Dishwasher cannot be removed for repair. HELP it's Christmas!!!

[PhyllisDietrichson]

Our builder has secured our dishwasher permanently to a baton at the back of the DW and now it cannot be removed for repair, and it's dead as a doornail. We've tried everything. We're left with the horrible thought that we have to either: force DW out and break it potentially, take the kitchen units around it apart to access the fixings or remove the stone worktops and ruin the tiling and the stone upright (which is the least bad of those choices?!) unless there's something else we've not thought of???

Also when you lower the feet, it hangs-free so it's well and truly fixed that ol back wall aaaggghhhh!

can you see where it is screwed to the batten ?

sometimes we use i phones to see into tight places

Can you lower the legs on it so it drops down so that you can rock up and down to loosen screws in batten

worst case cut the back of the unit out next to the dishwasher either side to see if you can then break or undo the screws

Is it possible it settled/ jammed onto the batton rather than been screwed? Seems an odd and difficult thing to have done.

Will the feet screw up to move the dish washer slightly higher than normal, just a few mm would let you know if its settled or screwed.

I expect the method he has used is to fix the batten to the wall before the worktop went on, so that the fixings are not accessible without removing the worktop. This method is often used though I consider it rather short-sighted.

a worktop often comes off fairly easily, usually it is screwed upwards from the units beneath, sometimes there is a bracket to the wall. Often by emptying the unit and crawling into it with a torch, while lying on your back, you will discover the screws.

If the worktop is laminated chipboard or wood, you (or a chippy) could cut out a section, an either put it back afterwards, or fit a new piece. It will be tiresome if this dislodges tiles.

If you have a stone worktop it is probably glued down and very difficult to get off. A large hammer and breaking bar will do it.

Can you guess why I disapprove of integrated appliances?

absolute worst case a pair of marigolds and force the dw out

I can’t see how it could possibly be permanently secured to a batten, unless maybe he fitted it before fixing the worktop? Our cooker has a hook arrangement thing at the back - there’s a knack to moving it, but it can be done.

I see now you have a stone worktop. It will be incredibly heavy and probably glued in place.

I think Billy has the best ideas.

a multicutter is very handy for working in tight places, you could cut the backs, and maybe the sides, of the adjacent units.

It will be a tiresome job. Cramped and dusty. And quite slow.

New matching units are not as expensive as you might think. They haven't got to come from a glossy showroom. They all come from one or two giant factories anyway. Your existing doors and drawers will go into new ones.

I can see the screws; it looks like there's 4 or 5 securing the back of the DW to the wooden batten and was definitely before the worktops went on. A really long 850-800mm posidrive'd do it!

Worktops are quartz.

Yes we've lowered the feet and wiggled DW repeatedly and quite violently to try to dislodge fixings to no avail. Kitchen and DW only 2 years old so all new. We've not tried making the legs as tall as possible though.

how certain are you that it's not just fixed to the adjacent units, and perhaps to the worktop front trim?

BTW the batten and screws are only at the very top of DW so bottom half of DW can be lifted and swung a bit and can be wiggled quite a lot

Sorry badly described ...

The batten is on the rear wall, and the DW is secured to it from the top rear of the DW, rest unfixed and no side or top screws / fixings

You can get screwdrivers up to 600mm fairly easily...
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13-Pc-1-4-Inch-Drive-Extra-Long-Flexible-600mm-Screwdriver-Driver-Set/391648976644?epid=2255966414&hash=item5b30191f04:g:37kAAOSwxu5ZL~zj:rk:16:pf:0

I think you could fabricate a 1/4" socket set with several extensions and a screwdriver bit.

Pigletjohn

I can see where DW should have been secured: from just inside the DW door left and right to the units, but there's no screws in there. I will look at the long screwdriver option and getting kind neighbours in for a bit of arm-power as I've got a broken arm!!

here we are
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/S52453-Signet-Pozidrive-Pozi-Screwdriver-Extra-Long-PZ2-X-6-x-600mm/312330334172?epid=1154320273&hash=item48b856afdc:g:15MAAOSwZtNb9IeM:rk:1:pf:0

provided that the description is accurate and the picture is generic

PZ2 is probably the right size.

no help now but why do these fuckwits fix stuff like this

I am with piglet john and the long screwdriver if not keep wiggling it until it gives up

What is wrong with it btw

billysboy,
Keeps going dead, lost display lights, then we give it a good wiggle and it comes back temporarily, but it's really gone now.

PS billy

Our builder's list of cr*p jobs have had many a tradesman laughing, whilst we pay them to put right his fkwittedness.

He even put hot water pipes, unprotected, on the outside of the house (I know!). We've had to spend a fortune making a double-lagged, boxed-in bed for them so that we avoid unnecessary global warming or get eye-watering winter bills. And that's just the two im telling you about - the man was a total eejit - there's lots more!

Any joy with it yet sounds like a loose electrical connection where abouts are u

We've had an engineer out billysoy, the machine needs to be removed as the fault is at the back of the DW. We'll give the long screw drivers a go but suspect there wont be enough handle room to get good torque/ purchase. Next stop brute force yanking it off it's fixings with some burly types.

Any one else reading this as dear wife rather than dishwasher? No? Just me? I'll get me coat 😁

absiss I read it as Dear Wife at first. If you put Dear Wife in place of the DW, poor Dear Wife:
has 4 or 5 screws securing her back to a wooden batten behind her
needs to be forced out of her position and broken
has a fault at her back
is going to be yanked from her fixings next,
has been secured from the top when she should have been secured from the side but has no screws there,
her bottom half can be swung, lifted and wiggled quite a bit,
she has had her feet lowered and been wiggled and swung quite violently
And unsurprisingly is as dead as a door nail.

These would be better;
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300MM-EXTRA-LONG-MAGNETIC-SCREWDRIVER-DRILL-BIT-BAR-EXTENSION-HEX-ADAPTOR-19/282286840091?epid=2254532544&hash=item41b99b591b:g:jeYAAOSwcUBYTDd8:rk:8:pf:0

Just keep on connecting them until it's long enough and fitted to a cordless drill the screws should come out easily. Other sizes are available.

marmite thanks - looks good, but I think that seller's out of those, will try to source elsewhere.

Lulu most amusing, but my DW's still not working despite being wiggled!

SUCCESS!!!

Bro in law made a 800mm screwdriver. Unscrewed the back fixings and released the DW. He found it was an electrical fault, not DW, replaced the socket and BINGO. All's working well. Over-joyed.

Phew!