Dishwasher screwed in from the TOP and then tiled over (how to secure now?)
Donna Ohl
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
Every time I shut the door, it moves backward because there's no way I can
get to the screws that were holding it in in the first place.
Is it normal for a dishwasher to be screwed in at the top & then tiled
over?
There are two screws which I had to forcefully wrip out of the plastic of
the top of the dishwasher to work on the dishwasher to unclog the solenoid
filter screen.
It seems that whoever put the dishwasher in, screwed the dishwasher to the
counter from the plywood at the top of the counter BEFORE the tiles were
put in and then tiled over the screws.
The only way I could move the dishwasher was to tear the screws out of the
top of the dishwasher.
Now that the dishwasher is repaired, I have no way to rescrew the screws.
HOW am I supposed to keep the dishwasher from moving back and forth every
time I shut the door?
webs...@cox.net
> How can I secure my dishwasher now that it is fixed?http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
With any luck, the screws protrude slightly from the bottom of the
countertop wood.
Try using a visegrips or other strong pliers to unscrew them.
If that fails, you could locate the dishwasher lightly forward or back
from the orignal location, and put in a couple new screws. Get some
tough, stainless steel screws so they don't snap.
Yukio YANO
Yukio YANO
Edwin Pawlowski
"Donna Ohl" <donn...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:GXhDj.65369$Pv2....@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net...
> How can I secure my dishwasher now that it is fixed?
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
>
> Every time I shut the door, it moves backward because there's no way I can
> get to the screws that were holding it in in the first place.
>
> Is it normal for a dishwasher to be screwed in at the top & then tiled
> over?
Absolutely not. There should be a scre or an "L" shaped bracket on the
frront of the DW that gets screwed into the top. Do you still have the
original installation instructions? Or have you tried downloading a copy of
a similar model?
Anthony Matonak
> How can I secure my dishwasher now that it is fixed?
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
>
> Every time I shut the door, it moves backward because there's no way I can
> get to the screws that were holding it in in the first place.
>
> Is it normal for a dishwasher to be screwed in at the top & then tiled
> over?
No, you are missing the under-counter flange or bracket. It's a piece
(or pieces) of metal that is attached to the top of the dishwasher where
your screws were and it sticks out. This lets you screw up into the
bottom of the counter to attach the washer.
Here is a link to a photo showing how one looks, this guy had straps
instead of a single flange but it's the same idea.
If you can't find the appropriate part, you could probably fashion
something out of sheet metal or steel straps fairly easily.
Anthony
Oren
And, related to the existing screws in the photo, just snip them off
with diagonal cutters.
Use two new screws to secure the washer into the wood counter.
Mikepier
mounting screw locations in the event you can't mount it at the top.
For example, if you have granite countertops.
Oren
I'm shocked. I have granite and secure the DW into the counter wood,
right below. Never saw a side screw mount method (not excluded).
Two screws and the two brackets.
Donna Ohl
> you are missing the under-counter flange or bracket.
Hi Anthony,
I see what you mean from those photos.
When I look at my dishwasher, I see two indentations at the top
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
Those two indentations must be where the missing bracket goes.
I'm guessing that I find those missing brackets at a store but what kind of
store sells dishwasher parts?
Donna
HeyBub
Purists should skip the following thought experiement:
If all other alternatives are impossible, you could put a screw through the
body of the dishwasher!
I'd go through the top - less chance of hitting wires - with the correct
length of screw. Then slather a wad of silicone sealant over the exposed
screw head.
Elegant, it ain't, functional it is.
James Sweet
"Donna Ohl" <donn...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:v2lDj.4098$qS5....@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com...
An appliance store. Look in the phone book, best bet is to find a local mom
& pop place, sometimes they even have some junk units you can get stuff
from. You might also try a hardware store, just find some sort of bracket
that you can bend into the shape you need.
Chloe
news:xWlDj.2217$jw2.772@trndny04...
If you know the model number of your appliance and exactly what part you
need, I recommend www.repairclinic.com They have an enormous selection and
superb customer service. For me this usually beats phoning or running all
over town looking for the occasional appliance repair part. No connection
except as a satisfied customer.
Mikepier
> On Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:27:05 -0700 (PDT), Mikepier
>
> >What is the model of your dishwasher? Some like mine have side
> >mounting screw locations in the event you can't mount it at the top.
> >For example, if you have granite countertops.
>
> I'm shocked. I have granite and secure the DW into the counter wood,
> right below. Never saw a side screw mount method (not excluded).
>
> Two screws and the two brackets.
If you have granite over wood, then yes you can still top mount it.
But if you just have 1 1/4" granite with no wood underneath, it makes
the side mounting option a good choice.
The GE's like mine have these side holes.
mm
<donn...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>On Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:31:10 -0700, Anthony Matonak wrote:
>
>> you are missing the under-counter flange or bracket.
>> http://www.howiesdiy.com/
>
>Hi Anthony,
>I see what you mean from those photos.
>
>When I look at my dishwasher, I see two indentations at the top
>http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
I can't really tell much from your picture.
>
>Those two indentations must be where the missing bracket goes.
>
>I'm guessing that I find those missing brackets at a store but what kind of
>store sells dishwasher parts?
I'm not sure you need to buy brackets meant for the dishwasher. Any
piece of metal maybe an inch wide by two inches long, depending on
your situation, might work.
Just pull the dishwasher out a little and see if you can find traces
of the original brackets. I'd be suprised if you ripped off the old
brackets entirely, without noticing that.
