If you already have
the new dishwasher in the house, you can look at it
and its installation manual to see what you can and
should reuse. On the other hand, if the new one is
arriving tomorrow and you cut a deal to have the
delivery people haul the old one off, you need to
decide which parts you should keep overnight. Here's
a short list of the things I've found useful. You
can always throw them away later.
The drain hose and its clamps. The new dishwasher
may arrive with these. One I installed recently had
the hose already attached to the machine, but I've
done others, which did not come with anything to use
to connect the drain.
The ground screw and the connector that secured the
electrical cable to the dishwasher's junction box.
Appliance manufacturers very seldom provide these.
There are too many variations for them to try to
match, and a professional installer will usually
have them "on the truck" if not in hand.
The brass fitting that the water line attaches to.
More and more, it seems, the manufacturers are
standardizing their side of this connection. And you
already know the other side matches your supply
line. So hang on to it for now. If you forget to
keep it, the piece you are most likely to be trying
to buy at 9:00 PM is called a "Compression X Female
Elbow Adapter." To get the right one, you will need
to know the trade diameter of your supply tubing for
the compression side and the IPT (Iron Pipe Thread)
diameter of the male fitting on the new dishwasher
for the threaded side. Hang onto the old one. If
only one side works with the new installation, you
can at least show the old one to the clerk as a
starting point.
Any shims or blocks that were used to help support
the old machine. If the floor was not even enough
for the built-in adjusters to level that machine, it
may mot be even enough to allow you to completely
level your new dishwasher without some added
support, either.
You may still need to make a trip to the store
before you can install your new dishwasher, but it
should be a quicker and less-expensive trip.
Contact our Home Improvement Specialist today to help you with your home improvement needs.
