Dishwasher

Last weekend was the busiest we've had in a long time. We accomplished so much, our muscles are still protesting right now. 

The first project we tackled was the dishwasher. The old dishwasher, the Miele, has been broken for months and the husband finally decided on what replacement model he wants. 

The husband fell in love with the Bosch 500 series because it had a 3rd rack and the auto-vent feature which, I think, means that when it is done with the cycle, it will open the door automatically to vent out the steam. 

We also didn't bother looking for an integrated dishwasher since this model was available in a stainless steel finish and will match our other appliances. We did take off the cabinet panel from the old dishwasher and saved it in case we may have some use for it again in the future. 

This was purchased from Home Depot and with this, we also got a universal dishwasher installation kit and a Bosch drain pipe extension kit. HD tried to sell me an electrical outlet but I declined because I was 100% sure that there was already a wall outlet for the dishwasher. We did have to buy an extra elbow compression fitting for the hot water supply.

We were hit with a challenge early on in the process. Before starting anything, I suggested to the husband that we push the dishwasher in and see how it fits so that we can adjust the feet to the level we want.

Oops. That's when we find out that it does not fit. There is enough clearance between the granite counter top and the floor, but there is this piece of cabinetry / trim that is blocking the appliance.

Yes, we lowered everything. Yes, we tried tilting the dishwasher so that we can push that metal back under the trim but the appliance top sort of curves upwards towards the middle and that will get stuck too.

Husband and I spent the next 10-20 minutes sitting on the floor, just staring at the dishwasher and contemplating what we can do next. We were also alternating between laughing hard and trying not to cry. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. At some point, I swear, I was going to suggest we just leave it in the middle of the kitchen. 

Husband then tried to pry out that piece of trim. It was nailed and glued securely on both ends and also has another 1" x 1/2" piece of wood backing and support it from the back. 

At this point, I suggested getting a multi tool. I went to our neighborhood Harbor Freight store and got a Chicago Electric Oscillating Multi tool kit for $22.97 (clearance price). We were able to cut off that piece of offending wood. Soon, we were back in business.

The rest of the install went smoothly.

Husband did later check the dimensions of other dishwashers and the obvious size choices have to do with the width - 24" or 18". He randomly picked different brands and all required the same clearance as the Bosch so technically, we could've bought any brand and still hit the same problem. 

That wood trim was really something we had to remove.

And yes, that is the protective sticker, we haven't removed it yet.