1. If you haven’t yet unpacked the new appliance move it nearby to the opening where it is to be installed to help you avoid damage to the floor surface.
2. Remove the packaging and clear it out of the way and then untangle the power cable and discharge/waste pipe which are usually coiled up to the rear of the unit.
3. Locate the new filler hose (check to make sure that the rubber washer is in place) which is usually located inside the unit and connect it to the male inlet connector located on the back of the appliance. NOTE: Most washers unless specifically ordered come with only one hose that will connect it to the cold water supply. If your old unit had a cold and hot water connection I would advise capping off the old hot water pipe if it is not to be used. The reason is that most  isolators are prone to leaks after many years. If they leak with the appliance in place it could cause water damage for a long period before it gets noticed. You can purchase a cap with a rubber washer to screw onto the end of the isolator.
4. With the appliance pushed up close to the opening leaving enough room for you to slide into and make the connections.
5. You will need to connect the waste outlet to the same location that the old waste pipe was connected to. Usually connected under the kitchen basin or nearby. If the old appliance waste pipe was connected to a hose connector which had a hose clamp installed onto it make sure the clamp is transferred to the end of the new hose and is tightened.
6. Connect the fill pipe (do not cross thread and check to MAKE SURE that the rubber washer is in place or suffer damage like this) to the cold water isolator and make sure that both ends are tightened. If you have purchased a twin feed appliance you will also need to attach the hot water feed pipe too. Also make sure not to over tighten the connections at either end as the nuts are almost always made of nylon these days and will split and leak if overtightened. Connections should be snug.
7. Before testing your connections make sure that you have a washing up bowl or other way to catch a bit of water if you have a leak or have to disconnect one of the hoses. Also make sue you have some absorbent rags to help if you have a leak. I use old bath towels as rags on a day-to-day basis. They are really absorbent!
8. Once the connections are made it is advisable to turn the cold water supply on SLOWLY and check for leaks. If required do the same thing for the hot water supply. If you have no leaks then move on to the next step. If you have a leak then stop, check your connections and that you have the rubber washers installed and check that connectors are tight and not cross threaded. Once the leak is sorted move on to the next step.
9. You may now connect the waste pipe and the electrical connection and get ready to test the unit before pushing it into the opening.
10. With a final check to make sure all packaging has been removed from inside the unit, all connections made and the water turned on it’s now time to turn the appliance on and test one more time for leaks.
11. Start a wash cycle so that the unit fills up with water. Once the unit is filled with water it’s time to stop the cycle and then set it to drain. You’ll have to read the instructions for each model to find out how to do this.
12. I usually run a couple of fill and empty cycles before I’m satisfied that there are no leakage issues. It’s now time to push the unit into the opening.
13. You must ensure that as you push the unit into the opening that none of the connection hoses or power cable are pinched in between the appliance and the surrounding carcass. You could remove the plinth from below the cabinets to aid you in reaching the hoses and cables and keeping them out of harms way. Don’t skip this step!
14. Slowly work the appliance back inside the empty space until the front of the unit is lined up with the existing cupboard doors. Depending on the type of appliance will depend on what you have to do next.
15. FREE STANDING: If your appliance is free standing then all that is required is to is to put your level on the top and screw the legs up or down to level the appliance. You should also put a level on the front of the unit to make sure that the unit is sitting level from front to back as well as side to side. This unit is ready to use.
16. FULLY INTEGRATED: This type of unit has a full sized door fitted to it so it is completely hidden behind the door panel. The controls are mounted on the top edge of the door and when closed the unit looks like any other cupboard door. These units come with a template to help you find the attachment points and locate the spots to put the screws into place. I always advise a dry run before you start drilling or screwing bits to the panel. Mark everything with a marker and then hold the door in place by hand to judge whether your measurements are correct. If correct carry on and mount your door panel. Check that the door lines up with the doors on either side and that the gap between the doors is the same on both side and parallel from top to bottom. You may have to make minor adjustments with the leveling legs.
17. PARTIALLY INTEGRATED: This unit has a door that mounts onto the front appliance cover but the control panel is still on display. The door panel is mounted using a series of brackets so that the door is attached without any screws showing.  These units come with a template to help you find the attachment points and locate the spots to put the screws into place. I always advise a dry run before you start drilling or screwing bits to the panel. Mark everything with a marker and then hold the door in place by hand to judge whether your measurements are correct. If correct carry on and mount your door panel. Check that the door lines up with the doors on either side and that the gap between the doors is the same on both side and parallel from top to bottom. You may have to make minor adjustments with the leveling legs.
18. If your unit is of the integrated type of unit there is one more step to undertake. The appliance must be securley mounted to the underside of the countertop or worksurface and in most cases there is a spot on the inside of the the dishwasher to mount a side screw through to the carcuses on either side. The installation manual will be the deciding factor as to where the screws go. Please check the manual for your model.

That’s it! You should have a fully or partially integrated dishwasher or a freestanding dishwasher installed, leak free and ready for years of service.

