What distance should be between the washing machine and the wall?

According to the manufacturer's recommendations, any large household appliances must be placed at a certain distance from walls, other appliances, and furniture. Washing machines are no exception. The main reason why the machine cannot be installed closely is the operating principle of the washing machine. During the spin cycle, it can bounce, sway, or move slightly from its original position. Such movements of the unit can lead to damage to the machine itself, as well as nearby objects. Let's figure out what the optimal distance from the wall to the washing machine will be.

Need space for communications

Let's figure out why you should leave a gap between the equipment and the washing machine. Firstly, there is a water intake hose on the back wall of the unit body. Although it can be placed along the wall and save a fair amount of space, you still need to leave a few free centimeters. In addition, on some models of machines there is also a water drain hose located at the back, which has a slightly larger diameter than the fill pipe. On the back of the device there is a power cord outlet, and if you move the equipment too close to the wall, you can simply crush the cable.

There must also be a gap between the wall and the machine to ensure free connection of the equipment to house utilities. And if suddenly an emergency leak occurs, with the washing machine completely adjacent to the wall, the owner will not be able to quickly respond to the situation and take measures to eliminate the malfunction.As a result, you will have to repair not only your bathroom, but also the apartment of your neighbors below.

Gap size

What should be the optimal distance from the wall to the washing machine? In order to seamlessly connect to house communications, you need to leave about 5-10 centimeters. A person’s hand can easily fit into such a gap. Also, the specified gap size is enough to stop an emergency leakage of equipment.

The lateral distance from the wall to the washing machine should be at least 1 centimeter. And only if the floor and walls of the room are perfectly flat. If this is not the case, and the machine is not level, it is better to increase the recommended clearance by 2-3 times (up to two or three cm).

To make the washing machine wobble less from side to side during operation, you can purchase special balancing stands for the body or an anti-vibration mat.

Very often the floor covering under the washing machine becomes slightly deformed. The deflection of the floor is not noticeable to the owners, but the body tilts slightly to the side. This may cause the washer to malfunction. Let's figure out how the situation will affect the capabilities of technology.

For example, the machine tilted to the right due to a defect appearing on the floor. Now the load during the spin phase is distributed unevenly across the body, more falling on the right counterweight. After about six months, the right damper will simply become faulty. The washing machine will begin to “freeze” during operation, since the system sensors will incorrectly read the load on the drum. So, with a permissible wash of 6 kg of clothes at the same time, the housewife will have to put in a maximum of 4 kg so that the machine does not freeze during the spin cycle.

The installation of an automatic washing machine must be done correctly. Be sure to leave gaps between the device body and surrounding surfaces. It is also necessary to monitor the level of the floor under the washing machine, install special devices that absorb vibrations and prevent the machine from swaying.

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