Imagine a scene set in the 1850 in a small town American household. A man with concern for the labor and physical stress, his wife has to go through by doing dishes, invents a dishwashing machine. The man was Joel Houghton and the machine was a basic and domestic model that had a turning wheel, which had to be rotated by hand. The wheel splashed water on the dirty dishes. But it was only in 1886, that Josephine Cochrane invented the first practical and functional dishwasher and not until the 1950s, did the price of the dishwasher machine become affordable and the size reduced to be easily fitted into the kitchen. In today’s technologically advanced day and age, it is surprising to observe that some of the new-age equipments which aim to make life easy seem to make things more complicated. To begin with, installating household equipments is a herculean task that husbands are too busy to handle, wives are not sure enough and hiring handymen is too expensive. It appears to be a job only for the Hercules! But the good news is that it is a false belief that installing and using a dishwasher is complicated. In fact they come in standard sizes of 24” by 34” space that is usually found in most kitchens. It requires fundamental knowledge of electrical connections, plumbing and familiarity with using tools. A step by step process to learn how to install your dishwasher is discussed further.
Installing A Dishwasher
Materials Required
- Pliers
- Screwdrivers
- Adjustable wrench
- Electric drill and hole cutting bit
- Teflon pipe tape
- Level
- Drain pipe for dishwasher
- Dishwasher connection kit - available at your home store (should contain water supply line for dishwasher as well as necessary connectors and compression couplers).
- New dishwasher
How To Install
- Locate the source of hot water supply from underneath the sink.
- Find out the hose pipe and electrical connections on the machine and the sink cabinet.
- Installation will involve extending the hot water supply to the dishwasher, and connecting the drainpipe to the drain sink. The drain hose should go through the cabinet above the dishwasher tub to prevent dishes from ending up soapy.
- Regular water supply needs to be connected to the dishwasher too.
- Connect the wires. You will have to access the junction box with help of a screw driver. Make sure to connect wires as per instructions.
- Once everything is connected and attached, the dishwasher can be placed in the cabinet.
- After placing the dishwasher in the cabinet, it has to be tested. A simple test can be filling it with water to check for any leaks. The electrical settings also need to be tested. Ensure that connections are turned off before attempting to check if they work.
- Once all the components have been tested, the outer cover or casing can be added.