How to Install a Washing Machine
Before you get too excited, please note that installing your washing machine by yourself isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you can lift heavy objects with ease and want to save on the installation fee, then read on! In this article, we cover everything you need to know about installing your own washing machine.
Connecting a Washing Machine
First, let’s go through the simple steps of connecting a washing machine:
- Make sure that there’s nothing in your original washing machine
Turn it off completely and take the plug out of the wall - Make sure you’ve disconnected the cold water supply so that there isn’t any leakage
Now that the cold water supply is off, you can take the pipe away completely
Get rid of the used water hose as well - Remove any connecting bolts that came with your new washing machine
Connect your cold water hose - Turn the cold water back on again
Connect your used water hose to your new washing machine - Make sure that your machine is nice and level
- To install a washing machine successfully, you’ll typically need a wrench, a leveller and a bucket.
What Do I Save By Doing it Myself?
How much it’s going to cost to get your washing machine installed is going to depend on the company that you bought it from. It’s important to make sure that the installation is included in the price of the washing machine before you purchase it if you want to save a bit of money. While some companies work this way, not all of them do so you’ll need to find out how much they’re going to charge to install it for you before you commit to anything.
The Washing Machine that Costs More
How could there be a washing machine out there that costs more to install than another of the same model? The answer is if it’s integrated. This means that the washing machine is going to be built into your kitchen or washroom, which means you’re going to need a cabinet maker to help with the kickboard and the doors. Of course, this is going to cost you more to install, but it’s worth the installation price to get it done correctly. You could attempt to install your integrated washing machine yourself, but it’s probably going to be more effort than it’s worth.
Make Sure the New One Fits
This may seem pretty obvious, but it’s going to be vital that you measure the dimensions of the space where your new washing machine is going to go before you decide on which one you’re going to purchase.
Even if you measure the height and width of your old washing machine and feel pretty confident that you know the space, when it comes to the depth washing machine models can be pretty different from one another. This is why it’s important to allow for more room than you need – it’s much better to have too much room for your new washing machine than not enough.
Getting Rid of Your Old Washing Machine
As we mentioned in our step by step list earlier, the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure that you haven’t left anything in your old washing machine that you’re going to need. Once you’ve done this, you can turn off the water supply and unplug it from the wall.
Once you’re sure that you’ve turned off the main water supply completely, you can now work on removing the cold water pipe. This is going to take a bit of unscrewing, but it should come away pretty easily. There may be some residual water sitting in the pipe, which is why it’s good to have a bucket handy.
There will be another hose coming out of the back of your old washing machine. This is the hose that gets rid of the water after your washing machine has used it to wash your clothes. You won’t need to unscrew this to take it off – simply give it a tug.
When you’ve done all of this, you’ll be able to move your old washing machine away, allowing room for the new one.
Installing Your New Washing Machine
- Refer to the Manual: if you’re planning on embarking on the installation journey of your washing machine by yourself, it’s important that you keep the user manual close by so that you can refer to it frequently. It’s going to help you through the process and make things a lot less complicated.
- Remove the Packaging: your washing machine should have arrived packaged in polystyrene. There are going to be blocks of this packaging on the top and bottom of your washing machine. If the model is particularly heavy, you may have trouble getting the bottom pieces off, but typically all you’ll need to do is lift one side of the machine at a time until you’ve removed them all.
- Remove Carriage Bolts: when your washing machine is transported from the factory, bolts are set in place, so the drum inside doesn’t move around too much and get damaged. However, for you to start using your washing machine and install the right hoses in the back, you’ll need to remove these. All you’ll need to go is unscrew them, and they should come away easily.
Once you’ve done these things, you can attach the cold water and wastewater hoses at the back of your washing machine and connect the other ends to your washing machine taps and sink, as mentioned above. Once the hoses are connected in the right places and you’ve checked to make sure it doesn’t leak, you’ll be ready to level your washing machine.
A Tip on Leveling Your Washing Machine
There’s more to levelling your washing machine than just making sure it looks straight standing on the floor. When you use your washing machine, it’s going to be spinning at high speeds. If it’s not levelled correctly, the drum inside could vibrate against the outer shell and cause unwanted damage. To make sure your washing machine is level you can use a leveller, by placing it on top of the lid. If you don’t have one of these, you can see if it’s level by placing a hand at each corner and gently moving it to see if it rocks or stays still.
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