What are the shipping bolts for on a washing machine?
When you walk into any hardware store, you may find that front-loading automatic washing machines have small clips on the back. Today, installing these fasteners is a mandatory procedure for washing machines of any model and brand. Shipping bolts like these are needed to safely transport complex equipment, but how exactly do they help during transport, and why do they need to be unscrewed before use?
Purpose of “temporary” screws
Such screws become a temporary measure for fixing moving parts in washing machines. These are hex bolts with a metal washer, a plastic one, plus a plastic cylinder. It is this small part that is responsible for the safety of the device during transportation.
You may wonder why then all expensive equipment is not equipped with similar locking bolts, which provide such a high level of security during delivery. The fact is that only washing machines, due to the peculiarities of their design, these fasteners help so much.
The main part of any washing machine is its tank, combined with the drum, where clothes are washed. The drum starts up due to the activation of the electric motor, and then rotates with great centrifugal force. Because of this process, strong vibration occurs in the device, which is transmitted to the body of the washing machine, which can extremely quickly render all parts of household appliances unusable.
To prevent this from happening, and to ensure that the vibration was extinguished in a timely manner, a damper system reminiscent of a washing machine suspension was developed for “home assistants.” This system consists of two suspension springs on which the tank is attached at the top and two shock absorbers at the bottom. It helps control vibrations at a relatively small level.
This is not a rigid structure and requires securing screws, because it will not be able to hold the tank during transportation. During transportation, strong shocks and jumps on bumps can cause the washing machine tank to swing and damage other parts of the device.. This is why it is so important to install clamps that secure the tank in a stationary position.
Remove the screws before starting the machine
Removing the fasteners before starting the wash for the first time is a mandatory requirement that all manufacturers of household appliances ask to comply with. If you start the washing machine with the screws not removed, the engine will quickly pick up speed and try to spin the drum, but will encounter the fact that the tank is tightly fixed in one place. Because of this, the device will begin to destroy itself, damaging the shock-absorbing system, bearings, shaft and other parts installed next to the drum.
The longer the machine operates with the transport bolts secured, the more damage it will suffer.
Due to the fact that washing machines are found in almost every home today, people feel confident in their abilities, so sometimes they do not even study the official user manual before installation. For this reason, some people are not aware of the existence of shipping bolts, which can easily break expensive equipment.
Also, buyers are often in such a rush to run a test wash that they simply forget about the fasteners. Fortunately, the washing machine can alert you if there is a problem with the screws.
Pay attention to the vibration level. If it is excessively high, then this is a sign that the bolts are still in place.
This can also be indicated by sudden jumps of the washing machine. They will be even stronger than during spinning at high speeds.
Finally, during operation, strange atypical sounds will appear, completely uncharacteristic of the normal functioning of the washing machine.
If this suddenly happens, then you cannot wait for the end of the work cycle, but rather stop the washing or unplug the washing machine cord from the network. After such an incident, you cannot use the machine, but you should call a technician to diagnose and repair damage if any is found.
Be prepared for the fact that starting the wash with the clamps installed is not a warranty case, so you will have to pay for the repair yourself.
If luck is on your side, then expensive repairs will not be required, but you will only have to replace the shock absorbers. But if the machine has been working for a long time, then you need to mentally prepare to shell out a large amount either for complex repairs or for a new washing machine. To prevent this from happening to you, the first thing after delivery is to remove all the shipping bolts to forget about this problem once and for all.
When you walk into any hardware store, you may find that front-loading automatic washing machines have small clips on the back. Today, installing these fasteners is a mandatory procedure for washing machines of any model and brand. Shipping bolts like these are needed to safely transport complex equipment, but how exactly do they help during transport, and why do they need to be unscrewed before use?
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