Installing a Washing Machine
How to Install a Washing
Machine
Most homes have
washing machines. It is a simple home appliance
that is more like a large tub that fills up with
water and when switched on it agitates to scrub
clothes and then spins to wring out the water. At
the end of the cycle the clothes are clean.
Unfortunately homeowners find that they
occasionally have to replace an old washing
machine.
Replacing an old washing machine with a new one is
an easy DIY task. If you have a laundry room or
area that is already set up for the appliance, just
hook up the replacement machine and remove the old
one.
Installing a washing machine in a place with no set
up requires a little work. You will need to run hot
and cold water supply pipes to the connection point
and terminate each with a shutoff valve and a waste
drain line. And if there is no electrical plug for
the machine you will have to run an electrical
circuit.
Install the Washing Machine:
-
Read the appliance manual prior to installation. If
the laundry area is already setup with an existing
machine, all you have to do is unhook the old
machine and hook up the new one.
-
If there is electrical plug nearby you will have to
run an electrical circuit from the main panel to
the washing machine. I recommend that you run a
dedicated 12 gage wire circuit.
-
If there is no sink close by the washing machine
location you will need to install a standpipe
(drainpipe). A drain pipe is basically a pipe with
a diameter of 2 inches that taps into the nearest
drainpipe in the basement. The top of the standpipe
should be approximately 24 to 28 inches above the
floor. The drainpipe can be fabricated using PVC
pipe and elbow fittings as required to connect the
drain to your plumbing drain system.
-
Tap into your cold and hot water system and run
half inch copper tubing up the wall behind the
washing machine. To prevent any unexpected or
unwanted flood because of any leakage or bust of a
washing machine hose, I recommend you use a
single-lever valve in place of conventional washing
machine shutoff valves. You can simply flip the
lever to shut off both the hot and cold water when
the washing machine is not in use.
-
After installing the standpipe and hot and cold
water lines, attach the washing machine’s water
supply hoses onto the connections at the back of
the washing machine and the hot and cold water
lines. The hoses are usually marked as hot and cold
water. Just orient them to hot and cold water
fittings.
-
Level of the machine.
-
Put the drain hose into the standpipe.
-
Turn on the water supply valves, and check for
leaks.
Your washing machine is now installed and ready to
be used.
Related articles:
Front Loading Vs Top Loading Washing Machines
How
a Washing Machine Works
Washer Dryer Combination Units