I've got a 1920s-era house that never had a dishwasher (or a garbage disposal) and I'm tired of it. The only place that I can really install a dishwasher is in the laundry room (which is right off the kitchen) in place of an old sink. I'd just have to rip the sink out, build an enclosure for the dishwasher and plumb it. Because the water supply and drain are already present, it seems like it should be a pretty simple project, but is there anything I'm missing?
Only something to think about: If you're at all short on storage space and/or couter top space, and there is any considerable amount of room on the side(s) of your proposed location, instead of just building "an enclosure" think about some simple kitchen base cabinets and a basic countertop, fill the whole wall with your project. The cabinets/countertop aren't a whole lot of work when you're just doing one wall.
I'm not short on storage space, but I certainly don't have room for more than an enclosure in that location. Of course, I am going to add a countertop, but otherwise, the room is already full. I'm just replacing one section with another.
A portable or convertible dishwasher has *exactly* the same working parts as a comparable built-in model with the addition of a cabinet and top. There should be no discernible operating difference.
As long as you follow the manufacturer's installation instructions (especially about the drain hose istallation), you shouldn't have any problems. You can find some additional tips at the following link:
The only thing to watch for is your drain. Normally built-ins connect to the existing sink drain, or disposal, ABOVE the P-trap. If you remove the existing sink to install the DW, you'll have to be sure to retain some sort of trap, or else you'll get sewer gas backing up into the dishwasher. If the DW location is directly behind the kitchen sink, you may be able to go straight thru the wall and connect as if it was right next to the sink.
Here's a question for the group, somewhat related. I've replaced my disposal twice in the 20 years since I been here, both times because the "neck" where the DW attaches has corroded out and broken off. The drain hose appears to have been positioned correctly to prevent water from sitting in the hose and neck, so I'm not sure why this has happened. I check it fairly regularly because when it goes... well you can imagine how one finds out about it!
I know they make a drain pipe with the small "T" for attaching a DW. I think these are mainly for installations where there in no disposal. I've been thinking about putting one of these on the second sink, and simply capping off the disposal neck. At least if this piece goes, it will only be $5 to replace (and $10 worth or papertowels to clean it up!)
Unfortunately, they are. The portable is a much lighter unit that uses your kitchen sink water in order to do dishes. I've dealt with them before and found them to be inferior in every way.
It is something that's going to be custom built to match the rest of the cabinets, although I know I'll never be able to match the antique tile countertops that already exist. It all seems pretty straightforward but I figured I should ask if I was missing something before I started ripping things out.
I'm not sure what you mean by "lighter" but I've been in the appliance service industry for 17+ years and never seen any different between a portable or convertible dishwasher and a *comparable* built-in model of the same make and design.
I'm not talking about 'counter top' models that work just off tap water pressure, I talking full size dishwashers. BTW. Portable or convertible dishwashers can even be quieter then their built-in counter parts due to their extra surrounding cabinets.
You've had the opportunity to compare a portable and built-in model
*of the same design*? That's the only way anyone would be able to make sure assertions. Maybe you just had crappy dishwasher designs period, which happened to be portable models?
Take my word for it (or not), portable and built-in dishwasher models of the same design have the *exact* the same working parts which are responsible for their functioning (motor, pump, spray arms, etc.). Attaching them to a sink tap makes little or no difference at all as to their overall operation.
I've dealt with a portable before as well. It was a hotpoint and was just as nice as any other unit I've used. In fact, it had more cycles than the one that was in a new duplex we moved into when we stopped using the portable. You may be thinking about the countertop models, I doubt those are very good.
== I disagree. I had a Kenmore Powerwash II convertable that we eventually built in when we had our house built. The dishwasher was as good as any built-in unit during its entire 10+ years of life. The only reason I replaced it with a Bosch was because of Bosch's quietness. The Kenmore convertable washed dishes as well as my new $1200. Bosch (flawlessly). == ==
The small *electrical* table top models do a surprisingly good job cleaning dishes from what I've seen and can still fit about a 4 piece place setting. They are often more expensive than full size models (see the link below) but that is likely due to their reduced popularity rather than the material their made from.
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I don't know how well the counter top models that just use water pressure work but even they might be handy for cottages or 'off grid' living where electricity is at a premium?
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