How to Replace A Dishwasher | |
When dishwashers act up, the price of repair should always be weighed against the cost of replacement. While dishwashers are fairly expensive appliances, every old one reaches a point of no return; when repair amounts to pouring good money after bad. Another thing to consider is that new dishwashers are both more efficient and more effective than older models, especially if you buy one that has its own thermostatically-controlled heater. The problem with many dishwashers, both old and new, is that they are served water that is not hot enough to fully dissolve granular detergents. With the detergent working at half strength, dishes just don't come clean, at least not without pre-rinsing. Removing An Old Dishwasher Start by shutting off the water and power to your dishwasher. Unless yours has a separate switch in the sink cabinet, shut the power off at the service panel (to that circuit only). The water supply should have a shut-off valve, either under the sink or in the basement. Next, remove the access panel at the base of the unit. It will be held in place by 2 screws, usually located under the door. You can get to them by opening the door. Loosen these 2 screws, close the door, and pull the panel off. The first thing you'll see is the water connection at the solenoid valve. The fitting joining the copper supply pipe to the solenoid will have threads going into the valve and a compression fitting connecting the supply pipe. This fitting is commonly called a dishwasher ell. Loosen the compression nut and pull the supply pipe from the ell. Then, remove the cover plate from the electrical box and undo each wire connection. Pull the cable out of the box and return the wire nuts to the black and white cable wires. While you're working at that level, reach under the cabinet and turn all 4 leveling legs down, so that the dishwasher is lowered 3/8-to-1/2 in. Then, undo the 2 screws that secure the front of the dishwasher to the counter top. This will leave only the discharge hose to disconnect. If your dishwasher's discharge hose is connected to a countertop vacuum breaker, disconnect it there. If it has no vacuum breaker, but sweeps up to counter height and then enters your disposer or drainage piping, disconnect it at the disposer or drain connection. In either case, the connection will be made with hose clamps. Undo the clamps and twist the hose free. Before pulling the old dishwasher out, tape a sheet of cardboard to the floor in front of it to protect the floor. With the floor protected, open the door and pull the dishwasher forward. If it binds, turn it side-to-side as you pull. You'll probably have to push more of the discharge hose through the sink cabinet as you go, but the hose should be your only hindrance. Before discarding the old dishwasher, tip it over and turn the dishwasher ell from the solenoid. You may be able to use it on your new dishwasher. Installing A New Dishwasher Your new dishwasher will go in pretty much as your old one came out. Just remove it from its crate and tip it on its back. Thread the dishwasher ell into the new solenoid, using Teflon tape or pipe joint compound. Tip the unit back up and feed as much of the discharge hose as you can into its hole in the sink cabinet wall. Then, carefully push it into its opening, periodically stopping to pull more of the hose into the sink cabinet. When the front of the dishwasher (not the front of the door) comes flush with the cabinet stiles, stop. Remove the access panel and screw the leveling legs up so that the unit sets level and plumb, and so the top fastening brackets come to rest under the countertop. Then, just to make sure, reach inside the dishwasher and press down on opposing corners. If you feel it rock, even slightly, adjust the leveling legs until you've corrected the problem. Finally, tighten the lock nuts on the leveling legs and screw the brackets to the countertop. Making the Water Connection If you've used the same dishwasher ell and have it pointed in the same direction as before, you won't even need a new compression nut. Just coat the old compression ring with pipe dope and tighten the compression nut. As always, beware of over-tightening. Tighten only two-full rounds beyond finger tight. Making the Electrical Connection The electrical connection will be similarly easy. Just fasten the existing cable to the electrical box on the dishwasher and reconnect the wires, using yellow twist connectors. Join the black cable wire to the black dishwasher lead wire and the white cable wire to the white lead. Then, screw the cables green, (or bare) ground wire under the green grounding terminal in the box and replace the cover plate. Making The Discharge Connection Some codes require every dishwasher hose to have a vacuum breaker that terminates above the counter. If you live in one of these areas, and your old dishwasher didn't have a vacuum breaker, now is a good time to install one. If your kitchen sink has a fourth hole currently filled with a hole cover, remove the cover and install a new vacuum breaker. If all your sink's deck holes are occupied, cut a new hole in the countertop. Make the hole no larger than the vacuum breaker shank requires and position it near the backsplash. To keep the laminate from chipping, use a hole saw instead of a drill bit and drill from the top down. With the vacuum breaker installed, cut the discharge hose to fit the vacuum breaker. Then connect the remaining end to the disposer or dishwasher tailpiece fitting. If the discharge will empty into a disposer, you'll need to splice a dishwasher-waste kit between the hose and the disposer. These kits are really just rubber reducing couplings. The larger end will fasten to the disposer nipple with a hose clamp. The smaller end can be cut to size so that the hose fits inside it. Some areas of the country do not require vacuum breakers on dishwasher hoses. In these areas, you'll still need to loop the discharge hose up to the counter and secure it there before allowing it to sweep down to the disposer. The reason for this rule has to do with contamination. If the hose were left low in the cabinet, the dishwasher could backwash with sewage should the sink line clog. The high loop in the hose acts as a dam against contamination. Written by Merle Henkenius. Reprinted with permission. Copyright HouseNet, Inc. |