We picked up a countertop dishwasher late last fall with the intention of eventually building it in. We used it as a countertop for a while to make sure we'd like it before committing to permanent installation. I got around to that task the past few days now that the holidays are behind us.
First of all, we picked up an EdgeStar DWP62SV countertop unit from Amazon (link here). It had 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) on Amazon and only cost about $265. We've been pleased with it as a countertop unit.
On our 3650RL, there is a bar area to the right of the refrigerator that backs up to the bathroom. We did some measuring and determined that we could install the dishwasher through the wall and it would just fit inside the lower bathroom cabinet area (the one next to the toilet that it difficult to get into. From there we removed the decorative backsplash and I started cutting through the wall and into the cabinet behind.
Once I cleared the various pieces of wood in the opening, I built a base to put inside the bathroom cabinet since the countertop was about 11" above the bathroom floor. Then I slid the dishwasher back into the hole for a test fit.
Here is a view from the back showing the base. I installed an L bracket to one of the existing screws on the dishwasher to tie the unit down. Gravity and moldings around the unit shored it up the rest of the way.
Note that we needed about an inch and a half of the upper cabinet for clearance, so I removed the bottom shelf of that cabinet and later re-installed it above the dishwasher.
I drilled through the floor of the cabinet to drop the utilities for the dishwasher down into the basement. The power plug was a 90 degree unit and was just a bit too big to fit through a smaller (1 inch) hole. The only other hole saw I had was 2 1/2", so that was somewhat overkill, but I wasn't going to run to the hardware store for another hole saw since I was just going to end up filling the hole with expanding foam anyway.
The dishwasher uses hot water only for a water feed. I tapped into our hot water circuit in the basement with a Sharkbite tee and used a Sharkbite shutoff valve that could be mounted to a flat surface. I mounted it to the ceiling of the basement. We purchased a 4 foot stainless washing machine hose to run from the shutoff to the dishwasher water input since it was a standard 3/4" hose connection.
For power, I tapped off one of the circuits in the basement that happens to be the GFCI circuit. I ran some 14/3 cable to an outlet in a junction box and plugged the dishwasher into that (not pictured). We reused the dishwasher drain line which terminated in a 1/2 inch compression fitting. I bought a 1/2 inch to 1/2 inch compression fitting, drilled a hole in the drain line from our shower and screwed the fitting tightly into the PVC. A generous amount of clear silicone was added to insure a watertight seal. Then I just connected the dishwasher drain line to the fitting.
Yes, I know this is probably a terrible way to hook it up and if this were in a house, it would be some type of major code violation. Suggestions for a better method will be entertained. (For now, though, it doesn't leak, doesn't shoot water into our shower and seems to drain properly).
With everything hooked up, I filled the holes through the floor with expanding foam. I had to remount the lower bathroom cabinet door on regular hinges because the adjustable hinges that are standard on the cabinet protruded just enough inside to prevent pushing the dishwasher in (there was that little clearance).
We removed the arched decorative piece over the opening in the cabinets and added a shelf above the dishwasher, so we actually gained storage space in that area even though the dishwasher takes a little more than half of the lower counter space away.
All in all, we like it. We lost a little storage in the bathroom, but gained some shelf/counter space in the kitchen.
First of all, we picked up an EdgeStar DWP62SV countertop unit from Amazon (link here). It had 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) on Amazon and only cost about $265. We've been pleased with it as a countertop unit.
On our 3650RL, there is a bar area to the right of the refrigerator that backs up to the bathroom. We did some measuring and determined that we could install the dishwasher through the wall and it would just fit inside the lower bathroom cabinet area (the one next to the toilet that it difficult to get into. From there we removed the decorative backsplash and I started cutting through the wall and into the cabinet behind.
Once I cleared the various pieces of wood in the opening, I built a base to put inside the bathroom cabinet since the countertop was about 11" above the bathroom floor. Then I slid the dishwasher back into the hole for a test fit.
Here is a view from the back showing the base. I installed an L bracket to one of the existing screws on the dishwasher to tie the unit down. Gravity and moldings around the unit shored it up the rest of the way.
Note that we needed about an inch and a half of the upper cabinet for clearance, so I removed the bottom shelf of that cabinet and later re-installed it above the dishwasher.
I drilled through the floor of the cabinet to drop the utilities for the dishwasher down into the basement. The power plug was a 90 degree unit and was just a bit too big to fit through a smaller (1 inch) hole. The only other hole saw I had was 2 1/2", so that was somewhat overkill, but I wasn't going to run to the hardware store for another hole saw since I was just going to end up filling the hole with expanding foam anyway.
The dishwasher uses hot water only for a water feed. I tapped into our hot water circuit in the basement with a Sharkbite tee and used a Sharkbite shutoff valve that could be mounted to a flat surface. I mounted it to the ceiling of the basement. We purchased a 4 foot stainless washing machine hose to run from the shutoff to the dishwasher water input since it was a standard 3/4" hose connection.
For power, I tapped off one of the circuits in the basement that happens to be the GFCI circuit. I ran some 14/3 cable to an outlet in a junction box and plugged the dishwasher into that (not pictured). We reused the dishwasher drain line which terminated in a 1/2 inch compression fitting. I bought a 1/2 inch to 1/2 inch compression fitting, drilled a hole in the drain line from our shower and screwed the fitting tightly into the PVC. A generous amount of clear silicone was added to insure a watertight seal. Then I just connected the dishwasher drain line to the fitting.
Yes, I know this is probably a terrible way to hook it up and if this were in a house, it would be some type of major code violation. Suggestions for a better method will be entertained. (For now, though, it doesn't leak, doesn't shoot water into our shower and seems to drain properly).
With everything hooked up, I filled the holes through the floor with expanding foam. I had to remount the lower bathroom cabinet door on regular hinges because the adjustable hinges that are standard on the cabinet protruded just enough inside to prevent pushing the dishwasher in (there was that little clearance).
We removed the arched decorative piece over the opening in the cabinets and added a shelf above the dishwasher, so we actually gained storage space in that area even though the dishwasher takes a little more than half of the lower counter space away.
All in all, we like it. We lost a little storage in the bathroom, but gained some shelf/counter space in the kitchen.
