Stacking kits are important!

June 19th, 2012

Appliance News Appliance Questions Laundry Stuff about appliances you'd be an idiot not to read

“We bought a Whirlpool Duet Sport washer & dryer. And we found the stack kit to be pretty expensive for all that it is… And I’m wondering if we REALLY NEED this kit? My boyfriend said he was going to just use heavy duty industrial strength velcro?” asks Sadie’s Mummy on Yahoo Answers.

Best answer?

“Get the kit and prevent a BIG safety issue and the possibility of your dryer falling off on you or just plain hitting the floor and being ruined. $25 is a lot cheaper than buying a new dryer. And no, your warranty would not cover that [velcro].”

This is exactly why stacking kits are essential items when placing a dryer on top of a front loader washing machine.

In another instance a customer placed the dryer straight on top of the washing machine, which was fine for three months. Then the washing machine developed a fault and started to jump around the laundry. The dryer was “ejected across the room” and smashed to the ground. And of course, the manufacturer did not cover the dryer under warranty, all because it was stacked without a stacking kit.

Stacking kits vary in price, from as little as $20 to $200. Higher end kits will have extra features, such as a slide-out shelf or worktop for storing laundry materials or organising space. Lower end kits are more basic, yet equally as functional, safe and will most likely ensure the washer/dryer stays under warranty.

What about some rubber placed between the two machines? Will that do the trick?

“So I was thinking like some foam or polystyrene or rubber between them to stop vibraitons…maybe?,” asks jonoz on Whirlpool.

“Just don’t make a fuss when the dryer falls off the washer onto the floor…best is to secure the dryer to the wall by the correct mounting bracket….,” is batjac’s reply.

“Those recycled rubber mats are fine for display purposes, ‘cos neither machine is running! Primarily those mats are designed for [shop] floor purposes (or underneath washers or dryers to stop vibration), but they are not really meant to be used to be stuck between mismatched washers and dryers.”