Problems leveling dish washer

[Michael]

I'm having problems keeping my dishwasher level. It was screwed to the counter, but both screws have pulled free from their holes. One screw hole has no threads, and the back of the other hole has been ripped completely free (so that it's not a hole at all any more). It never did fit in there terribly well.

Any thoughts on how I should go about leveling this thing? My thinking is to attach a piece of wood to the bottom of the counter, but I'm not sure how to attach the wood to the counter so that it'll stay. I'm really leary of drilling any more holes in the counter.

By the way, the dishwasher itself is a Frigidaire Gallery, and the counter is some kind of formica/laminate.

[Joe Bobst]

Get some really good glue, like TiteBond III, and your wood repair will be perfectly adequate. If you can't clamp or wedge the wood in place, light tacking until the glue sets will work fine. Good luck.

Joe

[Nick Hull]

I didn't screw my diswasher to the counter at all. My first dishwasher failed because the hinges bent because my teenager piled too much weight on the open door. Now I have a hinged leg on the door to take the weight so there is no strain on the hinges and I didn't screw to the counter at all. If the upper tray is overloaded and slif too far out, the dishwasher will tip forward (looks scary but it can only move a bit) and the operator will note they did something wrong.

[Dave Harnish]

Hi Mike,

You don't want to try to level the DW using the counter screws. Their two purposes are to keep the machine in place front to rear and to prevent its tipping forward when the door's opened. They shouldn't be supporting any weight.

Level it up using the feet, laying a level on the lower rack rail for front-to-back, and anywhere across the cabinet, tank flange, or top of the console for side-to-side levelling.

1/4-inch thick Masonite(tm) blocks work well for shimming up the rear feet/rollers if necessary. (I cut a bunch about 2in x 3in and carry them in the truck.. Handy for alot of appliances.)

Before you re-anchor it to the countertop, remember to latch the door and look down on it to be sure the console reveal lines up with the countertop. #1 mistake I see made in installations, and when you're looking down on a crooked one, it looks pretty bad. When it's straight, carefully unlatch without moving it, and drive the screws.

Hope that's of some help.

God bless,

Dave Harnish Dave's Repair Service New Albany, PA

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