How to Install a Dishwasher (With Video!)

Ready to install a new dishwasher in your home?  If you need a step-by-step walkthrough for how to get your new appliance installed, you’ve come to the right place. With this guide and the accompanying video, you should be back to getting your dishes clean in no time and saving money by doing it yourself.

Need a part for your appliance? Search below using your specific model number to identify the exact part needed:

Tools Needed to Install a Dishwasher

This job is a whole lot easier with some basic household tools:

1. Screwdrivers, flathead and nut driver should be sufficient!

2. Pliers, both needle nose and channel lock.

3. Pipe dope or teflon tape.

4. A yard stick or tape measure.

5. A level.

6. Work gloves.

How To Install A Dishwasher

Make sure you have your dishwasher’s manual on hand. It can help guide you if anything on your dishwasher is different from our own guide!

Prep Work

1. Before you begin, shut off the power at the circuit breaker. There should be a breaker specifically labeled for your dishwasher. Make sure this is in the off position. Never install a new appliance while the outlet it’s being installed in is still receiving power.

2. Shut off the water supply. You can do this from a valve beneath the sink.

3. Make sure to remove any old plastic or rubber hoses from your previous dishwasher. We recommend you replace these drain hoses with the new dishwasher, not just for aesthetic purposes, but to ensure that your dishwasher is using lines free of buildup. If the clamps securing the old hoses in place are not rusty, you can reuse those.

4. Check the water fill lines — the stainless steel hoses — for damage. Generally, you can reuse these hoses if they are in good shape, but if you find any holes, worn spots, or rust, you should replace the water line hose. If you water fill line is not stainless steel, we recommend you upgrade to one at this time! You can find the right one easily by searching by model number in the search box at the top of this article.

Installing The Dishwasher

1. Remove the lower rack. This will make your life easier as you move the dishwasher. If left in, it could move around, making a lot of noise or possibly pinching your hands while you work.

2. Put a towel down in front of the spot where the dishwasher will be installed and flip the dishwasher on its back.

3. Remove the access panel at the bottom of the dishwasher. This kickplate can be easily removed with a (probably flathead) screwdriver. It is held in place by two screws, one on either end. Make sure you keep track of the screws after removing them! Set them aside in a safe spot.

4. Now working underneath the dishwasher, hook the drain hose up to the dishwasher. A pair of pliers will help you to get the securing clamp in place.
   • First slide the clamp all the way onto the mouth of the hose.

   • Depending on the model of your dishwasher, the hose may connect directly to the pump, or the dishwasher may have a fitting for the drain hose in the back.

   • Once the hose is in place, secure the clamp with your pliers by moving it up to the front of the hose’s mouth.

5. Secure the water fill line to the water inlet valve. Depending on your dishwasher model, the water line — that’s the metal hose — may fit directly onto the valve, or you may need a garden hose adapter. Either way, start by tightening parts in place by hand and then secure with pliers.
   • Your manual should have a specific diagram of where the water inlet valve is on your model of dishwasher. You are probably looking for a blue plastic or yellow metal water valve, though.

   • The garden hose adapter is an L-shaped metal plumbing adapter that converts a larger opening to one that will work with your water line.

   • Compression lines don’t require any sealants, but if you are using a fitting with regular threads, make sure you are using pipe dope or teflon tape. Wrap that around the threads of the fitting in one layer.

   • Garden hose fittings come with a washer, so you won’t need to use a tape sealant on that.

6. If your dishwasher is the plug-in type, it’s time to swap the power cord from the old dishwasher to the new one. If your dishwasher is directly wired into your home’s electricity, you can skip this step. We’ll go over how to directly wire the dishwasher later.
   1. Take the access panel off the old dishwasher if you haven’t yet.

   2. Open the junction boxes on each dishwasher. You’ll recognize these by the electrical warning label on the front. You may need a nut driver to remove the mounting hardware on this to open the cover.

   3. On the old dishwasher, unscrew the wire nuts and separate the wires. There should be three of these plastic caps holding wires together. Once uncapped, you can disconnect the ground wire.

