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Posted by Warren on November 20, 2007, 8:01 pm
My 25 year old Whirlpool dishwasher finally stopped working and I've
been shopping for a replacement. I've also been looking for special
offers on the installation charge since the standard fee seems to be in
the $150-175 range (Phila,PA suburbs). However, I have not been able to
find a dishwasher I want which also is offering an installation special
(i.e. $69 at Boscov's recently).
Is a new dishwasher install that difficult a procedure? I was looking
at some YouTube videos and it doesn't look all that complex. Just a
couple of connections? This is one of the videos I was looking at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJYY-3pXdlA
I'm not much of a handyman, but I have done simple stuff like
installing a ceiling fan, garbage disposal, etc. What do you think? Is
installing a new dishwasher using the existing connections a DIY
project?
Thanks, in advance, for any info or advice.
Warren
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Posted by Pete C. on November 20, 2007, 8:44 pm
Warren wrote:
>
> My 25 year old Whirlpool dishwasher finally stopped working and I've
> been shopping for a replacement. I've also been looking for special
> offers on the installation charge since the standard fee seems to be in
> the $150-175 range (Phila,PA suburbs). However, I have not been able to
> find a dishwasher I want which also is offering an installation special
> (i.e. $69 at Boscov's recently).
>
> Is a new dishwasher install that difficult a procedure? I was looking
> at some YouTube videos and it doesn't look all that complex. Just a
> couple of connections? This is one of the videos I was looking at.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJYY-3pXdlA
>
> I'm not much of a handyman, but I have done simple stuff like
> installing a ceiling fan, garbage disposal, etc. What do you think? Is
> installing a new dishwasher using the existing connections a DIY
> project?
>
> Thanks, in advance, for any info or advice.
> Warren
A dishwasher *installation* i.e. new installation where a dishwasher
never was before, can range from easy to a royal pain in the butt.
A dishwasher *replacement* is typically very easy unless the original
installation was really a hack job. You should be able to remove the old
dishwasher pretty easily to assess the situation (water and power off of
course).
If the electrical is neatly connected, and even more importantly the
water supply and drain lines are neat with easy to disconnect
connections, then installing the replacement dishwasher should take 30
minutes.
If you find corroded water fittings with no shutoff valve, duct taped
drain connections and taped electrical connections hanging in space with
no wire nuts or box then it's best left to a pro to rectify the problems
and install the replacement dishwasher.
A home repair / electrical book from a library, or some printouts from
DIY instructions on the Home Depot or Lowe's sites may be handy to have
nearby.
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Posted by Paul Franklin on November 20, 2007, 9:02 pm
<snip>
>
>A dishwasher *installation* i.e. new installation where a dishwasher
>never was before, can range from easy to a royal pain in the butt.
>
>A dishwasher *replacement* is typically very easy unless the original
>installation was really a hack job. You should be able to remove the old
>dishwasher pretty easily to assess the situation (water and power off of
>course).
>
>If the electrical is neatly connected, and even more importantly the
>water supply and drain lines are neat with easy to disconnect
>connections, then installing the replacement dishwasher should take 30
>minutes.
>
>If you find corroded water fittings with no shutoff valve, duct taped
>drain connections and taped electrical connections hanging in space with
>no wire nuts or box then it's best left to a pro to rectify the problems
>and install the replacement dishwasher.
>
>A home repair / electrical book from a library, or some printouts from
>DIY instructions on the Home Depot or Lowe's sites may be handy to have
>nearby.
All good points. I'll add one thing to watch for. If the kitchen
floor was redone with the dishwasher in place at any time in the past,
such that the floor level is higher now, it may be a royal pain to get
the old one out and the new one in. Measure from the top of the
finished floor to the bottom of the counter top. If it's much less
than 34 1/2 inches you are probably in for a struggle.
If you can get the old one out, you will be able to get the new one
in 99% of the time, so if you have any doubt, pull the old one before
you buy the new one. This will also give you a sense of what you are
in for, but as others have said, it's pretty straight forward.
HTH,
Paul F.
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Posted by Dave Martindale on November 21, 2007, 6:20 pm
>All good points. I'll add one thing to watch for. If the kitchen
>floor was redone with the dishwasher in place at any time in the past,
>such that the floor level is higher now, it may be a royal pain to get
>the old one out and the new one in. Measure from the top of the
>finished floor to the bottom of the counter top. If it's much less
>than 34 1/2 inches you are probably in for a struggle.
We had that problem with our old one. Some previous owner had added
laminate flooring to the kitchen, raising the floor level about 3/8 inch
everywhere except in the dishwasher compartment. The old one barely
came out after screwing the adjusting feet all the way up.
Not wanting the new install to be a similar challenge, we bought a
Whirlpool model that is 1 inch shorter than "standard" - it will fit
into a 33.5 inch high space. It also has long adjustable feet, and an
adjustable trim panel at the bottom, so it will fit into a
standard-height space or even something slightly larger.
To help with installation, we placed some scrap pieces of laminate
flooring and underpad along the sides of the dishwasher compartment, to
bring them up to the level of the rest of the floor. That way, we could
adjust the dishwasher legs by measurement, then just slide it into place
in its compartment without much further leg adjustment. If we hadn't
done this, we would have had to make the legs shorter initially (to get
through the opening) and then adjust them longer when in place (to get
the dishwasher to the correct height on the lower floor).
>Paul F.
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Posted by =?UTF-8?B?U01TIOaWr+iSguaWh+KA on November 20, 2007, 9:13 pm
Pete C. wrote:
> A dishwasher *replacement* is typically very easy unless the original
> installation was really a hack job. You should be able to remove the old
> dishwasher pretty easily to assess the situation (water and power off of
> course).
<snip>
One problem I've run into is in a kitchen where the linoleum floor had
been replaced a couple of times (without the removal of the older
linoleum) and it was not possible to easily remove the old dishwasher
which was now lower than the floor in front of it. I had to hacksaw part
of the frame to get it out. The new one fit without a problem as it
wasn't quite as tall (adjustable legs raised it once it was in place.
I'm in the process of remodeling that kitchen now (it's a rental now),
and am putting in a tile floor, and the tile will cover the whole floor,
then cabinets and appliances will go on top of it (the area under the
cabinets and appliances doesn't have to be expensive tile, any tile will
do).
As far as doing the plumbing and electrical, as you stated, it's easy.
For rental units, I find good appliance deals on FreeCycle, from people
that have just redone their kitchens. I got bombarded with offers for
dishwashers, and got a high-end Kitchen-Aid, almost new, for free. When
people get the stainless-steel bug, they are anxious to discard their
old stuff without paying to have it hauled away (personally I use my
Sawzall to break up old appliances into small enough pieces to have the
regular garbage pick-up take them away).
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