Save the Appliance  

It's tempting to let the dealer install a new appliance. Two reasons for appliance installation in Perth do it yourself: 

Buy a refrigerator that fits. 

Refrigerator sizing 

A too-large fridge won't fit through the door. 

New appliances are usually standardised. There's no "standard" refrigerator. Many homeowners don't discover this until they try to fit a new fridge. Make sure your new fridge will fit between and under cabinets before shopping. Make sure kitchen doors and drawers open fully. 

Also measure doorways and hallways to make sure the fridge will fit. Removing the fridge and freezer doors makes them lighter and easier to handle. Removing a few screws makes it easier to fit through doorways without hurting either. 

When appliance installation in Perth don't press with your knee. 

Dishwasher installation 

Avoid scratches and dents with heavy appliances. 

Kneeing a heavy appliance is the easiest way to damage the thin metal. Place your hands on the appliance's sides and press evenly. Take remove rings and other jewellery to avoid harming a new device. 

Buy stainless steel "no-burst" washer hoses 

Steel hose braiding 

Stainless washer hoses leak less and cause less damage. 

Many washing machines lack or have poor-quality water supply hoses. Buy braided stainless steel "no-burst" hoses. If you use no-burst hoses, your homeowner's insurance may offer a discount.  

Burst washing machine hoses cause $150 million. insurance claims annually. 

Check outdated washer shutoff valves. 

Don't presume antique hose bib shutdown valves will work after years of inactivity. Before installing the new washer, try the handles. If you can't turn them, replace them or shut off the main water valve when you change the washer. If the handles turn, the valve may not fully close. While replacing the washer, catch drips in a bucket. 

When installing new appliances, protect the floor. 

Protective hardboard 

Protect flooring when transporting appliances using 1/8-inch hardboard or cardboard. 

Refrigerator wheels may harm even the strongest tile. Rolling or pushing them can harm vinyl or wood floors. Costas Stavrou, owner of Nicollet Appliance Repair in Minneapolis, discovered the hard way how much damage a grain of sand can bring to a tile floor. The homeowner was unhappy. 

Using cardboard or carpeting works well. Use 1/8-inch hardboard for maximum protection. The smooth surface protects flooring and lets appliances move easily. 

Buy a quiet, energy-efficient dishwasher. 

Dishwashers are loud. Be quieter. 

Energy Star–rated dishwashers use 32% less electricity than non–Energy Star machines, therefore they're worth buying. Energy efficiency means longer cycle times—up to three hours. Consider this when pricing dishwashers. Energy Star–rated dishwashers cost $400 to $1,000. (You don't need $1,000+ models' bells and whistles. They clean worse than cheaper dishwashers. 

Noise often separates cheap and expensive models. Soundproof dishwashers cost extra. If your kitchen is exposed to the rest of the house or near a room you use when the dishwasher is running, spend $200 to $300 on a quiet, energy-efficient model. 

Warning: plastic fridge tubing 

Optional ice-maker tubing 

Braided steel is ideal. 

Unreliable cheap plastic. It ages, cracks, and leaks. Leaks from plastic water supply tubing are a leading cause of water damage in the U.S. Replace plastic icemaker tubing with stainless braided line. Screw-on fittings make it easier to attach than plastic or copper compression fittings, and it delivers better water flow than plastic. 

Reuse excellent copper tubing. Using braided stainless if it's kinked. If you have PEX plastic tubing and no mice, you're good. TFH editor Travis Larson recommends copper or braided stainless steel "gnaw resistant" choices. "My refrigerator's leaking plastic line caused my basement ceiling to sag and flood. The mouse's teeth marks were everywhere!" 

A three-hour icemaker supply line leak is like dumping three 55-gallon drums of water on the floor. 

Check for leaks. 

Doubt excellent connections. Leaks might appear slowly. 

After connecting a water-using device, clean up any dripping water and test for leaks. Wait. Leaks can take 20-30 minutes to appear. Before reattaching your dishwasher's front panel, do this. Check for leaks underneath it with a flashlight. 

After connecting your new icemaker, check for leaks beneath the fridge before pushing it back. Watch your new washer drain a tiny load. Make sure the drain hose doesn't move when water flows through it. Tightening a connector slightly usually stops a leak. 

Glass and ceramic cooktops need extra care. 

Cleaning glass and ceramic cooktops is tricky. 

A glass or ceramic cooktop modernises any kitchen. Without adequate maintenance, they can be ruined. Most need a special cleaner. If you transition to a glass cooktop from coil burners, replace your copper-bottomed pots and pans. Colored-bottom pans can harm glass tops. Poor-quality pans can warp on glass cooktops, and rough-bottomed pans can damage them. 

Dual-fuel and induction cooktops have particular needs. Induction cooking requires metal cookware that reacts with the magnetic field. Induction cooktops and dual-fuel ranges require 220 volts, which is unlikely if you use gas. Add these costs to the appliance price to get the total. 

Never use plastic dryer duct. 

Dryers need rigid metal duct. 

When replacing your dryer, clean out the dryer duct. Smooth stiff metal duct is suitable for replacing ducting. If you must use flexible duct, select semi-rigid metal rather than foil or plastic, which are fire dangers. Connect pipe parts without screws. Lint can obstruct vents. Instead, tape all the parts together. 

Elbow installation 

Reuse the old dishwasher water elbow. 

Most dishwashers need 3/8-in. elbows. Les Zell, our master plumber, recommends removing the elbow from the previous dishwasher's water intake valve to save money. Reuse it on your new dishwasher and arrange the elbow in the same direction so the water line feeds directly into it. 

Some home-center dishwasher hookup kits contain this elbow. Check electrical, drain, and water line connections before installing a nonstandard or European dishwasher. You'll know whether you need to move anything for your new dishwasher.  

Make washer hoses easy to remove. 

Thread-taping valves 

There's a strong possibility you won't unscrew your new washer hoses for a decade or more. Use Teflon pipe thread tape or pipe joint compound to make hoses easier to detach afterwards. It won't prevent leaks, but it will prevent corrosion from welding hose fittings to valves. 

Install a surge protector 

Surge protectors 

Point-of-use surge suppressors are convenient. 

Turning on or off hair dryers, power tools, and vacuums causes small power spikes in your home's electrical system. Voltage surges can damage digital display electronics. Plug new appliances into a surge protector or replace the electrical receptacle behind the device with a point-of-use surge suppressor. 

Ask your electrician to put surge suppression on hard-wired items.  

Power surges caused my mother to replace her range's electronic circuit board twice in the first year, each time for $500.  

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