Do it yourself projects and home improvement articles

Here’s your standard 1950’s kitchen. Do you like the green? The whole kitchen including cupboards used to be that green. In fact, most of the house was that putrid green. What in the hell were they thinking? I guess it must have seemed like a good idea at that time.


Well it’s time to bring the kitchen into the 21st century with a dishwasher. And guess what there is no space for one. I’ve gone through a couple countertop dishwashers by Danby and Igloo. They sit on the countertop and are about the size of a large microwave oven. They hook up to the faucet and don’t hold much in the way of dishes and silverware. After both of those broke (and if they break, the repair will usually cost you as much as buying a new one - they run about $180 - heck, a new hose for my last one was about $70 - $70 for a hose?!?! Arghh!). After that, I’ve been hand washing dishes for quite some time. What a pain in the arse! Well it was well nigh time for a real, full size, built-in dishwasher.

We just needed a spot. The entire set of cupboards were one unit except for the ends. The end to the right was 21 inches wide and we needed 24 inches for the dishwasher. As this was the only spot the dishwasher could go, we really had no choice. I could’ve bought an 18 inch wide space saving model but I’ve already done the compact thing. So we were going to have a little protrusion that will have to be fixed with some countertop magic later - oh well, small price to pay for happiness.

Hey, we even found a little treasure under the old cupboard - Paper Saver Magic! I had one of these as a kid. You wrote on it with a pen-like device and then pulled the sheet up to erase! This could pay for the cost of the entire unit and installation itself. What a find! Ebay here I come! Heck, you can’t even find “paper saver magic” on google. This has got to be rare!

We also found an old razor blade and a 9 cent, state of Ohio, prepaid sales tax, consumer receipt.

Here’s our space for the dishwasher’s new home. Check out that lovely yellow. Guess they went yellow before green and oil-based no less. We also have 3 layers of flooring with the bottom looking like it was red. How about that - red flooring!

We took a hole saw and got after sawing through the metal cupboard. These things must have been government surplus, super steel cupboards. We ruined one bit on the job but with a little brute strength persuasion, the cupboard gave way. And we had a clear shot to under sink area with no further obstructions.

Here’s a shot of our second hole saw. It used a screw to hold the saw to the bit. Bad design as it kept coming loose. My buddy tightened it on there so much that we broke a screwdriver and a flathead bit trying to get it off. Still no luck!

Here’s our two braided metal hoses for the water supply. We attached a 6 footer with a 2 footer as the local hardware did not have an eight footer.

We found a dual outlet shutoff valve that we used to replace the original shutoff with. With this little goodie, we can run hot water to the faucet and to the dishwasher. We didn’t tape that electrical line to the cold water line either. That was done by the previous owner and probably should be undone by us.

Here’s the supply line attached to the dual outlet shutoff valve.

This part should be included with the dishwasher but was extra. It is a 90 degree elbow with 3/8″ NPT male threads on one leg and sized to fit our water supply line on the other leg. We wrapped some plumber’s tape around the threads about 3 1/2 revolutions worth and screwed her on in.

Here’s the electrical connection to the dishwasher. We ended up cannabalizing a 14 gauge extension cord and made the dishwasher a plug in. I was lucky as I had had an electrician put in a dedicated outlet for the fridge and we just plugged right into that. Shouldn’t be any power issues with that set up. Plus if you ever switch it out later, you can just unplug it! Remember to use a UL listed conduit connector or strain relief in case anyone trips over the cord!

From here we hooked up the drain hose to the garbage disposal, leveled the dishwasher, added the leveling screws, put the plate over the electric, put the front cover on the bottom and screwed the top into the countertop. We ran a rinse cycle to check for leaks and we were ready for action.

Here’s a picture of the finished job! I chose a Robert Bosch dishwasher as they are highly rated plus they make spark plugs too. Whirlpool also comes with a quality rating. I’ve read that you need to spend at least $450 to get a decent dishwasher so don’t get the $200 cheapie model. Plus decent appliances will help your home’s resale but don’t overspend as you won’t get that money back.

Can’t wait to load it up and take it for a spin! Thanks Q for all your help! Next I have to get rid of that green countertop and backboard.

Update: I consulted my Bosch dishwasher instructions again. They indicate that one portion of the drain hose should be raised at least 20 inches above the floor. I assumed that the portion connected to the garbage disposal was sufficient but the pictures show a portion of the hose before the end being raised above the end of the drain hose. So the directions should read that at least one portion of the drain hose should be raised at least 20 inches above the floor and should also be above the end of the drain hose. This probably serves a couple purposes - 1 takes tension off the drain hose at its point of connection and 2 reduces backflow into the drain hose.

Also there appears to be no binding at the point where we cut a hole in the cabinet for access. We should have dulled the edges. I’ll just have to be careful and not yank the drain hose back and forth anymore.

Update 12/30/07 - I’ve received a few questions since posting this article and I’ll try to answer them given my experience.

Is a garbage disposal required in order to install a Bosch dishwasher? No, the installation instructions also show how to install directly to the sink’s drain.

What gauge electrical cord is required for the dishwasher? You need a minimum of 14 gauge. 12 or 10 will also work.

What does the bosch dishwasher 3/8 elbow npt look like? I have it pictured above -screwed into the base of the dishwasher.

Someone asked generally about bosch dishwasher installation water supply trouble? Not sure what the trouble is but the water supply line should run right up the middle of the base of the dishwasher and connect to the 3/8 elbow.

Why does my dishwasher drain so loud? Dishwashers are made to drain with a bit of force so the water should gush out at a pretty fast rate. Perhaps your garbage disposal is particularly cavernous which could amplify the sound.

How should I check for leaks after my installation is finished? Take a few paper towels and place them in appropriate places. Put one under the bottom of the dishwasher to the left where the water supply line connects to the dishwasher. Place one under where the water supply line connects with the hot water line. Place one under where the drain line connects with the garbage disposal or sink drain. Run a cycle and check to see if the paper towels are still dry.

Someone sent a question about why yellow oil was leaking from their kenmore dishwasher? I assume that on dishwashers, the motors are sealed and that oil would be used to lubricate these motors. If your dishwasher is leaking oil then the motor is no longer sealed. I would have a repairman come take a look as soon as possible.

Guess it’s time to replace the cabinets next - maybe Ikea Kitchen Remodeling Secrets will help.

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