A Guide On Installing A New Dishwasher

Dishwashers come in various sizes mainly in both 45cm and 60cm widths. With any wet product there are additional considerations to protect any adjacent units from water or steam damage.

Measures to Protect Against Water or Steam Damage:

• Always ensure that the worktop steam protection strip is fitted. It is advisable and best practice that any edges of worktops are coated with yacht varnish to provide additional protection.
• Always ensure the machine is level when installed. The cabinets can twist if not levelled correctly and this can lead to a poor door seal, allowing steam to escape.
• You should fit any side protection strips to protect adjacent units.
• Ensure that any inlet hose connections are sound and leak free before installing the dishwasher; often, they can be difficult to check after installation.

Door Tensioning:

You should adjust the tension of the door springs to balance the load of the fascia door. Failure to do so can lead to premature hinge failure which may be irreparable and could invalidate the warranty. The instructions for use provide information on how to achieve this. Basic information for the most common dishwasher models is shown below: -

On some models, the adjustment screws are positioned at the top of the appliance. (not shown)

Adjusting the Feet:

When winding out the adjustable rear feet do not use power tools; this can strip the threads from the winding and cause damage, requiring a service call to resolve the issue.

The feet on built-under products can be broken if the appliance is pushed into location with the feet fully extended. It is advisable to install these units on a piece of worktop or skids so that the feet are not fully extended

Important!

Ensure the dishwasher is level when installed.

Electrical Connection:

All dishwashers are supplied with a 13A fused plug fitted. This may be removed and replaced, but this is not recommended. Never install the socket behind the appliance as it must be accessible after installation.

Water Supply Connection:

All dishwashers are supplied with a water connection hose fitted with a standard 3/4” connection, suitable for connection to standard appliance water valves. The isolation valve must be installed in an adjacent unit so that the water supply can be turned off, if required.

Note that particle filters should be fitted when supplied. In all cases, check the integrity of any connection to ensure there are no leaks.

After installation check that the water supply has been turned on - It is surprising how common it is for engineers to attend simply to turn the water on at the isolation valve; this may be chargeable. Check also that the supply pipe is not kinked or trapped which could block water flow.

Important!

Dishwashers are intended to be connected to the cold water supply only. The water hose supplied is only compatible with cold supplies and these must never be used to connect hot water to an appliance.

Drain Connection:

Dishwashers are prone to issues caused by poor drain connection. Issues can be caused by any of the following: -

• Kinked hoses block the flow of water
• If the hose runs along the floor over a significant portion of its length then the machine can fill the drain pipe causing what appear to be fill errors.
• If the hose is connected directly to a sink, the sink can fill the dishwasher through the drain pipe.
• Blocked sink spigot outlets. Always ensure that the spigot is clear of any blocking plug.

The preferred method of drain connection is by a dedicated stand-pipe, as is typically used with laundry products. An example of this is shown below: -

The minimum height of the stand pipe should exceed 50cm and be no more than 110cm above the floor.

When the drain is to be fitted to a sink waste spigot, the drain pipe should be positioned so that it runs above the level of the sink waste to prevent the risk of back-filling.

If an extension drain pipe is used, the maximum length is 4m; these should only be used when absolutely necessary.

Note that the maximum height allowed can vary between products. Always check the instructions supplied.