Sometimes a new machine needs a couple of rounds of leveling and foot balancing. With due respect for your contractor, he may have just checked it with a level, but not done the extra check to make sure each foot is equally loaded, and the lock nuts are (still) secure on each foot. Also a tile floor offers significant opportunity for slight but vibration-making differences of thickness, particularly at corners and edges, and for many types of tiles, in the field, too. These small hills and valleys on the tile can create a situation where each foot appears evenly balanced but in fact is not, and your are actually only weighted on two or three. It's very important to check each foot individually not just run a level across the top of the machine. Once you have the feet all correct mark the floor with tape so you can get the feet exactly back in place after you clean or move the machine for other purposes. Because feet leveling and balancing is a fidgety job, I like to do the washer installation first so I'm not bumping into the dryer. Lord only knows how people manage this in closet installations or under granite counters. I have enough trouble and my machianes are placed two feet from the nearest wall. Some people have reported here that they have used vibration-dampening mats to quell the worst of it. However I think it's really important to try to get the machine correctly balanced rather than try and correct it externally. I think it will cause excess wear, in the long run, to have the machine out-of-balance but synthetically dampened. I would only use the mats after I was very sure the problem was structural not just incomplete leveling and balancing. Try to separate the sound impression of the full-cry spin from the vibrational quality in your mind. The sound is normal, excess vibration is not. After you have run a few dozen cycles, check the balancing again as I find new foot-nuts tend to loosen up sometimes, Don't know why. Regarding the K/S comforter ... does it actually fit in the machine? If it does you might try a test wash. If it's down-filled it may be a problem, but sometimes other ones do fit. I have the smaller 5K Mieles and I wash heavy q/s down-filled comforters regularly. I have posted special down comforter-washing instructions here, which you can probably fid if you search for them. HTH, Molly

I am also curious about this. CR recently reviewed antivibration pads and a new anti-vibration unit that the whole washer sits on. We currently have a top loader on second floor on shake-away pads, and it still shakes the floor more than we would like. CR's most recent tests rate so many washers as excellent on vibration that it is not helpful. Has anyone found real vibration tests for recent (new) models?? The pad that CR likes is only for front-loaders, so we are looking at the following, either: 1. THe best (least vibration) front loader and the anti-shake pad (steadywash I think), or, 2. The least vibration top loader (don't care if it's top or front as we hang all of our clothes, but our current top loader uses way too much water, as evidenced by our water bill increase after we got it - so would prefer something that uses less water) CR mentioned Samsung WF520AB[P] when they tested the pads. Thoughts? Thanks!!!

I am currently remodeling and getting the Bosch 800 washer and ventless dryer based on reviews and recommendations from my very savvy neighbor. I have no idea where the information is coming from regarding six hour cycles but based on the user manual, that is not true of the Bosch and the washer and dryer hold quite a bit - again look at the specifications regarding how many towels can be done in a load. I would think the convenience of doing laundry where it is created and then unloading it where it is returning make it a highly desirable addition - so what If you have to do an extra load or two in the course of a week :-) There is not significant vibration with a Bosch - Bosch is known for exceptionally quiet appliances. The reason I am going with the Bosch is twofold - first the dryer hooks into the washer so installation is simple. Second, they have an amazing water alarm season which is critical for a washer located where a flood would cause a lot of damage. The Bosch 800 has two flood safeguards - the hose is double lined and there is also an integrated water alarm system and pan - if the alarm senses water, the machine stops and no more water goes into the machine and the pan holds any water that has leaked through. If there is anyway of finding space for the 24" stackable units, I would certainly do so.

No laundry load will be perfectly balanced. My SQ FL goes through a lot of speed and direction changes trying to balance loads, and also has moveable balancing weights behind the drum. Usually it will succeed at sufficiently balancing the load that it can achieve high speed spin. Even a TL will be less than perfectly balanced and the vibration when spinning, while nominally radial, will have an axial component that couples with the floor. To HU's question. Reinforcing a floor can be a big project, particularly if the area is embedded with wiring and/or plumbing. Joists can be 'sistered' with microlam type beams. A lattice of alternating wood sections can be screwed into place (glue to sub floor if not accessible from above). I did the lattice scheme to a weak bathroom floor to allow tile in place of the original linoleum. Metal strapping configurations are also possible. Overall, the idea is to significantly increase the sectional rotational moment of inertia of the beams providing floor support. Assuming that the washer has to be on a second floor and not a first floor or basement slab, then I would also recommend obtaining industrial dampening material, typically in the form of lossy rubber (opposite of a super ball) with a waffle impression. On this material would be set a stiff metal sheet (or four sub sheets) that couples the washer feet to the rubber over a large area. Doing just the corners in a stacked rubber/metal/rubber/etc. scheme might work even better, but care is needed to keep the washer from "walking" off of the stack. Vibration dampening is a technical area that if not analyzed by someone skilled in the art will of necessity be somewhat experimental.