--- title: "New Unit Vibrating or Walking Across the Floor: Causes and Fixes" description: "A new unit vibrating or walking shakes hard, bangs or creeps across the floor on its first spin, pump-out or compressor start after the installation." url: "https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/new-unit-vibrating-or-walking/" --- # New Unit Vibrating or Walking Across the Floor A new unit vibrating or walking shakes hard, bangs or creeps across the floor on its first spin, pump-out or compressor start after the installation. ## What it usually means. A new laundry machine that dances on its first spin is almost always telling you about its installation. Front-loading washers ship with shipping bolts through the back panel that lock the tub to the cabinet; a machine run with them still in shakes violently, because the suspension cannot move, and it can damage itself within a few cycles. Even with the bolts out, a washer resting on three feet rocks on the fourth, and a machine whose lock nuts were not tightened slowly unwinds its own feet as it vibrates. A stacked pair magnifies any rock in the washer, and pedestals raise the center of gravity. The floor matters too: a washer on a wooden floor that flexes between joists shakes more than the same machine on concrete. A new refrigerator or freezer can hum and rattle when a leg is not touching, a water line touches the cabinet, or the drain pan is resting crooked. A dish care machine not fastened to the counter rattles on its spray cycles. Each of these is corrected by the installation step that was missed. A washer that still shakes hard with its bolts out, its feet set and a balanced load is a question for the maker or our sister repair site. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Were the shipping bolts removed from the back panel, and are they with the manual? 02 Does the machine rock when you press on its top corners with it empty? 03 Does it shake on every spin, or only with a small or heavy load? 04 Is the floor under it concrete, or a wooden floor that bounces when you walk on it? 05 On cold storage, is the noise a rattle from the back or from the bottom grille? ## Check these before you book. New unit vibrating or walking: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Stop the cycle and look at the back panel for shipping bolts or their plastic spacers. 02 Press on each top corner of the empty machine to see whether it rocks. 03 Check that all four feet touch the floor and their lock nuts are tight. ### Also worth checking - On a stack, make sure the stacking kit is fastened to both machines. - Run a spin with a mixed, medium load and watch whether the machine still moves. ### How soon does it need a visit? A machine that walks can pull its hoses, its drain or its exhaust loose. Stop the cycle, close the water valves if a hose is stretched, and do not run it again until it is set correctly. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things new unit vibrating or walking across the floor turns out to be, from shipping bolts still in the back panel to suspension damaged by a run with the bolts in. [The cost guide](https://applianceinstallation.center/cost/) 1. 01 lowest ### Shipping bolts still in the back panel The transit bolts that locked the tub for delivery are removed, their holes are capped with the plugs in the carton, and the bolts are kept with the manual for any future move. [Fixed by anti-tip bracket and leveling](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/anti-tip-bracket-and-leveling/) [On a laundry machine](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/laundry-installation/) 2. 02 lowest ### A machine resting on three feet The fourth foot barely touches, and the machine rocks on each spin. Each foot is set so all four carry weight, and the lock nuts are tightened against the cabinet so the setting holds. [Fixed by anti-tip bracket and leveling](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/anti-tip-bracket-and-leveling/) [On a laundry machine](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/laundry-installation/) 3. 03 lowest ### A line or panel touching a cold storage cabinet A water line or a cord resting on the compressor area, or a toe grille not clipped in, buzzes as the compressor starts. The line is moved clear and the grille refitted. [Fixed by anti-tip bracket and leveling](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/anti-tip-bracket-and-leveling/) [On a cold storage unit](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/cold-storage-installation/) 4. 04 low ### A stack or pedestal not fastened A dryer set on a washer without its stacking kit fastened, or a machine not secured to its pedestal, shifts on the spin. The kit or pedestal is fastened as the maker describes, and the pair is leveled again. [Fixed by stacking kit and pedestal installation](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/stacking-kit-and-pedestal-installation/) [On a laundry machine](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/laundry-installation/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### A floor that flexes under the spin A washer in the middle of a span on a wooden floor bounces with the drum. Moving it closer to a wall or a joist line helps; a stiffer floor or an anti-vibration pad the maker approves is the next step. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) [On a laundry machine](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/laundry-installation/) 6. 06 moderate ### Suspension damaged by a run with the bolts in A washer run for several cycles with its shipping bolts in can damage its shocks or springs. If it still shakes once the installation is correct, that is a repair for the maker or our sister repair site. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with new appliance not level: rocking cabinets and uneven gaps, then laundry exhaust crushed, loose or blowing into the room. [All problems](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`E32` Bosch · Level and balance](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/bosch-e32/) - [`Wash load is out of balance` Fisher & Paykel · Level and balance](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-out-of-balance/) - [`E4` Frigidaire · Level and balance](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/frigidaire-e4/) - [`E5` Frigidaire · Level and balance](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/frigidaire-e5/) - [`Spin light blinking` GE Profile · Level and balance](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/ge-profile-spin-blinking/) - [`UE` LG · Level and balance](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/lg-ue/) [4 more codes, by make](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Appliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages** 8 causes](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/appliance-installation-code/) ### New Appliance Not Level: Rocking Cabinets and Uneven Gaps 6 causes Hazard after a hookup ### Laundry Exhaust Crushed, Loose or Blowing Into the Room 6 causes Hazard after a hookup ### Water Leak After an Install: Close the Supply Valve First 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 37 makes on this site; new unit vibrating or walking across the floor can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 37 brands](https://applianceinstallation.center/brands/) ## New Unit Vibrating or Walking Across the Floor, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Most have three or four, and some have a plastic spacer on each bolt as well. The manual shows where they are and how many; every one has to come out before the first run. ### Are anti-vibration pads a substitute for leveling? No. A pad can soften vibration on a solid floor, but a machine that rocks or has its bolts in keeps shaking on a pad. Set the feet first; use a pad the maker approves only if needed. ### Why does the machine only walk with small loads? A single heavy item, like a bath mat or a pair of jeans, cannot balance in the drum, and the machine throws it from side to side. Adding a few towels usually settles it. ### Is some hum from a new cold storage unit normal? Yes. Newer compressors and fans run at varying speeds and make sounds an older unit did not. A rattle or buzz from a panel, a line or the grille is the kind that the installation can quiet. --- **[Read on the site: New Unit Vibrating or Walking Across the Floor: Causes and Fixes](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/new-unit-vibrating-or-walking/)** **[Book a visit with ApplianceInstallation.center](https://applianceinstallation.center/schedule/)**