In my case, I haven't looked at the other end, but there are two
pieces of sheet metal coming out 3/4" at the top, sliding against the
wood counter right above the dishwasher. One screw go up though each
of those pieces of metal to hold the machine in place. There isn't a
lot of force on these screws and they don't have to be longer than 1/2
inch, with a head big enough that it won't go through the hole. Or a
small head with a washer, to keep the head from going through.
Mostly the dishwasher doesn't fall over, but it needs to be fixed in
place so that you don't push the whole thing further in, and so it
doesn't tip over when the racks are sitting on the door and the weight
of the dishes or your leaning on it might make it tip. 1/2 inch
screws are enough for that, but the counter is probably thick enough
3/4 also. If you have to drill a hole in the counter, wrap some black
plastic tape around the drill bit, leaving only the hole depth
showing, so you can tell how far in you have drilled and stop at the
right depth. Don't drill through the plastic part on top. :)
You can make the bracket out of any piece of metal you're about to
throw away, or anything you see on the street that is metal. You can
use the top of a can of corn. Use tin snips to cut it to fit, or use
gloves to fold it over and a hammer to make the bend nice and flat.
Drill two holes, one to attach it to the dishwasher and one to go up
into the counter top.
Just make sure that where you attach it to the dishwasher, you don't
screw through the top into the "water chamber", where the washing is
done.
You say something about plastic. IfIf there were screws in the
plastic but now the screw holes are real big, maybe thicker screws of
the same length will do it.
If none of this seems likely to work, post back with more details.
posting from alt.home.repair.
Picture 2. It lookks like it is still rubber covered and the rust is
from something that was sitting in the rack. If so, using the machine
a few times might wash away the rust, and if not, maybe a gentle use
of Bon Ami cleanser, of Sof-Scrub, I'm not sure which is better.
If not that, maybe draw a sharp knife with the blade resting on the
rusty stuff, but pulling AWAY from the blade, NOT cutting into the
vinyl. The idea is for the pressure of the blade to bend the
rubber/vinyl and cause the rust, which doesn't bend, to fall off. Why
I think the knife needs to be sharp, I don't know. This method takes
time because one has to make many passes at different angles to get
the whole circumference of the wire.
>Donna
mm
>On Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:31:10 -0700, Anthony Matonak
><antho...@nothing.like.socal.rr.com> wrote:
>
>>Donna Ohl wrote:
>>> How can I secure my dishwasher now that it is fixed?
>>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2337210342/
>>>
>>Here is a link to a photo showing how one looks, this guy had straps
>>instead of a single flange but it's the same idea.
>>
>>http://www.howiesdiy.com/
>>
>>If you can't find the appropriate part, you could probably fashion
>>something out of sheet metal or steel straps fairly easily.
>>
>>Anthony
>
>And, related to the existing screws in the photo, just snip them off
>with diagonal cutters.
You can really cut through screws with wire cutters?? Or what do you
mean by diagonal cutters, that can cut though screws?
>Use two new screws to secure the washer into the wood counter.
If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)
aemeijers
disposable- when one craps out they just swap it out like a light bulb,
and chuck the old one in the dumpster. If you are too shy to dumpster
dive, cruise around and spot the maintenance guy- for the promise of a
10-spot, he would likely hold the next one on his truck and call you to
come fetch it. If it is an entry-level dishwasher, there aren't that
many factories making them, no matter the brand name. Decent odds you
will be able to find one with the same basic design, including the
plastic-covered wire baskets to replace your rusty ones.
--
aem sends...
Oren
wrote:
>>And, related to the existing screws in the photo, just snip them off
>>with diagonal cutters.
>
>You can really cut through screws with wire cutters?? Or what do you
>mean by diagonal cutters, that can cut though screws?
Hey! http://www.matcotools.com/ProductImages/spdc3.jpg
Not the best for cutting /breaking a screw, but I've gotten by :)
My read on the OP was the screws were from the top and then tiled
over... cutting the screw is less damage.
Anthony Matonak
Donna Ohl
> My read on the OP was the screws were from the top and then tiled
> over... cutting the screw is less damage.
Attempting to cut the screws ruined my wire cutters!
Did I use the wrong type?
I tried returning this broken wire cutter to Sears but they didn't have the
EXACT same number ... what good is that supposed "lifetime" warranty!
Anyway, the screws don't seem to do anything now that the plastic in the
top of the dishwasher is broken where they did go in.
Apparently what happened before we bought the house is that the remodelers
screwed the dishwasher in from the top of the then-wood counter before
tiling over the countertop, sealing the top of the screws.
When I lowered the legs of the dishwasher to get it out of its cubbyhole,
the dead weight downward ripped the screws out of the plastic in the top of
the dishwasher leaving ragged holes but no other damage.
So, at this point, the screws don't do anything. I will try to find the
bracket and put that in to hold the dishwasher. That seems like the best
approach recommended.
Donna
BobK207
Donna-
Consider a couple of small dollops of chalk...ones that can be easily
razor knifed through when it comes time to replace the dishwasher.
Maybe there's room for a bracket on the side near the top.
I looked at your photo stream...time to start saving for a re-pipe.
That galvanized pipe must be around 50 years old.
Do those earthquake straps mean you're in e/q country (CA? Bay Area?)
I would suggest a PEX re-pipe.
cheers
Bob
jakdedert
Too late now, but hindsight indicates it would have been easier to have
popped out a couple of tiles and grouted them back in after the repair.
Not a difficult job compared to what you did go through.
jak