SYW Members: Kenmore 24" Stainless Steel Dishwasher (Steel) Expired

removal:

- turn off circuit for dishwasher. verify circuit is off by pressing buttons on the dishwasher. if you have an older dishwasher with a plug end, simply unplug from the outlet
- turn off water valve to dishwasher
- disconnect water line from valve
- disconnect drain line from sink drain piece
- unscrew anchors from countertop
- unscrew wiring, loosen from wire harness
- slide out
- save the wire harness and water line elbow piece for next install


a few installation recommendations once the old dishwasher has been removed:

- clean and inspect old space including the floor. heat and moisture over time can result in laminate floors peeling or mold to grow on grout.
- replace the drain line - should come with the dishwasher. if not it can be purchased from HD for $10 . the #1 reason why dishwashers leak is from the thin brittle plastic drain line cracking from repeated exposure to hot water
- replace the hot water line if it's old. get the $15 kit that comes with the new elbow connector that all modern dishwashers require (but of course never include). inspect the old one, it might just need a new gasket but you might as well just use the new one in the kit you buy
- if you have a laminate countertop remove and replace the foil moisture barrier. for my rentals I completely sealed the underside of the countertop but you can get away with just a moisture barrier.
- connect drain, water, and electrical (don't forget to use the wire harness for the electrical). route drain and water lines through cabinet and connect to valve and sink drain. use a new band clamp for the drain line to connect to sink drain
- slide in dishwasher
- make sure new dishwasher is level by using one of those magnetic bullet levels - you can adjust legs and check the level hands free
- once level, screw in the mounting brackets at the top of the dishwasher (they screw into the underside of the counter top)
- put red or other color napkins underneath the dishwasher and run it for two cycles. check for leaks afterwards. the color napkin will make it very easy to spot leaks

as far as long term maintenance - it's good to run a cleaning solution through the dishwasher every few months - the manual recommends the type to buy or you can make you own using vinegar etc. if this is for a rental unit, require that the tenant do this in the lease


if this dishwasher is being installed as a new install, it will be a little more complicated but not too bad at all. here are the things you will need to consider:

- i advise running a new 20amp circuit for the dishwasher instead of tapping into counter top outlet wiring in the wall. reason why i say this is if you try and run a coffee maker and this dishwasher on the same circuit it will definitely trip the breaker. if you have a garbage disposal on its own circuit you could ride on that since you don't usually run both at the same time (may or may not be code...honestly i don't really care about codes in my own home that i have no plan on selling, i care more about common sense)
- you will need to replace the vertical drain between the sink and trap with a piece that has a dishwasher inlet branch. not a big deal, the plastic version is $3, the finished brass version is $8
- you will need to drill 2 holes on the side of your cabinet so the drain line and water line can pass through and connect the dishwasher to the HOT WATER line and the drain
- ideally the dishwasher should be on its own shut off valve, reason being...if the dishwasher is leaking or has to come out you don't want to render your kitchen hot water out of commission. to do this is very simple these days even for someone who doesn't have any plumbing experience. presuming you have an old gate valve sweated on you have 2 options. once the water to the kitchen is turned off, the first option is to buy the $22 bottle of propane and sweat it off (literally just heating up the solder again and use pliers to pull the valve off. second option is to just use a little hacksaw and cut it off (straight cut). get a $9 shark-bite T connector and slide onto the hot water line. then either a little bit of pex or copper. cut ~2" of pex or copper and slide 2 sections onto the other branches of the T. then get 2 quarter turn shark bite valves and slide them onto each section of pex or copper. connect sink hot water line to one branch, and dishwasher water line to other branch. done. you just saved yourself about $150 and you didn't even need to practice "pipe fitting". for those who say "well sharkbites are so expensive blahh blahh". shark bite valves are comparable in price now to sweat-on valves. if you don't believe me then look at the price of a sweat-on ball valve at home depot and then at a shark bite ball valve. last time i was there...which was this weekend, the shark bite was $9.72 and the sweat on ball valve was a mere $0.74 cheaper. if you're doing a handful of connections just use sharkbite. sure if you're doing an entire house then the price difference adds up quick


feel free to PM me with any questions. attached is a photo of what i just described. note this was for a rental unit and a garbage disposer wasn't installed. if you're unsure of what to get - save the pics i posted and go to home depot. show the guy in the plumbing aisle you need to do this (show him the pics) and he'll get you everything you need. here is a full price breakdown:

- dishwasher water line kit - $15
- dishwasher drain line (should come with dishwasher, if not then $12)
- (2) shark bite valves @ $9.72 each = $20
- (1) sharkbite T connector = $10
- if you want to bring the hot water line forwards a little bit, grab a shark bite coupler for $8 that you slide onto the bare hot water line then a piece of pex or copper to the length you want, then slide on the T
- shark bite removal tool ring (i think it's $2)
- pex section for $3
- copper or pex cutter (depends which one you get, some are more expensive than others. expect to pay between $10-$25)
- sink drain piece with dishwasher inlet - (plastic is $3, brass will be $9)
- grab some extra 1 1/2" slip joint washers in a 2 or 3 pack for $2. you never know what the condition of the washer will be after (fill in the number) of years when you disconnect your existing vertical drain piece from your trap piece

Live in New Hampshire, or maybe washing dishes by hand is your thing.