Washing Machine Making Loud Noise? Dubai Repair

Technician inspecting the drum and bearing assembly of a noisy washing machine

Sound Is the Diagnosis

A Washing Machine Tells You What Is Wrong If You Listen

Of all the faults a washing machine can develop, noise is the one where the customer can genuinely narrow things down before a technician ever arrives. That is because each mechanical failure produces a characteristic sound, at a characteristic point in the cycle.

Two questions do most of the work. What kind of sound is it — grinding, knocking, rattling, humming, squealing or scraping? And when does it happen — while filling, while washing, only during the spin, or only while draining? A grinding noise that rises with spin speed is a completely different problem from a rattle that only appears at high speed, even though both are "loud noises on spin".

This is also why a short video sent on WhatsApp is worth more than a long description. Sound carries the diagnosis, and hearing it lets us bring the right parts to the first visit rather than the second.

Noise Decoder

Match Your Sound To the Fault

Find the description closest to what you are hearing. Each points to a different component and a very different cost.

🔊 Grinding or deep rumbling, worse as spin speed rises

Worn drum bearings. Develops gradually over months. The largest repair on the list because reaching the bearings means splitting the outer tub — always confirmed properly before quoting.

🔩 Metallic rattling or clanking, mainly on spin

Foreign object in the outer tub. A coin, key, button or underwire that escaped the drum. Cheap to resolve, but it must come out — left there it can cut the sump hose.

🥁 Knocking or banging, machine moving on the floor

Suspension. Worn shock absorbers or broken springs letting the drum swing too far. Sometimes just an unbalanced load or unlevel feet — try redistributing first.

📳 Humming or buzzing while draining, no water moving

Jammed drain pump. The motor is trying to turn a blocked impeller. Often needs no new parts, just clearing — one of the cheapest outcomes here.

🎻 Squealing or screeching during the wash

Belt or bearing. A slipping drive belt on belt-driven machines, or early-stage bearing wear. Belts are inexpensive; the distinction matters a lot for cost.

🪚 Constant scraping, even at low speed

Object wedged between drum and tub. Something trapped in the gap and rubbing on every rotation. Needs removing before it scores the drum.

💥 Loud bang or thud in the pipes when filling

Water hammer. Usually the plumbing rather than the machine — the inlet valve closing fast against high pressure. Often resolved without touching the appliance.

🐝 Buzzing at start, drum will not turn

Motor or capacitor. The motor is energised but cannot start rotating. Can also be a physically jammed drum, which is checked first.

🧨 Violently loud and shaking since it was moved

Transit bolts still fitted. The bolts that lock the drum for transport were never removed, or were refitted for a house move. Not a fault at all — and very common in Dubai.

Technician stripping a washing machine to reach the bearings and suspension

Before You Call Anyone

Four Checks Worth Doing First

Between them, these resolve a genuine share of the noise calls we receive — at no cost.

Redistribute the load and run a spin. Spread the washing evenly, remove any single heavy item such as a duvet or bath mat, and run a spin-only cycle. If the noise is gone, the machine was simply unbalanced.
Check the machine is level and stable. Push each top corner in turn. If it rocks, the feet need adjusting. A machine that is not sitting square will bang against the floor and the cupboard walls at spin speed.
If the machine was recently moved, check the transit bolts. Look at the back panel for large bolts, usually three or four. They must be removed before use. This makes a machine extremely loud and is frequently missed after a house move.
Empty the pump filter. Switch off at the socket, open the flap at the bottom front, drain via the emergency hose, then unscrew the filter. Coins and clips found here are often exactly what has been rattling.

Still noisy? Record ten seconds of it on your phone during the spin and send it to us. The sound usually identifies the fault before we arrive.

⚠️ Do Not Keep Running a Grinding Machine

A rattle can wait a few days. A deep grinding noise from failing bearings should not. Once bearings break down, the drum shaft moves out of true and begins destroying the seal behind it. Water then escapes into the bearing housing and, on many machines, that turns a bearing replacement into a full outer-tub replacement — a much larger bill.

If your machine has developed a grinding rumble that gets worse each week, stop using it for large or heavy loads and have it looked at. Catching it before the seal fails is the difference between a repair that makes sense and one that does not.

Our Repair Process

What the Technician Does On Arrival

Hear It Running

The machine is run so the technician hears the noise directly rather than working from a description.

Rule Out the Free Fixes

Level, load balance, transit bolts and filter contents checked before any part is considered.

Test Drum & Suspension

Drum play, bearing condition, shock absorbers and springs checked by hand and under power.

Fixed Quotation

Exact price for parts and labour, plus an honest repair-or-replace view if bearings are involved.

Test & Re-Level

Full spin cycle run to confirm the noise is gone, and the machine re-levelled before we leave.

Related Pages

Washing Machine Making Noise — Your Questions

My washing machine makes a loud grinding noise on spin. What is it?

A grinding or deep rumbling noise that gets louder as the spin speed rises is the classic signature of worn drum bearings. It usually develops gradually over months rather than appearing overnight. Bearings are the largest repair on a washing machine because reaching them means splitting the outer tub, so it is worth having it confirmed properly before committing.

There is a rattling or clanking sound. Is that serious?

Usually not, and it is often the cheapest fix on this page. A metallic rattle that appears mainly during the spin is normally a coin, a key, a button or an underwire that has escaped the drum and is sitting in the outer tub. It needs removing, because left there it can cut the sump hose or damage the drum, but it is a simple job.

The machine bangs loudly and moves across the floor. What causes that?

Knocking or banging with visible movement points to the suspension — worn shock absorbers or broken springs letting the drum swing too far. It can also be an unbalanced load, or feet that were never levelled properly. Try redistributing the load first, because if that solves it there is no fault at all.

The machine hums but no water moves. What does that mean?

A humming or buzzing during the drain phase with no water actually leaving is a jammed drain pump. The motor is trying to turn an impeller that something is blocking — very often a coin or a hair clip. It is one of the more common and less expensive repairs, and it frequently needs no new parts at all.

The machine has been noisy since we moved apartment. Why?

Two things cause this and both are common in Dubai where people move often. First, transit bolts: the bolts that lock the drum for transport must be removed before use, and if they were refitted for the move and not taken out again the machine will be extremely loud and will vibrate hard. Second, the feet need re-levelling on the new floor. Both are quick to resolve.

Is a noisy washing machine worth repairing?

It depends entirely on which noise it is, which is why identifying the sound matters. A foreign object, a blocked pump, unlevel feet or transit bolts are cheap or free to resolve. Shock absorbers are a moderate cost. Drum bearings are the significant one, and on an older budget machine that is the point where replacement can make more sense. Our technician tells you which category you are in and gives the fixed price before any work.

Book a Repair

Tell Us What You Hear and When

Grinding, knocking, rattling or humming — and whether it happens on fill, wash, drain or spin. Those two details are most of the diagnosis.

📞 Phone

+971 50 988 6591
Daily, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

💬 WhatsApp

+971 50 988 6591
A ten-second video during the spin is ideal

✉️ Email

info@fixmyacdubai.ae

Washing Machine Making Loud Noise — What the Sound Actually Tells You