How to Install a Dishwasher | Cleaning Dishwasher | Food Safety Tips

Do you know how to install a dishwasher diy on your own?

It is surprisingly easy, but you need to read the manual of your dishwasher first to make sure you know where connections, wires and hoses are exactly located.

How To Install A Dishwasher DIY ?

I have been plumbing for many years now and have seen many people try and install a dishwasher on their own. Of course the ones I see are the unsuccessful ones. The ones that flooded their homes because of not installing the dishwasher properly.

Now I know you want to save some money, but let’s learn how to do it before we move forward. The little bit of time it takes will pay off. I even suggest it is worth buying a how to book to make sure you don’t flood your house.

Since you are about to save around $250 to $400 depending on the type of dishwasher you are installing!

So how come one person does it right and the other fails miserably? Probably the same reason I can not fix my own car.

Everybody says you’re a plumber, doesn’t that mean you are mechanically inclined? Yes, it does mean that, but does it mean I have the knowledge to fix my own car, no definitely not! Can I get that knowledge and do simple repairs?

Sure, of course. So that is why you are here now. To grasp as simply as I can tell you on how to install a dishwasher. Let’s get started.

Installing a dishwasher

First locate the shut-off valve under the sink. Turn off the water. Now remove the front plate of the dishwasher. These are normally held on with two screws.

Turn off the breaker to the dishwasher, before disconnecting the power supply. Now disconnect the electrical cord, and unthread the water line. Now under the sink you will have to take apart the drain connection coming from the dishwasher.

Removing the dishwasher

To remove the dishwasher you need to remove to screws that should be under the counter, just above the door of the dishwasher. After removing these two screws you can start to pull out the unit.

Careful not to damage the waterline. You may have to reach underneath the unit to pull on the drain hose if it gets stuck.

The waterline and the electrical wire will still be in place under the dishwasher.

Continue to slide the unit out from under the countertop. Careful not to scratch your floors. I do these myself, but you may want someone to help you so you do not damage your flooring.

Now remove the other dishwasher from the box. Slide it under the counter while feeding the drain hose through the hole. And keeping the waterline from kinking.

Just so you know the waterline can be copper, poly-b (gray plastic), Pex (white plastic), or flexible burst proof stainless steal.

After sliding the unit into place adjust the feet to make sure the unit is level. Now hook up the electrical and waterline and the drain line. Screw the two screws into the bottom of the counter to keep the dishwasher from tipping.

Turn on the electrical breaker and water supply valve. Check for leaks, tighten where necessary. Now turn on the dishwasher and run through a cycle, again checking for leaks on the waterline and on the drain line under the sink. Install the faceplate of the unit.

Tips To Clean Dishwasher

Getting a sparkling clean dishwasher and keeping it this way is easy!

A lot of people owning an automated dishwasher with a white plastic interior will experience especially after washing goods that contained, e.g. tomato-sauce or paprika-powder that the interior of the machine and plastic goods can become red-stained.

Pale pink stains on plastic ware seem to occur in using certain detergents. Often only switching to a different detergent or using Cascade Plastic Booster removes the stains again

Yellow marks or stains on dishes, pots and pans can occur, if the protective coating on the racks has come off in spots and the metal is now exposed to water and detergents.

Another possibility is if a metal utensil or pot/pan that is placed in the machine rusts in a tiny spot and anything that comes in contact with it will develop a yellow mark.

Rust on pots and utensils can be removed with products from the silver polish/ brass cleaner – department of a supermarket or hardware store. If the racks’ coating is chipping off you might consider buying a replacement rack.

Hard water, containing iron and other minerals, can stain plastic interior orange and cause a greyish film on dishes and the interior.

This can be removed, e.g. by using Lemi Shine® from Envirocon. It is made to be used to remove hard water films and built-up in automated dishwasher machines and people who used it don’t want to miss it any more.

Also used by consumers is white vinegar, bleach, Tang and Lemon Kool Aid. These fluids or powders are placed into detergent dispenser or on the bottom of the dishwasher.

Either a normal cycle or the short cycle is run with the empty machine. These products deliver mostly satisfying results and are fairly cheap.

However, we recommend asking the manufacturer directly what they suggest to ensure that sealings, hoses, drains, pipes etc. are not suffering any damage from aggressive chemicals.

Proper maintenance and the know- how to clean a dishwasher can help to enhance longevity, and satisfying cleaning performance throughout.

You need to read and follow your dishwasher manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations regarding the use of the right detergent and rinse aid and refill them regularly.

Also it is important not to forget about the dishwasher salt. It helps to avoid lime-scale built-up that could block valves, hoses, spray units and jets.

Make yourself a little “reminder” of how to clean a dishwasher at what time interval.

Do certain procedures in the following intervals:

• Weekly Routine

• Monthly Routine

• Twice a Year

• Weekly Routine

Check, if there is still enough rinse aid in the rinse-aid-dispenser. Modern dishwashers will display a warning light/sign, but not all machines have got this kind of an “alarm”.

Check the dishwasher salt level. If required, refill.
You will need to remove the lower rack and on the bottom of the tub you will find the salt dispensing unit. Open it up and refill salt with the funnel.

The fill-indicator needs to be laid on the top of the salt. Close the lid of the dispenser-unit thoroughly. (This is necessary to avoid salt being dissolved in the washing water!)

After having refilled the salt it is recommended to let the empty machine run through a short cycle to flush out remaining salt water of the dishwasher.

Filter: if your machine does not have a self-cleaning filter, you need to take out the filter and rinse and clean it with water and soap.

Monthly Routine

Ensure good hygienic operation of your dishwasher.
To get rid of detergent- residues, lime-scale and oil films use a lime-scale and detergent remover.

