We just moved into a new apartment 2 weeks ago. The landlords gave us permission to put in a dishwasher, which is getting delivered this Wednesday.

The spot to the right of the sink in the kitchen is just a huge opening with rails on the sides for drawers right now, but it most likely held a dishwasher there before since there is already a circular hole cut into the cabinet that leads to the sink. There is also a switch under the sink which I've heard is required to shut off the dishwasher in an emergency.

Problem is, I've never hooked up a dishwasher. Is it something I can do myself if it's been done in the same spot before? I would imagine it's as simple as hooking stuff up to connections that already exist.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

Not much to it.

You'll need to run a water line from your hot water line that ties into the sink (or somethign else that is hot nearby). I would recommend just going with a braided line instead of copper. I can't fucking stand compression fittings and ferrells. I'm guessing the connection on the dishwasher is 3/8".

Then you just need to tie a drain line into the existing sink plumbing. Do you have a garbage disposal? Regardless, it's pretty simple.

Other than that... It's just making sure you have power, that the dishwasher is level and secured to the cabinets/counter. How will you secure the dishwasher? If it's going to be secured from the side, you might want to check to see if the unit comes with side mounting brackets... Most installations (unless you're dealing with a solid countertop) are done by screwing brackets into the laminate counter above. This may not apply in your application however. Regardless, the unit needs to be secured to something.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll have to look when the thing gets here.

 

It's so easy even I did it.

If there was one there before, most of the plumbing and such should be in place so it's just a matter of making the connections. There are probably installation instructions packed with the washer that will give the details.

 

Me too.

The only issues I had is that my house is slightly older than me so the electrical required that I hard wire it in (no plug). I also had to convert the supply line from copper to braided. I got to use a blow torch for that and almost set my cabinets on fire.