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1. Make sure that the type of appliance you are purchasing is the same dimension as that you are removing!
2. Check to see if the old dishwasher uses hot and cold water feeds as most ‘A’ Rated appliances use only a cold water feed. You may require a Y-adapter if one is not included with the new appliance.
3. If the kitchen has a plinth beneath the cabinets remove it at this stage.
4. You may need to cap off the old hot water feed as the washing machine taps are sometimes seized from lack of use and will leak continually after turned to the off position. Prepare in advance.
5. Make sure that the flexible waste tube, water pipe and plug can all be removed easily. Sometimes you’ll find that the power cable for example has been pushed through a small hole and wired up on the other side of a cabinet. If you cut the plug off a new appliance to push it back through a tiny hole the warranty may be void.
6. BEFORE YOU DISCONNECT ANY WATER HOSES – make sure you know where the main water stop cock is for your home and test it to make sure you can turn the water off in the event an unplanned event occurs such as the valve breaks or won’t fully stop the water flow. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME! Make sure that the appliance is switched off and unplugged. Also, make sure you have some absorbent rags and a pan to catch the water that WILL be left in the hoses when you disconnect. Also, if the machine valve won’t fully stop the water the pan can be used to save damage to your units.
7. Disconnect the drain hose first as there is usually no issues with this part of the job. Drain excess water into your pan.
8. Close the cold (and hot) water machine valve located where the dishwasher hose is connected under your sink. Very slowly loosen the hot and cold water hoses. There will be a bit of water left in the hose so expect some water to flow out. If however when you start to loosen the hose there is a lot of water that is seemingly under pressure then the valve may be faulty. You should make sure the main stop tap to the house is off and you can also open the sink taps to try and alleviate the extra pressure. if the water doesn’t slow down then re-tighten the connection and call a plumber as the valve may be faulty.
9. If you have the hose removed with no leaks then you can start removing the dishwasher unit.
10. The first step is to open the door and remove the wooden door panel. There are usually two or four screws which go through the dishwasher door and extend into the wooden cupboard door. Also, there is almost always some form of jig that holds the door into position and aids in taking the pressure off the screws.
11. With the door removed you will need to locate and remove the two screws that hold the unit to the counter top. These screws will be located in the top of the door frame or just under the lip of the counter top. There may also be two screws that extend through the side of the dishwasher. These screws will also be located in the dishwasher door frame and hidden under plastic or rubber caps.
12. With the screws removed the legs will need to be screwed back up into the dishwasher which in turns lowers the unit. Some units have four legs which need to be screwed up (up clockwise / down counter-clockwise) and some have two legs in the front which are screwed up manually and the back legs are moved by using either a special tool or a screwdriver to a slot on the bottom front of the unit.
13. When the unit has been lowered enough to pull it out put an old piece of carpet (carpet side down) or thick drop cloth onto the floor to drag the unit out onto so that the legs don’t scratch the floor.
14. With the unit almost out start to untangle and remove the hoses from the cabinets and fully remove the dishwasher.
15. Get the dishwasher out of your way so that you can freely install the new unit.

Next time we’ll discuss installing a built in dishwasher. Part II <click here>

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Date: Oct 2008

Description: Our client wanted to install a slimline dishwasher in their kitchen. With little room for adding units it was decided to remove the wide unit and replace it with the narrow unit thus leaving just enough room for the dishwasher. After some careful curring and placement the units was ready to fit. The plumbing and electrical were modified to suit and the unit was running within a few hours.

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3. Bathroom Swap (Bathroom and Bedroom)

[Show as slideshow]

If not for the length of the 32mm pipe work there is no way that the 22mm tube would have been able to cope with the discharge. The bye-law kit was literally slid onto the 32mm pipe work (a very loose connection) and then smeared with some brown stuff at both ends to keep it from leaking. The top portion of the bye-law kit was plugged with a wad of ‘something’ and then more brown stuff smeared around.

This mess was fit last year by a ‘plumber’ when he arrived to pipe up a new dishwasher which was located at the end of a kitchen with no existing waste pipe. His solution was to say the least creative; to say the most crap; and I’m sure that’s what he used to smear all over the joints.

Needless to say, we removed the fittings normally used in a loft tank and replaced the pipe work with the appropriate drainage solution.

Yip-pie Kiya

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1. the large giant built under double oven won’t fit easily into the space that was occupied by the previous single oven
2. that I can get the giant double oven to fit but the gob installed above it will hae to be removed and re-piped because the pipe work is in the way
3. that I can make the giant double oven fit but there is no properly sized electric circuit available to run the cooker and I need to re-pipe the hob
4. I can make the giant oven fit but have to remove the carcuss, add a new circuit, move the gas pipe that is in the way of the cooker fitting and re-pipe the hob

We can always get the oven to fit, leveled and looking good but the path we have to take is sometimes a long one. Today was no exception and next week we’ll be going back to:

1. remove the lead gas pipe which is in the way when trying to push the oven into it’s spot
2. run a new circuit to the kitchen for the cooker and the old fan assisted oven only required a 13amp circuit which is not large enough for the new double oven
3. re-pipe the hob which, even if we didn’t have to remove the old lead pipe work, would have been in the way
4. and finally slide the new oven into place, level and square it to the non-level and square carcus on either side and then cut the plinth

After all that we will have created the Taj Mahal out of a small kitchen.

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“Don’t hire cowboys!” Check there credentials with CORGI, NIC EIC, or better yet get references! If there price seems stupidly low or high just say no. The three cowboy fitters didn’t have a clue about plumbing, electrics, kitchen fitting or even the basic skills required level and set a single cabinet. [[Show as slideshow]]

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Date: October 2007

Description: We were asked to remove a lower kitchen cabinet and install a fully integrated dishwasher into the space. We managed to snake a new cable behind the tile work so we could add a new power socket, we added a cold water feed and a connection for the drain. After removing the plinth and cupboard we installed, levelled and installed the dishwasher and final connections. Everything was tested and the door was installed and even we couldn’t tell that any work had been done.

[[Show as slideshow]]

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VIA EMAIL: Mr. A. Jones

Work completed: fixing central heating, wiring lights, connecting cookers…

I cant speak highly enough of these guys, they are on time, easy to get hold of, fast and friendly service at reasonable rates.
I use them for everything from plumbing to landlords reports. Reliable work.

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