Are Dishwashers Easy to Install?

You’ve finally found the perfect place! It’s in a great location; it’s got a functioning bathroom, it isn’t the subject of a local murder mystery and, to top it all off, it’s got a kitchen with enough space you aren’t afraid you’ll end up stuck in there forever if you open the fridge wrong.

Caught up in the excitement of counter space and sparkling appliances, you decided to order a dishwasher—which was a great idea at the time but it’s about to be delivered tomorrow and you’ve only just started Googling all iterations of “dishwasher” and “install”, including the slightly frantic but still logical “are dishwasher easy to install” to the more desperate “dishwasher how?!”.

Before you cave in and call a plumber (or your parents), take a deep breath. It isn’t that difficult to install a dishwasher at all if you’ve got the plumbing for it underneath your sink. For all of you angrily murmuring that they should’ve had a How to Adult class in university, don’t worry. There’s a way to do this without flooding your kitchen or sending you flying into an existential crisis.

Step One: Actually Read the Manual

Now before you all start yelling about how you went online for the precise purpose of not having to go through that time, the first step in making sure this process ends with as little tears as possible is actually to go through it.

The dishwasher’s manufacturer will know the most about their product and should any trouble pop up, it’s in their best interest to provide you with a solution, so you don’t end up having to angrily call their customer service. Moreover, it’s in your best interest to at least sift through it, so that by the end of this session you’ll see that helpless little “are dishwasher easy to install” in your Google search history and not feel the regret of hindsight.

Step Two: Power and Water

Even in your most desperately clueless moments, it’s obvious enough that your brand-new dishwasher needs at least two things to work—a power supply and a water supply. So, the most logical course of action is to provide just that.

You need to place your dishwasher where it’ll be easy to access the water supply found under the sink, and still have the power cable reach a socket. Remember, do only switch the power on after the installation is done: again, we want as little tears as possible.

To connect it to a water supply, first turn off the mains. Connect one end of the dishwasher’s cold-water hose onto the water supply pipe. Then, connect the other end of the hose to the rear of the dishwasher. Turn the main water supply back on to see if there are any leaks and adjust the hoses if necessary.

Step Three: What in the World is a Waste Pipe?

That wasn’t so bad, was it? You may have needed some tools to really get those hose ends in, but don’t worry you’re nearly at the end.

Arrange the dishwasher drain hose so that it runs from the back of the dishwasher up into a waste pipe. What in the world is a waste pipe, you say? If you have a washing machine, then you are in luck, because it is probably the same pipe used by your washing machine waste pipe.

Don’t have a breakdown just yet if you haven’t got a washing machine. You’ll just need to connect the hose to the pipe used for sink waste or attach it to the overflow pipe (that u-shaped pipe thing).

Are Dishwasher Easy to Install: The End to a Thrilling Saga

After that, check that all the connections are secure. Once that’s done, carefully move the dishwasher into place—you wouldn’t want to pull your back at this stage in the game; that would be beyond sad.

Adjust everything so that your dishwasher sits well with the rest of your appliances and kitchen counters or cabinets and, finally, switch on the power socket and test out the fruit of your labor!

Go through the section on operations in the manual again if you have to, but by this point, your new dishwasher should be completely functional, and you can now safely delete “are dishwasher easy to install” from popping up in Google’s suggested search results.