Just installed my new dishwasher yesterday, and um, wasn't as bad as I expected. Shut off water, hooked up drain hose securely, leveled it properly, and plugged in power last. Anyone got simpler tricks or things I might've overlooked?
Sounds like you covered most bases, but one thing I'd double-check is the high loop or air gap for your drain hose. A lot of folks skip this step, thinking it's unnecessary, but trust me—it's worth doing to prevent dirty water from backing up into your dishwasher. Learned that the hard way after a messy cleanup at my brother-in-law's place... Also, never hurts to run a quick test cycle while you're still watching it closely. Better safe than sorry.
Good call on the high loop—seen plenty of flooded kitchens from skipping that step. Curious though, anyone here prefer using an air gap instead? I've heard mixed opinions on whether it's really worth the extra hassle...
I've used both setups, and honestly, the air gap does give me peace of mind—especially since I'm big on water conservation and avoiding leaks. But yeah, installation can be a bit fiddly... your high loop method sounds solid enough though.
I've installed more dishwashers than I'd like to admit, and honestly, the high loop method works fine 90% of the time. Air gaps are great if your local code demands it or you're extra cautious, but I've seen plenty of setups without them that never had issues. One thing I'd add—double-check your drain hose routing. Had a client once who accidentally kinked theirs behind the cabinet... dishwasher ran fine at first, but eventually backed up and flooded their kitchen floor. Not fun.
Also, leveling is key, as you mentioned. Nothing worse than a dishwasher door swinging shut on your shin mid-load because it's tilted forward slightly (ask me how I know...). Sounds like you've got it covered though, nice job.
