--- title: "Installation and setup — Washer Guides | WasherRepair.center" description: "Leveling, shipping bolts, fill hoses, the drain height, the outlet, a drain pan and what a closet or stacked installation needs." url: "https://washerrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/" --- Setting it up to last # Installation and setup guides. Leveling, shipping bolts, fill hoses, the drain height, the outlet, a drain pan and what a closet or stacked installation needs. ## Installation and setup, guide by guide. A washer meets the house at only a handful of points: two supply valves, a drain, an outlet and the floor under its feet. All of them are settled on delivery day, and any one set up wrong can make a sound machine seem broken for years, with a tub that siphons itself empty, a cabinet that walks across the room or a slow drip onto the ceiling below. [All 18 guides](https://washerrepair.center/guides/) 5-minute read ### [Washer Drain Standpipe and Hose: Height and Fit](https://washerrepair.center/guides/drain-standpipe-and-hose/) How high the standpipe should be in four manufacturers' manuals, how deep the hose goes, and why it must never be sealed into the pipe. 5-minute read ### [How to Level a Washer So It Stays Put](https://washerrepair.center/guides/leveling-a-washer/) Shipping bolts first, then the feet, the rock test and the locknuts, plus what a pedestal or a flexing floor changes. 4-minute read ### [Washer Drain Pans and Upper-Floor Laundry Rooms](https://washerrepair.center/guides/drain-pan-and-upper-floor-laundry/) What a pan catches and what it cannot, when one is required, fitting it to a front-loader, and leveling a washer that stands in one. ## Setting it up to last. The guides in this section set out the manufacturers' own installation numbers: how tall the standpipe should be and how loosely the drain hose hangs in it, how the feet are leveled and locked, and when a pan belongs under the machine. Where one maker's manual contradicts another's, the figures are printed next to each other, so you can hold them against the instructions for your own model. Read them ahead of a delivery, after moving house, or when a washer that used to run quietly starts to shake, drain slowly or leave puddles. Every guide also names the point where an owner's check ends and a plumber, an electrician or a carpenter takes over. [Not sure where to start?](https://washerrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Washer Drain Standpipe and Hose: Height and Fit Washer drain standpipe height matters because a pipe that is too low lets the tub siphon out during the wash and one that is too high slows the pump. ### The short answer How to Level a Washer So It Stays Put How to level a washer: unplug it, remove any shipping bolts, set a level on top side to side and front to back, turn the feet until all four carry weight and the cabinet will not rock corner to corner, then tighten the locknuts. ### The short answer Washer Drain Pans and Upper-Floor Laundry Rooms A washer drain pan is a shallow tray under the machine that catches slow leaks before they reach the floor below. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://washerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 Watch it run first 2. 02 You hear the cost first 3. 03 Parts on the van 4. 04 Fixed, then run ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://washerrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Washer Not Draining 5 causes, cheapest first Water or electrical risk ### Washer Overflowing 5 causes, cheapest first Water or electrical risk ### Washer Leaking 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Washer Smells Musty 5 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about installation and setup. ### What should I check before a new washer is delivered? The standpipe height against the new model's minimum, whether the supply valves turn and close fully, a grounded outlet within reach of the cord, and a firm, level floor. Plan for a drain pan if the laundry room is above the ground floor. ### Can I reuse the fill hoses from my old washer? Manufacturers advise against it. LG tells buyers to install new inlet hoses with a new washer, and Speed Queen asks for fill hoses to be replaced every five years in any case. ### My new washer shakes badly on its first spin. What did the installers miss? Usually the shipping bolts or brace are still in the back, or nobody leveled the feet and tightened the locknuts. Rule out those two before suspecting the suspension or the drum. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://washerrepair.center/guides/) Why the cycle ended like that ### [Common problems](https://washerrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Why a washer won't drain, and where the water is stuck](https://washerrepair.center/guides/why-a-washer-wont-drain/) - [Why a washer won't spin, or spins too slowly to wring clothes](https://washerrepair.center/guides/why-a-washer-wont-spin/) - [Why front-loaders smell, and how to get the drum fresh again](https://washerrepair.center/guides/why-front-loaders-smell/) What an owner can check safely ### [Troubleshooting](https://washerrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [Five things to rule out before booking a washer repair](https://washerrepair.center/guides/five-checks-before-you-call/) - [Clean the drain pump filter on a front-load washer](https://washerrepair.center/guides/clean-the-drain-pump-filter/) - [Find your washer's model number](https://washerrepair.center/guides/find-your-model-number/) Keeping the washer out of trouble ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://washerrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [A washer cleaning routine that keeps odor away](https://washerrepair.center/guides/washer-cleaning-routine/) - [HE detergent and dosing: why less works better](https://washerrepair.center/guides/detergent-dosing-and-he-soap/) - [Washer fill hoses: when and how to replace them](https://washerrepair.center/guides/fill-hoses-when-to-replace/) Is it safe to keep running ### [Water and electrical safety](https://washerrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [Washer Leaking: What to Do First](https://washerrepair.center/guides/washer-leak-what-to-do-first/) - [Burning Smell From the Washer: What to Do](https://washerrepair.center/guides/washer-burning-smell-what-to-do/) - [Washer Supply Valves and How to Shut Off the Water](https://washerrepair.center/guides/supply-valves-and-shutoff/) Which washer suits the home ### [Choosing and comparing](https://washerrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Repair or replace a washer: what decides it](https://washerrepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-washer/) - [Front-load or top-load washer: how to choose](https://washerrepair.center/guides/front-load-or-top-load/) - [Stackable and compact washers for small spaces](https://washerrepair.center/guides/stackable-and-compact-washers/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Installation and setup — Washer Guides | WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/)** **[Book a visit with WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/schedule/)**