Who to hire for a dishwasher that needs installing

Short answer

A licensed plumber for the water supply and the drain connection, and an electrician if there is no suitable power point already in the cabinet. Where the tap, drain point and power point all exist, some retailers' delivery services will connect it — but that is a connection, not an installation, and it is not a substitute for licensed work where anything has to be altered.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Plumber.

  • an electrician

    there is no power point in the cabinet, or the only one is behind where the machine sits. Appliance outlets need to remain accessible.

  • a cabinetmaker or builder

    the cavity is the wrong size. Modern machines are standard-sized and older cabinetry frequently is not.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Measure the cavity height, width and depth, and the doorway the machine has to come through.
  2. Look under the sink for an existing dishwasher tap and a drain spigot on the sink trap. Their presence or absence is the single biggest cost variable.
  3. Check where the nearest power point is and whether it will be reachable once the machine is in.
  4. Keep the old machine until the new one runs a full cycle without leaking.

What to ask when you book

  • Does the price include the isolation tap and the drain connection, or only the hook-up?
  • Are you taking the old machine away?
  • Will you run a full cycle and check for leaks before you leave?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Whether a dishwasher tap and drain point already exist.
  • Whether the power point has to be added or moved.
  • Cabinetry modifications.
  • Second-hand or long runs of pipe if the machine is going somewhere a dishwasher has never been.

Is this licensed work?

Connecting an appliance to the water supply and to the sanitary drain is licensed plumbing work. Adding a power point is licensed electrical work. Plugging an appliance into an existing outlet is not.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a dishwasher that needs installing
A licensed plumber for the water supply and the drain connection, and an electrician if there is no suitable power point already in the cabinet. Where the tap, drain point and power point all exist, some retailers' delivery services will connect it — but that is a connection, not an installation, and it is not a substitute for licensed work where anything has to be altered.
Can I install a dishwasher myself?
Sliding a machine into an existing cavity and connecting it to an existing dishwasher tap, drain spigot and power point is generally within householder territory. Cutting into the water supply, adding a drain spigot to the trap, or adding a power point is licensed work in every state.

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.