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Title is the question, the loud melody is obnoxious. This is a last ditch effort, the manual doesn't provide any information, surprisingly this fairly comprehensive machine doesn't seem to be designed to disable a sound? Is there a cord to cut or sequence of steps to silence the sound?

Model: LG WM3997HWA Ventless 4.3 Cu. Ft. Capacity Steam Washer/Dryer Combination with TurboWash, TrueBalance Anti-Vibration System, NeveRust Stainless Steel Drum, Allergiene Cycle in White

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3
  • Disconnect the wires to the piezo.
    – Carl Witthoft
    Apr 7 '17 at 14:15
  • Both of our LG units (I'm thinking about 8 years old) have buttons on the front to adjust the signal volume or turn it off.
    – Hot Licks
    Apr 7 '17 at 21:58
  • For LG F14A8YD....beep can only be changed during cycle...press and hold Temp. And Spin buttons
    – WeeMee
    Sep 13 '17 at 9:46
13

I've used the following method to make obnoxious sounds coming from home appliances and toys much quieter:

  1. Find where the sound comes from. Usually there's a little grill or perforated plastic that covers the loudspeaker or piezo inducer.
  2. Tape over it with a transparent office tape. I sometimes do two layers in cross-hatch pattern if sounds are very loud.

Usually, it makes the sound quiet enough not to be bothersome anymore. You could, of course, disassemble the whole thing and cut the wires to the speaker (if it's not PCB-mounted, which many of them are), but in my experience just covering the hole where sounds come from is good enough.

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3
  • Multiple layers of tape works to further quieten it (up to a point). But quite a lot of sound can get though plastic housings
    – Chris H
    Apr 7 '17 at 8:06
  • ...and if the speaker is PCB mounted, hot glue will shut it up quite well
    – Chris H
    Apr 7 '17 at 15:24
  • and if having tape on the outside bothers you, you can remove the plastic face and put the tape on the inside.
    – Woodrow Barlow
    Apr 7 '17 at 17:51
10

Manufacture mentioned there is no way to silence sound.

Inspired by Haimg's advice, I disconnected one of pins from the speaker module off of the components board.

see image

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9

Strangely, page 26 of the manual mentioned in the question says the following:

Adjusts the melody and button tones, SIGNAL

Does that not work, or only apply to some subset of this model? Maybe there is some trick to get it right (sometimes these translated messages lack certain clarity). I would guess that it probably resets if power is lost.

I would not recommend physically cutting any wire to silence the beast. Sounds are also used by the repair technicians to diagnose problems. (if repair is ever needed)

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8
  • 3
    good eye! the manual the manufacture points to must be for a more comprehensive model, my machine doesn't have the "signal" button. :/
    – user289394
    Apr 6 '17 at 21:48
  • 2
    bummer. I looked at the manual because I might be in the market for a new washer in the near future. Looks like you have to pay extra to not be annoyed. :-( BTW: the LG site has your manual at lg.com/us/support/manuals-documents. Just enter your model and it will come up.
    – JerryD
    Apr 6 '17 at 22:14
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    @user289394 Mine does not look like the one on the manual. It's just below the play/pause button. You sure you don't have a Signal button?
    – Machavity
    Apr 7 '17 at 1:23
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    BTW, if it is a speaker module, fine - disconnecting a passive piezo speaker that is fed via a transformer could theoretically upset or even damage the electronics feeding it.
    – rackandboneman
    Apr 7 '17 at 15:37
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    @rackandboneman - I have asked a question on EE SE about removing a piezo buzzer safely. Could you please respond to it? electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/297304
    – Bort
    Apr 7 '17 at 20:15
1

I thought my washing machine couldn't be silenced, but the manual section titled "Signal" advised to hold down the Extra Rinse button for 3 seconds to control the volume.

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1
  • Mine indicates under the "Extra Rinse" button the Extra Function as "*Drum Light", is that similar to your model? Is that for every cycle or a global setting? Can it be completely silenced? I do notice a "1", "2", "3" option when pressed.
    – user289394
    Feb 13 '19 at 18:03

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