Sydney Plumbing How To: Install a Dishwasher

There are very few homes in Sydney these days that don’t have a dishwasher to go along with the kitchen sink. Dishwashers are an excellent way to save water, money, and, most importantly, time. Why should you be washing dishes rather than spending time with your kids or going out on the town? To save yourself a bit more money, why not install your dishwasher yourself rather than calling your local plumbing service to do it for you?

Before you start the main job of installing your dishwasher, it’s a good idea to have a clean and clear space to work in. Throw away any packaging, remembering to keep the instructions though, and make sure there’s plenty of room for you, your tools, and, most importantly, the dishwasher.

Your dishwasher should have come with PVC piping to connect the valves at the back of the machine to the pipes in your house. Before you connect your hose to your home’s water supply, remember to make sure the valve on the pipe is turned off. To connect the hose, all you need to do is screw it tightly to the valve. Then you can turn the valve back on.

Now, your dishwasher doesn’t just need access to clean water, it needs somewhere to get rid of waste water. The average dishwasher will come with a waste water hose that you can attach to pipe outlets under your sink. These pipe outlets are what gets rid of the waste water from your sink, so they can do the same for your dishwasher. You may find that you’ll need to change some of the pipes as they aren’t made to accommodate a dishwasher hose, but it’s a very easy job. When you do insert your dishwasher hose into the outlet pipe, remember to make sure that it’s at least 60 centimetres above the floor to avoid nasty accidents.

Installing your new dishwasher shouldn’t take you more than an hour. If you do run into trouble when it comes to installing your dishwasher, don’t forget that just because you started the job without a plumber, it doesn’t mean you can’t finish the job with one. They might even give you a few tips for next time.