Last updated on February 7th, 2017
There may occasionally be situations where a washing machine would benefit from being raised off the floor. One such example would be if it was installed in a basement and was struggling to pump the water up to ground level. Washing machine pumps are not powerful enough to pump the water very high. However, I have seen cases where raising the washing machine a foot or so would have made the difference.
I would expect it to only make a difference in cases where the pump almost drains the water out in time but times out right near the end, or stalls for the lack of a small amount of extra time. There’s no guarantee this pedestal would fix this problem but it might do.
More reasons to raise a washing machine off the ground
Other examples where raising a washing machine off the ground would be desirable is if the washing machine was installed in an area prone to damp or ingress of water. Or simply to raise the washing machine to a height that makes it much more comfortable to operate. Loading and unloading can be much easier with a higher washing machine – especially if you have specific needs.
Specially designed pedestal for standing washer on
There is such a product in the 4Washerhelp spares database – Pedestal to raise washing machine. Unfortunately it’s very expensive, but if it’s necessary to safely raise the washing machine off the floor it may be worth the money and it should do the job properly and safely.
The height of the pedestal is 30.5 CM, which is just under 14 inches and is “applicable to all brands” although I’d definitely measure up first. It’s not cheap, but may be just what you need and should be a lot more secure than just placing a washing machine on a block where it could fall off with disastrous consequences.
If considering buying this accessory because your washing machine isn’t pumping out fast enough due to it having to pump too high, try raising it the same amount by placing it on something temporary first to test if it makes the required difference. If doing so you would need to put a normal load in to properly test, and you’d need to watch the machine carefully for falling off. I would suggest a couple of rinse and spins should be enough to test it.
Alternatively check out this other option – Installing a washing machine or dishwasher in basement
Thank you for pointing me in the right direction for a device to raise a washing machine/Tumble dryer.
My wife suffers from arthritis and the platform you suggest seems ideal.
Do you have a view on achieving the same objective by buiding a breeze block platfrom.
Thank again
That should be fine as long as you have sides on it to prevent the washing machine falling off.
Hello,
My partner and I just moved our washing machine up on a custom made shelf about a meter off the ground. Since then it became faulty and making funny sucking noises. Would you say we broke it while transporting or is it the height that causes the problem?
Thanks