dishwasher - want to get one, how?

[littlemonkeychops]

Sorry if this is a silly question....we want to get a dishwasher fitted and i'm not sure where to start.

We have space for one where there's currently a kitchen cupboard. It's next to the kitchen sink so guessing it would be ok to connect it up somehow.

I was thinking of getting a plumber to come quote for fitting it and connecting it up to the sink pipes, and ask them to measure and tell me what size one we can get (or are they all standard?)?

Then we'd go and choose one get the plumber back to fit it.

Good plan? As i said, sorry for the silly question!

they come in two widths - standard and slim line, but always the same depth. You need a cold water feed and a waste outlet, plus an electrical socket. With the fittings in place they are simple to connect up, plumber doesn't need to do that as long as you can shift the thing. Or some of the suppliers will connect it but it really does take only a minute.

uses less water and power than hand washing up as long as you always run it full.

full sized washer are almost always 80cm high x 60cm wide x 60cm deep.

Unlike cookers and some washers they go right back against the wall with very little room for pipes but enough for the cable.

A competent plumber will connect it in his sleep. An average DIYer will need to be awake. It will need a power point, a cold water supply, and a waste pipe, so close to the kitchen sink is usual. You might like to get an Appliance Trolley which has rollers so you can pull it out for cleaning or spillages or mousetraps. In UK homes, the valve for dishwasher and washing machines is usually put at the back of the cupboard under the sink, so you have to pull everything out to reach it. In German homes they are put at the front of the cabinet, clipped to the cabinet wall which is more convenient. It can only be habit. The supply hose will be about 2m long, you can buy a 5m hose, or connect two hoses together using a 3/4" BSP Brass nipple that cost 99p in a plumbers merchant or £4 in a DIY shed. A longer hose makes it easier to roll the appliance out.

Get a Bosch, or Miele if you can afford it.

Thanks :-)

The cold water and waste outlet are under the sink, is it reasonably easy to connect the dishwater pipes up to those?

I think there is a socket under there, will doubke check.

Thanks for your help.

they will need some kind of connector added, if you are not fond of DIY plumbing, find someone competent, preferably by local recommendation.

He probably won't even need to come and quote for it, it's an everyday job, provided the sink is within two metres of the d/wr.

Measure the gap though. Including room for the door to swing down, and the d/wr to push right up against the wall behind.

The top panel can be removed from d/wrs if they are a tight fit under the worktop.

It is preferable to have the switch or socket in plain view, not hidden under the sink where it can get leaked on.

I splashed out on a extra big dishwasher. It is big on the inside but standard dimensions on the outside. A bit like the tardis.

I cant off hand remember which one but it was something like this

If you have DC's and have the budget it is well worth it.

switch in plain view - good one. Also because having recently bought a brand-new dishwasher and washing machine, I discover that the new 'eco' appliances use standby power! So they get turned off at the socket.

given that a broken dishwasher is not the same disaster level as a broken washing machine, spend £200 odd on a Beko.

To break this down even further for the terminally dim (i.e. me!)

If I have a cupboard at the moment and it's within 2 metres of the sink, and I'd like to get a dishwasher, do I literally buy a dishwasher, and get a plumber to come and he will just sort it? Or do I have to do something about removing the cupboard first?

We're about to look into buying our first flat, and I REALLY want a dishwasher. I'd like to know how easy it would be to remove a cupboard and fit a dishwasher in a flat where there isn't one already (and ideally whether this is likely to cost a lot of money on top of the cost of the dishwasher itself).

you should measure the cabinet first, to make sure it will leave a gap 85cm high x60cm wide x 60cm deep. If so, remove it yourself and measure again. If there in anything between this new gap, and the place where the cold supply and the waste pipe, and the electrical point, are, you may need to remove it or cut a hole in it. The plumber will probably have suitable tools for cutting such holes, but tell him before making the appointment in case he quibbles.

take special care to observe if there are pipes or skirting at the back of the cavity which may prevent the d/wr pushing right back against the wall.

some plumbers might be willing to move cabinets, but will charge extra as it will take more time than just connecting ther plumbing. They might not be very good at joinery.

I bought one off ebay and DP installed it, was very easy to do. I'd be confident to do it myself. At the moment I'm using the same fittings as the washing machine and just swap them over - not ideal, but it works.

Frozen I think you'd have to remove the cupboard, and how easy that is to do depends on how the cupboard is built - if it's a case of removing the door and the shelves and making holes for pipes and plugs that shouldn't be too hard, if it's going to remove the support from the surrounding cupboards then that could be a bigger problem.