Our kitchen units were fitted two weeks ago including an integrated dishwasher. Before the worktops were fitted I remember seeing the cable and plug draped over a cross-member at the top of the cabinet. Now the worktops have gone on with the splashbacks and the cable wasn’t pulled through to the space under the sink and plugged in. So what happens now?

Can an integrated dishwasher be pulled forwards out of the cabinet for access to cable and plumbing? Presumably it can for repair and servicing.

It’s just another one of a long list of cockups that are blighting this accursed build and doing my head in. The entire length of the utility room cabinets was fitted without any electrical sockets or water supply or drain for the washer or the dryer.

It should be just a case of removing the base plinth and unscrewing from either the worktop or the base unit to the sides.  You’ll then be able to move it out to get to the rear of it.

Hopefully an easy fix.

I hope so, thanks.

Can an integrated dishwasher be pulled forwards out of the cabinet for access to cable and plumbing?

If you couldn’t pull it out you could never replace it could you. Same with any built in appliance

Can an integrated dishwasher be pulled forwards out of the cabinet for access to cable and plumbing?

Yes.

Yes, remove the lower fascia board. These are generally clipped onto the legs that support the units. Jack down the legs of the dishwasher and simply pull it out until you get the access you require.

Get the person/compny who fitted it to sort it out?

Utility room no sockets, water supply or drain.

Did you spec the job as in describing what you wanted, or did the fitter just get on and ‘fit’ according to what he thought?

And they are sometimes screwed to the cabinets either side

You might need to lower it to be able to give clearance to pull it out from under the counter top.

On some dishwashers the rear levelling legs are screwed up and down with a hex head socket on the front of the dishwasher. If you don’t know that you could spend ages reaching under the cabinets trying to turn it by hand and getting massively annoyed.

Don’t ask me how I know that……

If you remove a section of plinth Next to the dishwasher then you will probably find the plug is on the floor somewhere. It is all pretty open beneath modern cabinets as they are usually on adjustable legs.I take it you have A route through to the sink cupboard. The good news is that a dishwasher is pretty light to move . If you adjust the legs at all then you may mess up the door alignment if it is a fully integrated unit.

Nobody is in overall charge of wiring and plumbing the appliances. The kitchen fitter installed everything and naffed off.

Herein lies the problem unfortunately.

As kitchen fitters we fit our own appliances and do our own plumbing so bring all cables and hoses into cupboards, some don’t. If they were assuming the spark or plumber would take care of it before the worktops went on they’d not give it a second thought.

The dishwasher will unscrew from the cabinets. If it’s a Siemens, NEFF or Bosch there will be 2 brackets at the top and usually a secondary fixing through the machine into the cabinet 2/3 of the way down. You’ll also have to slacken the feet a little and drop the rear central leg.

Personally I’d get the kitchen fitter back if you’re at all unsure as they take a bit of lining back up afterwards.

Get the kitchen fitter back?

Oh God…

oops.

Bit of a raw edge there!!

Nobody in charge of wiring and plumbing the appliances?

Don’t understand this one. Did you want a utility room without power sockets and plumbing? Did they give you what YOU wanted?

The plumbers have done a good job installing the heating and water systems. The kitchen supplier was good on product knowledge and CAD but I’m now hearing that he has bad reputation for finishing off and after-sales service. He fitted all the units but there was no liaison between him and the plumbers or the electrician; his fitted arrived, fitted and naffed off. In the end I don’t know who’s to blame, the builder, the architect?

In the end I don’t know who’s to blame

Whoever was the project manager is to blame.

My understanding from the electrician who signed off my recent kitchen rewire is that appliances are best hard wired in with remote switches rather than on plugs so they can be turned off without removing the appliance

My understanding from the electrician who signed off my recent kitchen rewire is that appliances are best hard wired in with remote switches rather than on plugs so they can be turned off without removing the appliance

Thats to regs, switch above worktop in case the appliance malfunctions.

Don’t think anyone is to blame…its either an issue of them not doing something that was spec’d as part of the installation job (can’t imagine them not interpreting ‘install dishwasher’ as not plugging it in), or them simply forgetting to do it. Either way your first port of call should be to give the fitters a call and I bet you that they can send a bloke round to whip out the dishwasher and plug it in. It’s a 10 minute job for them. It would probably take you an hour of messing about and it wont go back together as well and it’ll piss you off.

All my appliances plug into plug sockets but have a switches in cupboards – dishwasher is under the sink, oven is in the cupboard above the oven so all appliances can be turned off without having to remove them.

My understanding from the electrician who signed off my recent kitchen rewire is that appliances are best hard wired in with remote switches rather than on plugs so they can be turned off without removing the appliance

Yet cutting the moulded plugs off can void warranty with certain manufacturers, as kitchen fitters we’re encouraged to leave the plug on and put sockets in cupboards as long as accessible.

For the reason blazing saddles gives I put my under cab plugs on the end of above counter fused spurs to give remote switching of the appliances

Today’s news is that the two joiners were injured in a head-on crash on the way to work this morning. Completion by Friday is looking less and less likely. I think we will be staying in temporary until after Christmas.

The effect of this stress on my mind is so great that even making a sandwich is a difficult task because it takes me ten minutes to assemble all the stuff I need and put it together. To be honest I think it won’t be long before the stress kills me.

sounds like you are nearly habitable if you have appliances installed – exciting. Hope you and the joiners are ok.

Get a disc cutter and go the the outside wall, cut a hole through your wall and access the dishwasher from behind.