During a regular cycle if a GE washer detects that the tub is out of balance it will stop, and can also show a flashing light. However, if it won’t start again when you press the start button, or you can’t identify why it won’t balance, here’s what causes this to happen and how to fix it.
As a general rule, there are too many heavy items in your GE washer, or your GE washer has too many items in it. On top loader GE washers the agitator can have come loose, and the tub stabilizers can have failed. Your GE washer may not be level, and you need to adjust the feet to make it level.
A few of the steps to troubleshoot this issue are very easy to identify. Whereas, others are more difficult and require a repair technician to fix. Below, I will provide how to fix each of the top reasons that a GE washer won’t balance, and if the repair can be done yourself.
GE Washer Won’t Balance (How To Fix)
Some GE washers have an LED display that will notify you that the washer is out of balance. Others will only show a blinking light to indicate that it’s out of balance. If you press the start button and it wont start again, here’s what you should do to identify what the issue is, and how to troubleshoot each of the main reasons a GE washer won’t balance.
In general, make sure your GE washer is not overloaded, or has a lot of heavy items like towels and jeans. Then check that your GE washer is level by using a bubble level (spirit level) on the top, and adjust the feet if necessary. After that, do the steps below.
An interesting thing with GE washers is that they have what is called a diagnostics mode. When you enter diagnostics mode it will show you what the error is using different sequences of lights.
However, when it’s out of balance it won’t provide any additional detail about why it’s out of balance or how to fix it.
Top Reasons GE Washer Won’t Balance
A GE washer generates a lot of force when it spins and agitates. If the tub is out of balance a GE washer can damage itself as it washes, and spins the laundry. A GE washer will stop and notify you that it’s out of balance, so here are the top reasons why a GE washer is out of balance.
Overall, the tub stabilizers are broken, there are too many heavy items in the tub, the washer is not level, the agitator has come loose, or the laundry items are not placed evenly are the top reasons a GE washer won’t balance.
Some of these are fairly easy to check yourself. Whereas, others are best repaired by a repair technician.
In some cases the repair will also be covered under warranty so it’s a good idea to contact GE support. Here’s a list of the top reasons why a GE won’t balance, and what’s required to fix the issue, and if it can be fixed yourself.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on September 6, 2022.
GE Washer Won’t Balance Tub Stabilizers Are Broken
There are what are called tub stabilizers on GE washers. They are responsible for stopping the tub from rubbing against the sides of a GE washer. These are located on the top and sides of the tub.
There are 8 total. One or more of them can have failed and so the tub won’t balance. The tub stabilizers can easily be tested on a front loader washing machine.
You press down on the tub and see what happens when the tub bounces back. If it bounces back once then the stabilizers and fine. But, if it bounces back twice or more than one or more of the stabilizers have failed and you need to repair or replace them.
They typically fail over time, or if the tub is consistently overloaded. Replacing them yourself is not too difficult.
But, it requires a medium level of skill in working with tools. In my opinion, it’s best to have a repair technician do it, because they can identify if there is also another issue that is causing your GE washer not to balance.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on September 6, 2022.
GE Washer Won’t Balance Too Many Heavy Items
Certain clothing items are particularly difficult for a laundry machine to wash. Such as towels, comforters, jeans, and slacks. These don’t move around much, and are very heavy once they get wet.
If the load in your GE washer has too many of these items, then it can cause the washer to be out of balance. It’s best to only wash a few pairs or jeans or slacks at once, and a few towels. Also, in most cases comforters (duvet inners) are too large and bulky for a regular laundry machine, and you need to take them to a laundromat where they have much bigger laundry machines that can handle them.
Ge Washer Won’t Balance Because The Washer Is Not Level
A GE washer has supports on the sides and top that keep the tub in place as it spins, and agitates. There are four of each, and they each hold the same amount of force. But, if your GE washer is not perfectly flat on the floor one or more of these supports will be taking more of the load of the tub.
And the tub will be slightly off center. So, even if the tub is ‘technically’ balanced, it will register as being out of balance. The issue can be with the feet on the bottom of your GE washer. It’s best to first check your GE washer is level by putting a spirit level (bubble level) on the lid to see that it’s perfectly level.
If it’s slightly off level you should inspect the feet to see if one foot is lower than the other. One of the feet can have failed and needs to be replaced. One or more of the feet can also need to be adjusted by screwing or unscrewing them.
Ge Washer Won’t Balance Because The Agitator Has Come Loose
There is what’s called an agitator in top loading GE washers. It’s the central part of the washer with fins on it that ‘agitate’ the laundry. The agitator can have come loose.
This is easy to identify, simply place your hand on the center part of your GE washer and move it around a bit, to see if it feels loose or feels stable. If it feels a bit loose you can remove the top of the agitator. It is clipped into the agitator and pops off when you pull on it.
The inside of the agitator is hollow and at the bottom there is a screw that holds it in place. Adjust the screw using a crescent wrench to see if it’s screwed in tight and hasn’t come loose. The other reason could be the plastic thread on the inside of the agitator has worn out and the entire agitator needs to be replaced.
Ge Washer Won’t Balance Because The Laundry Items Are Not Placed Evenly
The laundry items you place in a washing machine need to be evenly placed so that one side is not heavier than the other. Otherwise, the tub will be out of balance. As it’s agitating some of the items can get pushed to one side and make it out of balance.
Or, when you put the clothes in, they weren’t evenly spaced in the tub. Adjust the laundry in the tub to make it even, and see if that fixes the balancing issue.
Overall, the agitator is loose and needs to be tightened or replaced, it’s overloaded with too many heavy items, or too much laundry, the washer is not level because one of the feet are too long or too short, or the stabilizers on the side of the tub have failed and need to be replaced.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on September 6, 2022.