How to Install a Washing Machine on a Carpet

Take the washing machine drip pan and place it over the plywood. Trace around the drip pan. Attach the cutting blade to your saw and cut out the plywood to the traced silhouette of the drain pan.

Place the plywood on the carpet. Set the drip pan on top of the plywood. Have an assistant help you lift the washer and set it in the drip pan.

Wrap the threads on both the washing machine inlets and the water supply outlets with plumber's tape. Connect a washer hose from the hot water inlet on the washer to the hot water supply outlet. The inlets on the back of the machine will be labeled. The water supply faucets may be color coded (red as hot, blue as cold) or you can touch the pipe to feel which one is hot. Attach the cold water hose in the same way. Tighten the couplings with the pliers.

Slip the end of the gooseneck from the washer drain hose into the drain pipe. Secure with a plastic cable tie or bit of wire. Some washing machines include a fastener pre-attached to the hose.

Connect the outlet in the drain pan to a floor drain, if possible. If the washing machine leaks, it will spill into the drain pan. This, however, will still fill up quickly and won't be able to protect your carpet for long. Run a hose from the outlet on the drain pan to a another drain.

Set the washing machine in its final location. Plug it into the AC socket.

Set the spirit level on the front of the washer. Use the shims, or the adjustable feet on the machine, to bring the washing machine level on the carpet.

Run a test load of laundry. Watch the machine and hoses. Tighten any couplings, if necessary. Adjust the shims or feet as needed so the machine stays level.