A dishwasher saves both time and energy by more thoroughly cleansing utensils than can be achieved when washing by hand alone, alleviating fatigue due to repetitive hand-washing tasks.
Start by switching off the electricity at your home’s breaker box, locating and shutting off the water supply valve under your sink, turning off kitchen water supply, unhooking drain hose from dishwasher and disconnecting drain hose from washing machine.
Level the Floor
Un unlevelled dishwasher can leak water onto the floor. Aligning it correctly will prevent this and make closing its door much simpler.
Adjust the leveling legs according to manufacturer directions. Rotate the nuts that anchor them by hand or with a socket wrench; clockwise turns will raise them while counterclockwise will lower them.
Before beginning, place a bath towel or piece of cardboard on the floor as protection from possible scratches while working. Additionally, switch off all power and disconnect water and drain hoses from your old dishwasher before using a screwdriver to unbolt its front access panel or toe kick and to remove its toe kick/toe kick kick assembly from its place of location.
Drill Holes in the Cabinets
If your kitchen features a separate cabinet for the dishwasher, make sure it contains holes of suitable sizes in which to connect the water supply, drain and power cord. If not, use a drill to bore them yourself.
Begin by switching off electricity at your circuit breaker and water at its source under the sink. Next, take off your old unit’s front access panel and remove its screws holding its junction box cover – likely full of water!
Check for any slack in the power cord, and if none exists, unscrew the strain relief nut from the junction box to release the wires and allow more free space between them.
Connect the Water Supply Line
Before installing or replacing an old dishwasher, it is crucial that a high-quality water supply line designed specifically for dishwashers be purchased to prevent leaks. After switching off your main water valve under your sink and connecting your new supply line to its three-way angle stop.
Most dishwashers feature a 90-degree fitting on their back that the supply line connects to. Either buy a supply line with this feature built-in or install an adapter on its end to complete this connection.
Dependent upon your dishwasher model, you may also require installing an additional 90-degree elbow on the kitchen faucet inlet in order to avoid kinking in the supply line. First hand-tighten each connection before giving each quarter turn with your wrench.
Connect the Drain Hose
Most dishwashers connect directly to the kitchen sink drain through a drain hose with an air gap that prevents dirty sink water from mixing back in with clean dishwasher water (depending on local plumbing codes).
To complete the connections, carefully tip your dishwasher onto its front side and remove its access panel on its front bottom to reveal an electrical junction box. Feed three exposed wires from your power cord into its round opening in the junction box while tightening its wire nuts securely.
Locate and connect to the small 90-degree fitting on the back of the dishwasher and hook up its water supply line. Connect the drain hose to either sink tailpipe or disposal and secure with a hose clamp.
Connect the Power Cord
Most dishwashers are designed to plug directly into your home’s electrical system and run seamlessly, but check with either your instruction manual or manufacturer to determine whether hardwiring may be required.
Locate and open the terminal block cover marked “electrical shock.” Observe any exposed wires. Locate and unwrap white cord wire from cord around terminal screw marked neutral and tighten securely.
More expensive models offer WiFi connectivity, enabling you to start and monitor the dishwasher from your smartphone (while locking its buttons for kids). Additional upgrades may include slim third racks; bottle jets to quickly clean baby bottles and water bottles; as well as energy-saving settings like soil sensors and half-load options.
Secure the Dishwasher
No matter where it’s installed, a dishwasher must be securely fastened to prevent it from tipping forward when opened or closed, as well as be close to sources of water and electricity.
If the dishwasher drain line connects directly to a nipple on your garbage disposal or sink drain connection, disconnect and check for slack. For power cords that connect directly with junction boxes, open them up and disconnect all wires before making further checks for slack.
Before installing your new dishwasher, complete its utility hookups using thread seal tape and hand tighten each connection; loosen them a quarter turn with a wrench after hand tightening to complete them.