Installing a Washing Machine

How to Install a Washing Machine

Most homes have washing machines. It is a simple home appliance that is more like a large tub that fills up with water and when switched on it agitates to scrub clothes and then spins to wring out the water. At the end of the cycle the clothes are clean. Unfortunately homeowners find that they occasionally have to replace an old washing machine.

Replacing an old washing machine with a new one is an easy DIY task. If you have a laundry room or area that is already set up for the appliance, just hook up the replacement machine and remove the old one.

Installing a washing machine in a place with no set up requires a little work. You will need to run hot and cold water supply pipes to the connection point and terminate each with a shutoff valve and a waste drain line. And if there is no electrical plug for the machine you will have to run an electrical circuit.

Install the Washing Machine:

Read the appliance manual prior to installation. If the laundry area is already setup with an existing machine, all you have to do is unhook the old machine and hook up the new one.
If there is electrical plug nearby you will have to run an electrical circuit from the main panel to the washing machine. I recommend that you run a dedicated 12 gage wire circuit.
If there is no sink close by the washing machine location you will need to install a standpipe (drainpipe). A drain pipe is basically a pipe with a diameter of 2 inches that taps into the nearest drainpipe in the basement. The top of the standpipe should be approximately 24 to 28 inches above the floor. The drainpipe can be fabricated using PVC pipe and elbow fittings as required to connect the drain to your plumbing drain system.
Tap into your cold and hot water system and run half inch copper tubing up the wall behind the washing machine. To prevent any unexpected or unwanted flood because of any leakage or bust of a washing machine hose, I recommend you use a single-lever valve in place of conventional washing machine shutoff valves. You can simply flip the lever to shut off both the hot and cold water when the washing machine is not in use.
After installing the standpipe and hot and cold water lines, attach the washing machine’s water supply hoses onto the connections at the back of the washing machine and the hot and cold water lines. The hoses are usually marked as hot and cold water. Just orient them to hot and cold water fittings.
Level of the machine.
Put the drain hose into the standpipe.
Turn on the water supply valves, and check for leaks.

Your washing machine is now installed and ready to be used.

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