[Apageintime]

So, our kitchen is about 10 years old, and its high time we got a dishwasher so we (ok, DH...) does not have to keep doing them by hand.

How do I go about this? Do I go out and buy a dishwasher, then call a plumber to install? or will I need a cabinet maker or an electrician at some point? who do I call first?

Or is there some kind of all in one dishwasher install type person?

Thanks!

[Apageintime]

Also - what is a decent brand of dishwasher? anything specific that makes a dishwasher awesome?

[qak]

I am waiting for my very noisy dishlex to die so I can get a Bosch or Miele.
you need to measure the cabinet space as there is some variance in sizes.

If you already have a power point, separate water supply and drainage points then installation should be a job that you can do yourselves.

[laridae]

Well, first you need to figure out where the dishwasher will go.
Do you want it under the bench (taking up spaces of existing cupboards) or is there room to put it somewhere else?

If you want to put in under the bench, then (if your not handy), you will need to get someone to take out the cupboards so there is space for it.
You will also need a powerpoint near where it is going (so will need a sparky) these are usually installed on the wall or floor under the bench, and you'll need to to get a plumber to connect up the pipes (normally a hot or cold inlet, and a waste outlet).

You can get slimline dishawashers if you only want to take out 1 cupboard - that what I have. Otherwise you will probably lose 2 as dishwashers are fairly wide.

You probably should choose your dishwasher first - so you know what size to make the hole if its going under bench.
I have an Electrolux - it seems to work quite well. I hear Miele and Bosch are good.

This post has been edited by laridae: 02/01/2013, 01:27 PM

[Flibbertigibbert...]

I bought a Siemens brand, love it. It does a rinse at the beginning which determines how dirty the dishes are and then runs the cycle according to that. Everything comes out squeaky clean.
As for installing, is your sink plumbed for a dishwasher? There will be a small outlet on your s&p that the drain hose connects to, it just slips on, if not you can buy the pipe at bunnings with the outlet and it takes about 5 minutes to swap them over, a handyman could do that and the cabinet. They plug into an ordinary PowerPoint so you would need a sparky to wire that up. Ask them they might do the whole install for you.

Eta, forgot the water inlet, mine only has a cold water inlet, but you will need taps out on your water taps to connect to, similar to a washing machine.

This post has been edited by unicorn: 02/01/2013, 01:31 PM

[PatG]

If you are installing it near your sink the plumbing shouldn't be difficult (you branch off the hose that goes to your taps and the outlet goes into a little point on your sink outlet pipe that you have to drill out). Power is probably more complicated, and costly. We still haven't had ours done and run the cord up over the bench!

We did the install ourselves, there had not previously been a dishwasher in the kitchen.

[Sinister Bonnet]

It's not hard apart from the electrics which you cannot do yourself.

I bought a Bosch this weekend and I am in love with it.

[Cyaira]

Some retailers will do delivery and installation in one step (for a fee).

We recently bought a dishwasher. Definitely measure the space you want it to go in. When you look at dishwashers, also consider the size of cups and plates you use (better yet - bring some along). Some machines stack much better than others.

Also remember - some machines are designed to connect to a HOT water outlet and some connect to a COLD one. It's important not to get this wrong.

We have a Bosch and love it, so quiet and efficient and cleans beautifully.

[Bacongirl]

We have a Bosch. Has quick 30 minute cycle and a delay timer so I can run it while we sleep and the power is cheaper.

It is really quiet too.

Love it. It replaced our F&P dish drawers which were crap.

[SeaPrincess]

When we put one in our own house, we had a cabinet maker come in to make a space and he arranged the electrician for the power point as well. You can get the tap thing from Bunnings - DH did one in a house that already had the space and power.

As far as dishwashers go, I hate the Miele in our current house - the quick cycle is ridiculously long compared to the 30-minute quick wash on our old Westinghouse. I'm also not a fan of BIL's Fisher and Paykel dish drawers either. I like to be able to run a half load, either top or bottom.

The recommended models in last year's Choice testing were:
1 Electrolux ESF66814XR $1639
2 Dishlex DX301WK $1009
3 LG LD1454TFES2 $1599
4 Miele G5141i $1699
5 Miele G5935 SCi XXL $3749
Note, these are RRP's - you shouldn't have to pay that amount.