Need advice about removing a dishwasher with little effort.

September 14, 2006 10:50 AM

I need to gain access behind a dishwasher. Are the hoses and electrical cables generally long enough so that a dishwasher can be pulled out without the need to disconnect said hoses and cables? Or am I better off calling someone who knows more about electricity and plumbing than I?
posted by dshargel to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Yes, the electrical wires and hoses should be long enough.


Best to turn off electricity and water before trying anything.

In newer homes (in the US) there is usually a switch to turn off power to the dishwasher--either under the sink or on same bank of switches with kitchen light, garbage grinder, etc.

Valve for water supply is also usually under the sink, possibly one valve for both sink and dishwasher.
posted by tippiedog at 10:53 AM on September 14, 2006

Yes, they are. They're connected before the dishwaher is slid into its hole. Put something on the floor in front of the dishwasher before you pull it out, so the washer doesn't scrape the floor. A piece of carpet or heavy cardboard will do.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:54 AM on September 14, 2006

No they may not be. The water connection may be a hard copper pipe (most likely) that will have to be disconnected under the dishwasher, and the electricals may only be long enough to reach the box that is at the front of most dishwashers.

This is the most typical setup.
posted by Gungho at 11:09 AM on September 14, 2006

I installed a Bosch dishwasher last year in my kitchen. The hook-ups are located in the front of the unit behind the kickplate. Therefore, they need to be disconnected prior to removing the unit. So remove the kickplate from your dishwasher and see if you have access to your connections. If not, then they are located behind the unit and your safe to pull it out.
posted by beachhead2 at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2006

This is the most typical setup.

I beg to differ. In my experience, the most typical setup is that the dishwasher is plumbed in by connecting it with rubber hoses that give when the appliance is slid out. If if there is copper tubing, there should be enough loose tubing to slide it out.

A look under the sink should reveal a water hose or pipe going from a faucet in the wall to the space occupied by the dishwasher, and the rubber drain hose coming out and going to the disposal.

There should also be enough slack in the electrical connectino to slide the unit out. It may be connected under the DW or under the sink.
posted by Doohickie at 11:36 AM on September 14, 2006

The DW itself is probably held in place by two screws going from the DW up into the countertop above it. Once these screws are out, it should fairly easily slide out of the hole.
posted by Doohickie at 11:37 AM on September 14, 2006

If you need more specific instructions regarding your model of dishwasher, check out RepairClinic.com. And seriously. If I can do this, anyone can.
posted by jeanmari at 11:37 AM on September 14, 2006

doohickie
Local code prohibits rubber hoses for permanent installations where the water will be under pressure. (Hoses burst) Copper is king 'round here.
posted by Gungho at 12:43 PM on September 14, 2006

HomeDepot and many other places sell rubber hoses clad in steel mesh (like those old finger traps) that are both flexible and burst-resistant. Anything installed in the last few years would have one of those.

But I would go with the consensus: maybe yes, maybe no. You'll have to look underneath first.
posted by GuyZero at 2:43 PM on September 14, 2006

This really varies. The neat and proper way to do this is to have a coil of wire, copper water service and rubber drain service setup so you can slide the D/W out without having to discount everything. The cheap track house way of doing it is to make everything just long enough that you can hook a specific model of D/W up (not all D/W have the hook ups in the same place). This probably saves $20-30 per install.

The drain hose is usually held on by a clamp though you need special pliers to activate the spring style. The copper is almost always connected to the D/W with either a compression or flare fitting. The electrical is only three colour coded wires, some of them plug in.

If you decide to unhook this yourself make sure you test the D/W after you turn the breaker off to make sure you've turned the correct one off.

Be careful not to kink the drain hose when you are putting everything back.
posted by Mitheral at 8:18 AM on September 15, 2006