How to Plumb a Dishwasher Easily!

When it comes to comforts within the home, a dishwasher is one of the tools that provide you with the best in convenient and quick cleaning. Although they have been specifically designed to make our lives easier, getting a dishwasher set up can be challenging.

Knowing more about dishwasher installations can be a less overwhelming process that can lead to a wonderfully clean kitchen without much effort.

What Plumbing is Needed for a Dishwasher?

Installing a built-in dishwasher into your home is possible, even if your kitchen has never had an installed dishwasher. However, to successfully install your dishwasher, you need a supply line and a drain line.

That is because your dishwater will require its own water supply line. Fortunately, it is possible to adjust your current plumping to fit these lines.

This process might seem tricky, but luckily there are products available that have been specifically designed to convert your kitchen plumbing to be suitable for a dishwasher.

You will be able to install or plumb a dishwasher in a few simple steps, but before you begin, you need to decide on the location of your dishwasher.

It is vital that you choose a spot next to or close to a sink so that you can use the power supply, water supply, and sink drain. Once you have located a place that will offer a connection for a power cord, a drain line, and a water supply, you can focus on each of these elements to install your dishwasher effortlessly.

The Power Supply

If you don’t have much experience in electrical wiring, this part might be the most complicated. Most frequently, dishwashers come with standard cords that work on the plugs of your wall outlet. However, some dishwashers work with an NM circuit cable. Regardless of which of these you have, your dishwasher will require its own circuit. If your kitchen hasn’t been wired to accommodate this, it might be worth your while to install a new dedicated circuit for your dishwasher.

The Water Supply

Connecting or how to plumb a dishwasher to the water supply connection is pretty straightforward. It involves simply attaching a supply tube to an inlet valve on your dishwasher to a dual valve on the supply pipe for your hot water. These supply tubes are commonly available, and they are similar to the supply tubes that you find with toilets and faucets, except that they are longer. Therefore, if you have any experience dealing with these supply tubes, you will install your dishwasher in no time.

To attach your water supply to your dishwasher, you will need a unique fitting made of brass. It is called a dishwasher 90 because it is an elbow 90-degree fitting that makes it possible for your supply tube to be connected to your dishwasher, making it perfect as a dishwasher water valve. Usually, the connection kit that comes with a dishwasher will include a dishwasher 90, but if you don’t have one, just go to your local hardware store to get one.

The Drainage Hose

You’ll need to connect a dishwasher draining hose for your dishwasher. There is a drain trap located in your sink cabinet. Your dishwasher’s drain hose needs to be connected to it. There are two methods to connect your waste pipe. The first is by looping it up so that it runs up the underside of your sink’s countertop. This is perfect if you have a flexible waste hose.

The second option is attaching it to a fitting with dishwasher air gaps. The method you need to use will depend on the plumbing code of the area where you live. Both ways are sufficient in preventing dirty water from going into your dishwasher. You might wonder if connecting your dishwasher’s water supply to your cold water inlet is acceptable. It isn’t advised since cold water isn’t as adequate for cleaning cutlery and dishes.

Steps to Plumb Your Dishwasher

So what are the steps on how to plumb a dishwasher? We will start with the steps if you need to add a supply valve for water.

1. Start by turning off your home’s main water supply. This step is often forgotten. Since there will still be water in the faucets, it is essential to open a tap and let the excess water in your drain lines run out.
2. Once all the water has run out, you can continue to the next step.
3. Find your hot water supply valve, and then use the compression nut to loosen the valve.
4. Remove the compression nut, supply valve, and copper ferrule that is placed below the compression nut.
5. Once you have removed the copper pipe, use a cloth to clean any residue from it. It is worth your while to spend some time cleaning the pipe properly since you probably won’t be doing this again until you install a new dishwasher.
6. Once you are happy with how clean the pipe is, you can slide a new suitable valve for your dishwasher onto the pipe. You must make sure you have a dual outlet valve since this will be needed for your dishwasher to function. After securing the dual outlet valve onto the pipe, slide the copper ferrule followed by the compression nut. Use your hands to tighten the nut.
7. Tightening the compression nut using two adjustable wrenches is next. Tighten it clockwise. Take your time with this process since you don’t want to damage the pipe or the nuts.
8. Now you can connect your supply line for your hot water faucet to one of the valves of your dual valve. The other valve will be for the dishwasher supply line. It would be best if you turned all the handles of the valves clockwise until you felt that they had been tightened.

Moving Your Dishwasher

1. Next you can put your new dishwasher in the spot that you have chosen. Take a step back and look at your dishwasher so that you can be certain that it is in the place that you most prefer.
2. It would be best if you had help with this step. While you are setting up the drain hose on the dishwasher, get someone to pull on it from under the sink. If you have a drop-in sink, it is an option to remove it to make this step more accessible, but it is optional. If you can manage while keeping the sink in place, then do so. Then attach it so that it is attached on both ends.
3. Now you can secure any electric cables and finish up your wiring. It is vital that you work with wiring colours. The ground wire connects to the green screw. The white wire will connect to the white wire, and the black wire will connect to the black wire. Once you have done your wiring, you can secure all of it with the help of wiring nuts.
4. Now you can reattach the hose and turn on the hot water value. This step is necessary for you to see if there are any leaks. This will also help you spot any issues with sink overflow or sink clogs.
5. By adjusting the legs, level your dishwasher. Next, switch on your dishwasher and wash your first set of dirty dishes.

Do You Need Special Plumbing for a Dishwasher?

If you bought a new dishwasher, the dishwasher installation kit should come with everything you need to install your dishwasher quickly and effortlessly. Follow the dishwasher installation instructions carefully to ensure the proper functioning of your dishwasher. However, if you bought a second-hand dishwasher or got one that didn’t come with all the dishwasher plumbing parts, you will need to head down to your local hardware store.

What You Will Need

To install your dishwasher successfully, you will need:

• screwdrivers
• an adjustable wrench
• a dishwasher connector kit
• an electrical cable
• a hose clamp
• a drainage hose

All of these materials and tools will be available at your nearest hardware store, so if you don’t have a dishwasher installation kit, don’t worry about it. Just purchase everything you need to install your dishwasher yourself.

Can You Plumb in Your Own Dishwasher?

There are so many different dishwasher styles on the market today that we might wonder whether we need to get a plumber to help us install them. The good news is that most models will come with a dishwasher manual. This will carefully explain the necessary steps you need to take to install or how to plumb your dishwasher. Therefore you can most definitely install your own dishwasher. All you need is the tools and materials that come with your dishwasher installation kit, a bit of patience, and your installation manual.

Conclusion

A dishwasher is a convenient way to make you smile whenever you step into your kitchen. This is especially true if you have a large family and feel like you are constantly washing dishes. By taking the time to install or learning how to plumb a dishwasher yourself, you can save significant costs. Plus, you can learn quite a bit about dishwasher drain installation. In addition, a dishwasher makes it possible for you to have sparkly clean utensils and dishes… All without any of the cleaning effort.