Integrated kitchen appliances

kwikbreaks

I found out when I had Currys fit a replacement integrated dishwasher that their installers are pretty much bodgers but that isn't what this post is about.

One thing the fitters told me was that they were not allowed to cut new holes in doors for the sort of hinges you get on integrated washing machines and dryers - this fact is rather obscured in their blurb on the fitting service where they say the replacement machine needs to be the same size as the old one. What they mean by that is beyond the obvious "it has to fit in the hole" and means the hinge height and spacing needs to be the same or they won't fit the door.

Now you'd think that given kitchen white goods have been available as integrated units since Noah had a tumble drier fitted to the ark there would be a standard. Nope there is none. You can't even guarantee that machines from the same manufacturer will be the same.

So when my washing machine followed the dishwasher I already knew that using the Currys integrated fitting service was going to be pointless as was trying to find a machine with the same hinge requirements (not even mentioned in specs) and I fitted the thing myself. I'll end up finding a local carpenter to fit the door as I don't trust myself to not drill right through it or get the holes in the right place.

My real whinge is - why is there no standard? The box sizes are standardised.

shaun_from_Africa

I had the same problem when replacing a built in washing machine (both old and new items were Bosch).


I ended up fitting the door myself but this took me many hours to do as I kept checking and rechecking the measurements to ensure that I hadn't screwed up.
When you get a carpenter, make sure that they have the correct cutter for the job before they start as I was told that it's not unknown for some to try to bodge the job.
This is what they should have:



You can get them for about £12

nwc389

I am getting a replacement dishwasher fitted by John Lewis tomorrow- almost went for currys but bottled it when I read some of the reviews :eek:
I hope they will fit the door as I have paid £90 for a fitting service and if they don't do the full job what on earth is the point !
Honestly if I had known how much bother it was going to be I would have never gone for integrated , I had to have a repair done a few years ago and the repair man had to take the kick panel off . My husband ( who is a complete nightmare at diy ) had to put it back and it's never been on properly since
Thankfully my washer is in the garage and I opted against the fridge being built in.
Can't wait to have a working dishwasher again but I'm dreading tomorrow as nothing ever goes smoothly in our house !

kwikbreaks

Dishwashers are different - you don't need to bore holes for the hinges you just screw on mounting plates that fit the wood panel to the dishwasher door.

Issues I had with Currys installers were...

First lot took an absolute age. At the end when it came to testing the bloke thought he had kinked the inlet as it didn't immediately start taking on water. I couldn't see how they'd kinked the hose as I'd been watching to see how the job was done and suggested he just put it through the rinse program which only took 8 mins. He insisted it must be kinked and they lugged it out again. No kink. They were shoving it back in and bust the screwdown plastic feet. That was game over so they took the busted machine away.

Next lot arrived a couple of days later and hadn't a clue what to do. I told them the steps the other lot had taken and snags they'd encountered. They hadn't got all the tools they needed and had to borrow mine. As the electric was hard wired I had to do that myself because they said they couldn't. The door was catching a bit as they'd put it on wonky. I refitted it myself next day.

It was the second lot that told me about them not being allowed to bore new hinge holes if the door didn't fit on washing machines.

Anyway - with a dishwasher they should certainly be fitting the door. With any luck you'll get a better set of clowns that the two lots I encountered.

nwc389

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Dishwashers are different - you don't need to bore holes for the hinges you just screw on mounting plates that fit the wood panel to the dishwasher door.

Issues I had with Currys installers were...

First lot took an absolute age. At the end when it came to testing the bloke thought he had kinked the inlet as it didn't immediately start taking on water. I couldn't see how they'd kinked the hose as I'd been watching to see how the job was done and suggested he just put it through the rinse program which only took 8 mins. He insisted it must be kinked and they lugged it out again. No kink. They were shoving it back in and bust the screwdown plastic feet. That was game over so they took the busted machine away.

Next lot arrived a couple of days later and hadn't a clue what to do. I told them the steps the other lot had taken and snags they'd encountered. They hadn't got all the tools they needed and had to borrow mine. As the electric was hard wired I had to do that myself because they said they couldn't. The door was catching a bit as they'd put it on wonky. I refitted it myself next day.

It was the second lot that told me about them not being allowed to bore new hinge holes if the door didn't fit on washing machines.

Anyway - with a dishwasher they should certainly be fitting the door. With any luck you'll get a better set of clowns that the two lots I encountered.

I hope so ! I was going to order from currys but opted for John Lewis as I thought I might get better aftercare in the event of problems - madness really when you think about it as for £90 you should expect a perfect job !