How (not) to install a dishwasher

The below steps are what I did to replace our ailing dishwasher. They should NOT be followed by anyone and your dishwasher should be installed by a professional. However, please note that the $100 install charge that Home Depot and Lowes charges may not cover your install if something is not simple.

  1. Shut off water supply to dishwasher.
  2. Shut off circuit breaker to dishwasher.
  3. Figure out how to remove cabinet kick plate. This proved to be challenging because tile was put in after the cabinetry and dishwasher was installed>.
  4. Disconnect water supply from dishwasher.
  5. Carefully open box with power supply.
  6. Unscrew wirenuts and use test meter to verify that power is off.
  7. Attempt to pull dishwasher out.
  8. Realize that dishwasher is too tall because tile was put in after dishwasher was put in.
  9. Try to lower feet by hand, but it doesn't work.
  10. Grab pliers and screw in feet.
  11. Pull out dishwasher.
  12. Disconnect drain line.
  13. Put dishwasher aside.
  14. Notice extra wires in the back with a wirenut only on the hot.
  15. Put wirenut on the neutral (just because).
  16. Push wires back into hole in wall.
  17. Notice that wires seem like they're going to break.
  18. Take off wirenuts and test wires.
  19. See that no current is flowing.
  20. Cut wires below where it looked like it was going to break.
  21. Thank goodness that I was using rubber handled cutters.
  22. Wait for heart to stop racing.
  23. Think about how on this green earth was I going to cap this live wire without shutting off power to the whole house.
  24. Put on leather gloves.
  25. Put test meter on newly exposed wires and see that they are live.
  26. Realize that the reason that the meter initially said there was no current was because the wires were broken.
  27. Shut off circuit breakers and retest wires.
  28. Carefully finish cutting the wires.
  29. Carefully strip the wires and apply wirenuts.
  30. Push wires back in wall.
  31. Turn breaker for that circuit back on.
  32. Call it a day.
  33. Wait for dishwasher to arrive.
  34. See that hole for drain line and supply line wasn't big enough.
  35. Use recipricating saw to make hole bigger.
  36. When saw doesn't finish the job, grab Dremel and work on the hole.
  37. Attach supply line to water line and feed it through the hole.
  38. Feed drain hose through hole (it's attached to the dishwasher).
  39. Put supply line in channel under dishwasher.
  40. Screw right angle connector onto dishwasher for water supply line after putting Teflon tape on it.
  41. Think that the direction the right angle connector ended up could be a problem later.
  42. Push dishwasher into hole.
  43. See that power doesn't come through the channel like it should have.
  44. Attempt to pull dishwasher back out and see it get stuck.
  45. Spend awhile trying to yank the dishwasher out and figuring out what to do.
  46. Grab plastic drywall knife and jam it into the side to try to get dishwasher out.
  47. Pull dishwasher out.
  48. Grab Dremel and make modifications to cabinet.
  49. Attach lead wire to power cable with electrical tape to help feed it.
  50. Push dishwasher back in cabinet.
  51. Yank on wire for power.
  52. See feed wire come off.
  53. Pull dishwasher out.
  54. Tie feed wire to power and re-tape it.
  55. Push dishwasher back in.
  56. Connect water supply line.
  57. Turn on water supply line.
  58. See water leak at supply line side of right angle connector.
  59. Turn off water supply.
  60. Redo Teflon tape and re-attach water supply line.
  61. Turn water back on.
  62. Wait a few minutes.
  63. See water leak on other side of right angle connector.
  64. Shut off water supply.
  65. Unscrew water supply line.
  66. Unscrew right angle connector.
  67. Reapply Teflon tape on right angle connector.
  68. Reattach right angle connector.
  69. Reapply Teflin tape on right angle connector on supply line side.
  70. Reattach water supply line.
  71. Turn on water.
  72. See that water didn't leak.
  73. Connect power supply with wirenuts.
  74. Attach drain hose to airgap.
  75. Attempt to level front feet.
  76. Directions say to use 1/4" ratchet to screw down feet.
  77. See that my socket fits, but the wrench doesn't physically fit no matter what I did.
  78. Look all around for something to lower the feet.
  79. Find Gerber multitool in garage.
  80. As a last ditch effort, use tool to lower feet. The big issue was the tile made it difficult to get access to the feet.
  81. Finish leveling dishwasher.
  82. Secure top brackets of dishwasher.
  83. Attempt to put cabinet kick plate back.
  84. Struggle with it.
  85. Make cutout for dishwasher bigger.
  86. Try to put it back; still didn't work.
  87. Excess grout was causing it not to fit.
  88. Chip out some grout with a screwdriver.
  89. Use Dremel to grind down some grout.
  90. Push kick plate back in and put in a nail (one seems to hold it).
  91. Turn on circuit breaker, cross fingers.
  92. Test dishwasher.
  93. Cleanup. (This took awhile as I made a complete mess out of the kitchen.)
  94. Relax and pat yourself on the back.

As you can see, this experience was not easy and if I had to do it again, I probably would have just spent the money to have someone else do it (I think I always say that, but come back to thinking that I can do anything around the house).

Comments

November 2nd, 2009
Samuel Leathers

I’ll be tackling this tomorrow night. Except, I don’t have an existing dishwasher, so add the steps of running electrical wire to breaker box, cutting hot water pipe under sink, putting T in, and replacing drain under sink with T for dishwasher, and I’ll run into a few snags as well. Thankfully, Saturday I already removed the cabinet from the wall where the dishwasher will go, so that parts done.

Congrats on a job well done!

Sam

February 8th, 2010
Lori Ball

Awesome job! Heehee sounds like stuff my husband goes through, but you know what? He always makes it work - like it sounds you do too :) Unfortunately, I am the one that has to clean up the aftermath :( LOL

I found this searching for how to put the kick plate back on, as we just haven’t got to that part yet… ( a week later! ) Wish me luck!

March 28th, 2010
Chris Huhne

How not to install a dishwasher? Or maybe how to buy a dishwasher? http://www.superstoresearch.com/buzz/320/tips/dishwasher-guides-how-to-buy-the-best-dishwashers/ I found the remark about crossing fingers when turning on the circuit breaker to be thoroughly amusing.

June 3rd, 2012
Edly

Been there, done that, multiple times. It is why I am paying someone who knows what they are doing. Just bought a DW at Sears and paid for installation. We, too have a new tile floor, unfortunately cut around the cabinets, but laid under our old dishwasher. Until yesterday, I did not know that, or that the feet on the old dishwasher had been removed in order to make it fit back in. The plumber said that there was not enough height for our new DW to fit. So, we sent it back with him and are now looking for a shorter DW.