   4. Loosen the strain relief — that’s the connector holding the cord in place. You should be able to disconnect it by hand. Once loosened, pull the power cord out of the old dishwasher.

   5. Make sure you know which wire is which. This should be easier to do now that you’ve got the power cord freed up. Looking at the plug as though it were plugged into the socket, the left wire, which is probably textured with ribbing, is the neutral wire. The center wire is the grounding wire, and the right wire is the power wire.

   6. Put the power cord through the strain relief on the new dishwasher and loosely tighten it.

   7. Hook the neutral side up to the dishwasher’s white wire and cap it with a wire nut.

   8. Hook the power side up to the black wire and cap it with a wire nut.

   9. Connect the ground wire to its respective spot. This should be on the junction box panel. You will likely need the nut driver to do this part.

   10. Tighten the strain relief and screw it into place. If you’re having trouble tightening it, try using your flathead screwdriver for leverage.

   11. Replace the cover. Your dishwasher’s power cord should be all set!

7. Measure the height of the cabinet opening and adjust the dishwasher legs to fit. Your manual might have a height adjustment chart you can refer to to preset the leg length of your dishwasher for the cabinet. If you don’t have a height adjustment chart, use your yard stick to adjust the legs so that the front of the dishwasher is as close to the bottom of the counter as possible. Then raise the rear so that it’s level.

8. Lift the dishwasher back onto its feet and remove the towel from beneath it.

9. Open the dishwasher door so that it doesn’t tip over, and check that it is level front to back and side to side by setting a level in the bottom of the dishwasher tub, along the wall. Adjust the legs if needed to ensure your dishwasher is level.

10. If your model calls for it, install the moisture barrier on the underside of the countertop to protect it. This tape can simply be stuck in place and smoothed out by hand.

11. Move the dishwasher closer to the counter and feed the water, drain and power lines through the holes in the cabinet.

12. Push the dishwasher into the cabinet space about halfway, making sure that the insulation isn’t bunching up.

13. Reach under the sink. You should see the dishwasher lines. Pull on all of those to better thread them through and make sure they aren’t bent, kinked, or caught on anything.

14. Install the mounting brackets onto the dishwasher. These will go across the top of the dishwasher, hooking into the frame. They should have a tab that can be bent over to secure the bracket. Once in place, use pliers to break off excess metal to make sure the brackets don’t stick out over the countertop.

15. Push the dishwasher in all the way, being mindful that you don’t damage your floor.

16. Connect the water, drain, and power lines beneath the sink.
    1. The drain hose should come with a universal fitting meant to fit two sizes. If the larger size is too big, trim it off and use the smaller opening to secure it to the air gap with a clamp.

    2. The water line can be secured to the hot water valve beneath the sink.

    3. Simply plug the power cord in, now. If your dishwasher is hardwired, we’ll go over how to connect it in this next step.

17. If your dishwasher is hardwired to your home’s electricity, now you can take care of that. Route the cord through the dishwasher’s strain relief. Connect the wires together, black to black and white to white, secured in place with a wire nut. Be sure to connect the ground wire, as well, before putting the junction box cover back in place.

18. Recheck that your dishwasher is level. Open the dishwasher door and, using a level, verify that all sides are even. If they aren’t, adjust the legs until the dishwasher is level front to back and side to side.

19. Once you know it’s level, use the included screws to mount the dishwasher to the underside of your counter.

20. Put the lower dishrack back in and close the door.

21. Leave that access kick panel off and restore power and water to your dishwasher, then run a short wash cycle to check for leaks, watching beneath the dishwasher for any dripping.

22. Once you know there’re no leaks, install that access panel. You’re done!

Wrapping Up

Installing a new dishwasher isn’t hard at all! With a bit of time and patience, you’ll have gotten your new dishwasher to work all on your own. Now that your plates, cups, and flatware are back to looking spotless, check out AppliancePartsPros.com for other tips, tutorials, or replacement parts. We’re happy to lend a hand through our site, LiveChat, or give us a call!