How to Install a Dishwasher in 7 Steps

Open your electrical panel and find the breaker for the dishwasher circuit. It should be a dedicated 20-amp GFI breaker, often with a purple test button on it. Flip it to OFF. If your panel takes a lockout clip, slide it on so nobody flips the breaker back while you're working. Watch at 1:55. Then take a non-contact voltage tester to the dishwasher's hot wire under the sink and confirm there's zero power before you touch anything else.

The supply line, drain hose, and wire all need to pass from the dishwasher cavity into the sink cabinet. Open the cabinet door and look at how far back the sink basin extends - you want to drill clear of it. Mark the upper back corner for the drain hose and the lower back corner for the supply line. Use a 1.5-inch hole saw bit for the drain hose hole. Watch at 3:15. Drop down to a 3/4-inch standard bit for the water supply line in the bottom corner.

Pull the spring clamp back on the dishwasher's factory drain hose, slip the extension over the fitting, and slide the clamp into place where the two pieces overlap. Squeeze the clamp tabs with pliers to release it back onto the joint. Watch at 4:20. Then look at the two sets of mounting brackets that came with the unit - one has tabs that lock into the top of the frame, the other doesn't. Pick the style that fits your cabinet and snap each bracket into the side slots. Bend the locking tab over with a wrench so the bracket stays seated.

Carefully lay the dishwasher on its back so you can reach the brass inlet valve at the front of the base. Take the 90-degree water elbow from the connector kit and thread it onto the inlet by hand first - the threads are plastic-on-brass and they cross-thread easily. Watch at 5:45. Once you've started it square, finish with two or three turns of a crescent wrench. Snug, not gorilla-tight. Then flip the unit upright and turn out each of the four leveling feet about a half inch from the frame.

Feed the supply line, drain hose, and 12/2 wire through the holes you drilled so they end up under the sink, not pinched behind the dishwasher. Walk the unit back into the slot slowly, watching the hoses as you go. Watch at 7:25. Open the door and set a two-foot level across the floor of the tub. Then turn the level 90 degrees and check side to side across the open door. Spin the feet up or down until both axes read flat.

Open the door and drop the top rack out of the way. Look up along each side of the inner frame and you'll see the bracket holes lined up against the underside of the counter. Use a 1/16-inch bit to pre-drill a pilot hole through each bracket and up into the cabinet wood - the pilot prevents the screw from splitting the counter. Watch at 8:05. Drive the small wood screws that came in the hardware bag. Snap the cosmetic plugs into the screw holes when you're done.

Under the sink, thread the 3/8-inch supply line onto the dishwasher shutoff valve by hand, then finish with a crescent wrench. Watch at 10:15. At the junction box on the front of the dishwasher, strip the 12/2 wire, slide it through the Romex connector, and twist your wire nuts: bare copper to green, white to white, black to black. Snap the junction box cover back on. Slip the drain hose over the disposer tailpiece, slide a hose clamp into place, and tighten. A dab of pipe dope on the tailpiece helps the hose seat. Open the shutoff valve, flip the breaker back on at the panel, start a full cycle, and watch every joint for leaks for the first 15 minutes.