Dishwashers

By Kelly P Kramer

Tired of washing dishes by hand? If your ready for a dishwasher then you have come to the right site. A dishwasher like your other appliances come in different colors, sizes, and different functions. Most dishwashers will be black, white or stainless steel. Older models may be almond or bone. If you are changing other appliances you will want to change your dishwasher to match the rest of your kitchen.

Dishwashers can be mounted under a counter or be portable and have wheels. The portable dishwasher has a wooden top and connects to your kitchen faucet with an adapter. The connection to your faucet is for water, but the line you connect with will have two hoses. One for the water inlet to the dishwasher and the other for the dirty water to drain from the dishwasher into the kitchen sink drain. You get the electricity by simply plugging into a wall outlet.

The under the counter models need to be hard piped and hardwired. The closer to the sink the better, since you will need to hook the drain to the plumbing before the p-trap on your kitchen sink, and you need water from that area as well. If you are replacing an existing dishwasher then you will need to disconnect the power (turn off the breaker before doing this), disconnect the drain and water line (turn off the water first). After disconnecting everything that is required then unscrew two screws under the counter holding the dishwasher from tipping. Now place an old carpet under the legs and gently start to pull. If something gets jammed just move whatever is blocking the path out of the way and carry on. You may need to lower the legs. After you have removed the old dishwasher just do everything in reverse to install the new dishwasher. WARNING: If you are removing the dishwasher to change the floor underneath, make sure that if you add a sub floor and tile that you will have enough height to get the dishwasher back in. I have had clients call me to put there dishwasher back after they have done this, like I would be able to do anything.

In a new installation make sure the dishwasher you choose will fit into the space provided. If this is in a brand new home you should have no problem, but if this is in an existing home where you are removing some cabinet space to install the dishwasher you had better make sure one will fit before ripping out the cabinet and finding you do not have enough space.

Dishwasher installation

Installing your new dishwasher will require a drill, whole saw, screwdriver, a dishwasher drain fitting, and a water line. Drill a couple of holes in the side of the cabinet under your sink beside the location of your dishwasher. The size of the holes are the size of the drain and water lines you need. You might get away with one hole to pull both the drain and water line through. Now drill a hole where you will be getting electricity from. This is usually from the floor under where the dishwasher will sit.

Now hook up your waterline to the dishwasher using a 3/8 inch NPT by 3/8 inch compression fitting. Set your dishwasher in the space. As you do this feed the drain line through the hole. Use a 60 inch braided supply tube and feed that through the hole. Feed a wire from your electrical source (call an electrician!) through the hole. Hook up the electrical and turn on the breaker making sure everything works. Do not turn on the dishwasher yet just look for the power indicator lights on the dishwasher. Now under the sink you will need to tap into your water line and your drain. You will want to tie the drain in before the p-trap to avoid sewer gas smell. Now for the water line you will need to shut-off your house water and install a valve. Call a plumber is you need to. Now hook the water line to the valve and the drain to the dishwasher drain adapter. Install two screws under the counter in the holes provided, this will hold the dishwasher in place when you have the door open and the bottom tray is pulled out to load the dishwasher. Turn on the water and start the dishwasher checking for leaks. If you have no leaks then install the cover plate of the dishwasher.

Need a reliable Edmonton Plumber? Call Kramer Plumbing and Radiant Heat