Flood Aftermath

We have a new dishwasher. It was a struggle.

I thought 24" dishwashers were a standardized size. But Debby suggested re-checking the size of the unit we ordered from Sears. Sure enough, the Kenmore dimensions harbinged installation heartbreak. A search of sizes showed the Bosch to be small enough, but Sears could not deliver for two weeks. Debby called her old neighborhood appliance store and although they were top dollar, they offered next day delivery.

Delivery was as scheduled. Once I hooked up the old electrical cord, I measured and realized that the old cord was 2" too short. The local hardware store didn't sell dishwasher cords, so I bought a 6' air conditioner cord (14 gauge) and cut off the female plug end so it would attach to the dishwasher.

I got the water, power, and drain tubing attached to the unit and tried to slide it into the cupboard. It wasn't even close. Our kitchen floor tile stands about an inch higher than the floor of the dishwasher cupboard. The Bosh unit has solid plastic runners under each side, meaning it wouldn't negotiate the edge of the tile floor.

Debby called the store. They said tile floors are the nemesis of many installations, offered their condolences, (secretly smiled that the homeowner rather than their installer was taking the hit), and suggested taking off the feet. I did that and the unit went in farther, but still wouldn't fit. Now I'm irritated. I tried grinding the tile lower, but these are tough tiles and my grinding wheels had no effect.

Debby's brother David came over to help, and we concluded that surgery would be required on the runners. So I got the sawzall out of the garage and hacked a 1/2" thick by 3" long piece out of the front of each runner. The unit almost fit. So I knocked off another 3". It just barely squeezed over the tile and dropped onto its floor.

I used a crow bar to lever the unit up enough to slide some wood shims under the side runners. I hacked off the front feet stems enough to allow them to squeeze back into their slots. The feet are rubberized and I thought they would help with sound dampening. I used a level to verify that the unit was (surprisingly) true. That was it for yesterday.

This morning, I threw the shipping materials out because it is trash pickup day. It was then that I noticed they did not send the unit we had ordered. It was one number off, a 0 instead of a 1. I went to the computer and saw that we got a slightly noisier model with no adjustable top rack and some other minor functional differences. Debby called the store and they offered 10% refund that we accepted. This helped offset my dismay at seing Sears offering 15% off on all appliances this weekend.

I put in the front securing screws to attach the unit to the cupboard sides, attached the water hose, plugged-in the power cord, stuck some dishes and detergent in, and turned it on. Lights came on, I heard water valves opening, but nothing else happened. This is what is sometimes called a 'life flashing by' moment. I grabbed the quick start sheet and redid the start sequence per directions. Second time was a charm. I hung around for a half hour waiting for it to drain, because I wasn't sure the drain hose attachment had survived the installation, and no part of it was visible now. I was getting nervous when it finally began to empty. Never was the sound of water gurgling in the disposal more welcome. I went out to a doctor's appointment, and when I returned, Debby had returned from a visit to her father, had unloaded the clean dishes, and pronounced our project a success. She's a tough customer, so I am pleased with the result.

But my perfectionistic bent added an hour more of labor, checking everything over, adjusting shimming and spacing, painting the edges of visible side shims black (the Bosch is narrower than our opening, and bolts on to the sides), and fitting the kick panel. Guess what. It wouldn't quite clear the tile either. But I was done finessing. I punched it into place.

It will be a nasty job to service this unit now, unless one knows everything I did and can figure out a way to undo it. For instance, I don't know how to punch the kick panel back out again. And I doubt the front feet can ever be slid back out of their slots far enough to remove them. They will need to be hacked off in place. If there is any fairness, such events will not occur on my watch. (If there is any justice, such events will occur on my watch).

I will face a moral quandry regarding disclosure of these facts to a prospective buyer. But as you are now also realizing, there is such a thing as too much information.

I will wonder for all my time if a professional installer would have solved the installation problems differently, and if I would be as happy with the pro result as I am with my own. DIY is problem solving. If one likes to solve problems, I recommend going for it. If the problem wins, there is always a pro who's got your back. And when that time rolls around, his/her fee will seem more than reasonable.

Flood Day on Santiago

It all started with my trying to save a little money and install a new dishwasher by myself. Debby asked if I ever had done so before, and I had to admit I hadn't. But I did just install a new garbage disposal, so I was somewhat at home in our kitchen. She overcame her sensible reservations and let me have my way (perhaps for the last time).

Before the joy of installing comes the PIA of uninstalling. That was my downfall. I had managed to coax the dishwasher out of its cupboard with some effort, since the raised tile floor presented a formidable obstacle. All that remained was to disconnect the hot water supply pipe and I was home free. I no sooner put a box wrench on the nut at the shutoff valve and all bloody hell broke loose. The valve broke completely off its badly corroded nipple and I was drenched in a plume of hot water jetting from the wall under the sink. Profanities rang from the rafters as I shouted to Debby that we had a major emergency and raced out the front door for the street to find the master shutoff. But all I could see inside the concrete box at the curb was the water meter. No valve was visible. More profanities as I raced up to the house to find another master valve. There it was, behind the sprinkler valves. I crank and crank. Nothing. The stem of the gate valve is broken and turning freely. I am in truly deep stuff now. I shout to Debby that I was not able to find a working shutoff valve and she shouts back, "Go see Mark".

Mark is our neighbor three doors up. I raced there and found him home. If he hadn't been, I had one last resort that I might have thought of, the valve on top of the water heater in the basement. But he was home and brought his valve key and told me that the valve was indeed there in front of the meter at the curb, but it was covered with muck from our recent heavy rains, so we couldn't see it. He worked the key around in the muck until it located the valve lever. End of immediate problem.

But Debby was in a traumatic state. For five minutes she had tried to contain the flood of hot water with pans, rags and towels, but the kitchen was flooded and the water was flowing over and around towel dams and through walls onto the hardwood floors of all the adjacent rooms. She had called the first plumber she had seen in the phone book and he was on his way. His 10 minute estimate overflowed to nearly an hour when his truck finally appeared.

Once the water was off, I could have gone to the hardware store, bought a new nipple and valve, and fixed the problem. But I was tired and Debby was really upset, so I just let the plumber work his magic. $200 and 45 minutes later all was back to normal, the old dishwasher was in the driveway, and a fan was blowing across the drying hardwood floors.

The old galvanized nipple (short piece of pipe) was totally rotted. When one lives in an 82 year old house, the house's age should factor into any plans and estimates for repairs. Surprises lurk everywhere. Looking on the bright side, I am glad the plumbing problem occurred on my watch, rather than blowing out while we were on vacation. Debby played the good trooper role and congratulated us on being such a dynamic duo in the face of emergency. But I know I owe her one.