Lime-scale that can build up when you have to use hard water can lead to blocked hoses, drains, valves and spray-arms and -units. This will decrease cleaning performance and lead to part exchange and repairs.

Oily films and layers of detergent will enforce bacterial growth. This threatens hygienic cleaning performance of the dishwasher and in worst scenarios, your own health.

Twice a Year

Check hoses, drains and door-sealings.
Look for leaks and cracks, if necessary replace them.

Filter: if you detect holes you should replace it with a new filter. Defective filters can lead to damages of the electric pump-system.

Make sure that parts of the spray-unit (arm and jets) are not cracked or blocked. If so, you would have to unblock them to ensure proper water flow or replace them, if they are damaged.

Food Safety Tips at Home

When preparing and handling food at home it’s good to follow a few simple food safety tips to prevent yourself or your family members from food-borne illnesses and cross contamination.

This is gaining in importance also in the developed, rich countries, as gastrointestinal and respiratory infections are said to becoming more and more a financial burden for national health boards.

Healthy adult persons are less possible to become ill. However, babies and young children, geriatric family members or persons with a deprived immune system are especially at risk.

Dishwashers can harbour germs and therefore we need to clean the seals and filters regularly. Because dishwashers operate at high temperatures,

We often assume that all germs will be killed off but in fact, during the cooling down cycle, the warm damp conditions inside the rubber door seals and under the basket fittings can be places where bugs proliferate.

Chop Board
Hygiene at home and in the kitchen is becoming more and more a concern: our modern lifestyle has changed considerably compared to 20 – 30 years ago, when usually one person was responsible for preparing and cooking food. Today partners and children often enjoy preparing meals or friends come together to cook and eat.

Through watching TV and media programs, we’re now keen to try new foods that are traditionally not cooked at all (e.g. Sushi, raw seafood dishes, tartar, homemade mayonnaise, crèmes etc.).

The healthy living movement that promotes consumption of fresh food comes with one lttle “disadvantage”: fresh food is still “living”, germs and bacteria populations will grow explosively if food is stored improperly.

(Correctly preparing these foods and following basic food safety tips, there is nothing better and healthier than freshly prepared food.)

kitchen utensils

On the other hand we are sometimes simply too busy or in a hurry to cook food right through.

Be honest: How often did you warm up something in the microwave and while eating thought, hmmm, it’s still cold in the middle?

And could you be bothered to go and cook it some more? I know I’ve sometimes just gone ahead and eaten it! Sometimes we get away with it – and sometimes we don’t.

But the problem is, children, old people and those with sensitive systems may become seriously ill from gut infections, even if the rest of us are OK. So it’s not worth taking the risk.

FOOD SAFETY TIPS PROTECT ALL THE FAMILY

In a lot of households pets are living closely together with people. Dogs and cats are usually fed in the kitchen, cat litter trays can be in any of our rooms, including the bathroom. Dogs and cats may carry germs (e.g. Salmonella species, E.coli, Cryptosporidium etc.) without suffering from any signs of illness. Bad and unhygienic habits can spread these diseases by cross contaminating hands, work surfaces, toys and food.

Food Safety Tips with a Dishwasher
Basic Food Safety Tips – The Big 4 C’s
Cooking

• Follow instructions on cooking times and temperatures
• “Meat needs heat” – fry or cook meat and poultry thoroughly through
• Microwave: make sure to stir and stand when heating liquids
• Warm up and eat your food as soon as it is ready.
• Do not eat or use food that is out of date (use-by, good until )
Chilling/Cooling
• Fridge temperature should be between 0 – 5*C at all times
• Defrost frozen goods in the fridge, under running cold water or use it within the cooking process
• Let hot foods cool down before placing into the fridge, but don’t let it stand around for too long.
• Use insulated bags when shopping frozen/chilled foods
• Never re-freeze once thawed foods.
Cleaning
• Always wash hands before handling food
• Utensils and surfaces need to be cleaned as you go
• Use sufficient and effective detergents and disinfectants for cleaning
• Scrape off food remains from dishes and utensils before washing up or placing them into the dishwasher
• Sponges need to be disinfected after use, clothes should be clean
• Use only kitchen bins with lids
Cross Contamination
• Keep raw food separate from cooked food. In the fridge put raw foods/meats on the bottom shelf
• Use different chop boards, utensils and dishes when handling raw and cooked foods
• Wash hands to stop spreading germs and use clean towels
• When handling foods take jewellery off your hands
• Practice effective pest control to protect stored foods
• Pets should be kept away from food, utensils and dishes.

Dishwasher Repair Tips

White around the house are all prone to breakdowns and problems as well, especially if you have been using that particular device for some time.

Although sending the particular device to a repair shop would be the first thing on your mind if something was always note that some problems may even be set for ourselves with only a simple number of steps. Taking this point of view, here are some repair appliances, support and maintenance tips.

First we will go over how to maintain a 2 dishwasher well and an example of a problem that most people face with a dishwasher is used when no hot water.

When this situation first flush water in the sink before starting dishwasher. Of This way you will get more water when being filled.

Hard water deposits are also a problem faced by many. Therefore, if you are planning to get rid it, try running an empty load and two cups of vinegar in it.

Then, if your dishwasher does not work when there is no sound or lights, check for blown fuse or tripped a power switch nearby.

If that fails, look around your dishwasher and see if there are any wiring connections that have been burned or offline.

Other appliance repair advice in reference to an electric stove oven on notice that if a single burner does not work, try resistance connector element or burner temperature checks to see if there are any defects.

The uses of extension plugs can also affect the supply of electricity baked and can sometimes lead to not work.

Therefore, if you have problems with starting the oven, try to insert the plug into an outlet instead of a principal enlargement.