How to Level a Washer

The drum hangs on springs and dampers inside a cabinet that is meant to stay still. One short foot lets the cabinet rock with every revolution, and that rocking feeds the drum's motion until the machine thumps and creeps across the floor.

The consequences differ by type. A top-loader that is off level can splash water off the top of the basket or the load. A front-loader spins faster and shows an imbalance sooner. A stacked pair multiplies any wobble at the top. Watch for excessive vibration, unusual noise, walking, uneven wash results, clothes still wet after the spin, and imbalance error codes.

Skipping the checks below is why some washers keep shaking after a careful leveling job.

Power and water off

Unplug the washer and shut off the water supply before you tip it or reach underneath.

Shipping bolts and shipping block

On a front-loader, the four transport bolts through the back panel, with their rubber dampers and spacers, must be out, and any foam block wedged under the tub removed. Keep the bolts for a future move. A quick check without a wrench: open the door and push the drum forward and back. If it moves, the bolts are out. On a top-loader, check for a shipping brace or plug.

Empty drum and clean floor

Level only with no water in the drum. Run a spin to drain it, or bail it out. Clean the floor of dust, water and oil, which let the feet slide. No carpet, rug or foam-backed flooring. The floor must carry the washer's total weight with water and load, 315 lb (143 kg).

Clearance and drain pan

Leave roughly 4 in (10 cm) at the sides and back so the machine does not touch a wall or another appliance. If the washer sits in a drain pan, the tub bottom can rub the pan. The legs may need to be extended, and the machine re-leveled afterward.

You need a bubble level (or a phone level app), an open-end or adjustable wrench sized to the lock nuts (9/16 in or 14 mm), work gloves, a wood block or 2x4 scrap, a flashlight, and a second person for a front-loader.

Allow about 10 to 20 minutes for a machine already in place, and 20 to 40 minutes in a tight closet or on a first install. Never lie under a propped-up washer. Brace it with a wood block, never your hand.

1. Set the level on top of the machine, on a straight area such as a side seam or the top of the control panel, not on a rounded edge.
2. Check side to side near the front edge, then rotate the level 90 degrees and check front to back. Re-check side to side after, because a front-to-back change shifts it.
3. Run the rock check. Press down on opposite corners in turn. If it rocks more in one direction than the other, adjust that foot until the movement is equal both ways.
4. Adjust the low side up, not the high side down. This keeps the legs as short as possible, and short legs vibrate less.
5. Loosen the lock nut on the foot you are adjusting, turning it down away from the cabinet.
6. Turn the foot half a turn at a time and re-check. Direction of turn is not consistent across machines: on some, clockwise raises the foot, on others it lowers it. Do not force a foot, because excessive force damages it.
7. Do not over-extend a leg. If the gap between floor and leg exceeds about 3/8 in (10 mm), stop unscrewing the leg and use leveling base shims instead, up to three stacked. Over-extended legs cause severe vibration and noise.
8. Tighten the lock nuts against the cabinet, holding the foot so it does not turn. If tightening lifts a foot off the floor, back off and redo. A loose lock nut is why a washer that was level last year now rocks.
9. Re-check level and rock one last time.
10. Run a check load of about 6 lb of laundry on a rinse-and-spin cycle, and watch the final spin from the side. A little movement is normal. Walking, banging or a buzzing lid is not.

On many top-loaders only the front legs adjust, and the rear legs are self-leveling. Set the front legs first, then tip the machine forward until the rear legs are about 4 in off the floor and set it gently back down so the rear legs settle.

Do not slide the washer on extended legs, and re-check the rock after the rear legs settle.

All four feet usually adjust on a front-loader. The drum is heavier and spins faster, so the rock check and the lock nuts matter more than on a top-loader.

Confirm the shipping bolts are out before anything else. A front-loader with the bolts still in will shake no matter how level it is.

The washer's own feet come off, and the pedestal's feet do the leveling. Level the pedestal feet, then tighten their lock nuts against the pedestal cabinet.

A pedestal raises the center of gravity, so a small floor wobble becomes a bigger one at the top. Level carefully and re-check the rock once the washer is back on the pedestal.

Level the washer first, on its own, before the dryer goes on top. A stacked pair sits on the washer's four feet, so any error in the base is carried up and magnified by the height of the dryer.

Once the dryer is stacked and secured with its kit, re-check the level across the top of the pair and repeat the rock check. If the top of the stack reads off level while the washer base is fine, the stacking kit or the dryer's own feet need attention, not the washer's legs.

These have two front casters and two rear fixed casters plus front leveling feet. To move the machine, raise the front leveling feet above the casters. In position, lower the feet to the floor and lock them.

Set the adjustable foot slightly higher than the front caster so the machine does not roll during the wash or spin. Allowable slope is about 1 degree, and some movement is normal and will not be fully eliminated. Do not put wood or other objects under the feet.

Level a combo the same way: four legs, lock nuts, rock check. Never lay the unit down or tip it past 45 degrees. If it has been tipped, wait an equal amount of time before powering it on.

After leveling, run the machine's calibration routine, then a check cycle, and repeat the leveling if it shakes.

Slope and flex are different problems. A sloped floor is out of level. A flexing floor is level but bouncy, and more leg does not fix flex.

The slope limit is 1 in (25 mm) under the whole machine, roughly 1/2 in per horizontal foot, or about 1 in across a 27 in wide machine. A vibration you can feel in the floor from across the room is a sign of a flexing floor. Secure a piece of 3/4 in (19.1 mm) plywood to the floor beneath the washer, a piece about 34 in by 34 in spanning three joists, screwed down with 2 in screws.

Do not install on a raised wooden platform or on carpet. Stiffening the framing is a carpenter's job, not a leveling job.

Work down this list in order and stop when you find the cause.

1. Load balance. The washer performs best at about 2/3 drum capacity. Bulky items go in a doughnut shape around the impeller, wash two or three rugs rather than one, and keep clothes no higher than the top row of holes.
2. Shipping bolts or block still in.
3. Level and lock nuts. Redo the rock check.
4. Floor. Slope or flex, as above.
5. Suspension. Worn shock absorbers, broken springs or rods, or drum bearings. This is a technician's job.

Error codes tied to imbalance vary by maker, so look up the code in your own machine's manual before calling for service. A code plus a level, balanced machine means service.