solid. Luckily the washer is at the bottom. If I bring vertical pieces of angle half way up the sides at the corners the center of gravity should be below the attaching point of the chains and it may not turn over even if it does the Macarena. If I'm wrong and it tips over on me it will add a new dimension to laundry day, won't it? At least I'll stop worrying about how white my whites are. BTW, the base would only have to be a couple of inches off the floor so it won't be up in the air.

I hung a big plasma panel from the ceiling of my bedroom like this and it was easy and only cost a few bucks but it doesn't have a spin cycle.

I have to find a board with ME undergraduates hanging out on it and maybe somebody will tell me how this is going to oscillate. SQ says it spins at 1200 RPM so at full tilt boogie the vibration will be 20Hz which sounds okay but spinning up and down may be something else.

There are sprung platforms to set washers on to damp the vibration (one is called Steadywash) but I bet I can isolate it better with hangers. And this way there won't be a horizontal component coupled to the house.

The work here will only start in February so I have some time to come to my senses. Thanks for answering.
whirlpool_trainee
15 years ago
!?!

Well, isolating the washer will mean that little vibration will be transmitted to your house BUT the units itself will probably shake like crazy. Eventually, the machine will fail - even a Speed Queen.

See what I mean: little vibration transferred to the floor but the washer is going to fall apart sooner or later. All that bouncing can't be good! SteadyWash

I'd either suggest a front loader that has minimal vibration (I think CR recommends Samsung's VTR Plus and others) or try a regular washer/dryer stack with a top loader and the dryer above it (Super Stack, ThinTwin, Laundry Center etc.). Modern top loaders have less vibration than any front loader due to their design. I suppose a side-by-side installation won't work because of space restraints?

Alex
jorapp
15 years ago
OMG...swinging laundry! lol

But seriously...If you are going to try this, you will probably need to add support posts and a kinda cage frame around this to provide more strength to your ceiling joists.

Your ceiling was not designed to carry the weight of the appliances AND water AND wet clothes. Have a structural engineer design additional supports/posts/sister beams...whatever is needed...or your roof will be on the floor, weakened from the weight and vibrations.

Be careful, and bravo for thinking "above the box". lol