Home Repair: How to Convert a Built-in Dishwasher to Freestanding
You may find yourself with a serviceable built-in style dishwasher with no place to install it. These can be converted to a freestanding unit with minimum effort and cost. Unless you want to spend a lot of money, about $50 should allow you to make the conversion.
Decide if you want it to be used as a stationary or portable dishwasher.
Whether you want it to be portable or not largely depends on the configuration of your kitchen space. If you need to be able to roll it out of the way, it will need to become portable. Making it stationary may require slightly less spending.
Install a plug on the wiring or replace the wiring with a cord with a plug.
For a stationary installation, you may be able to hard wire the unit into the house electric grid. Even if you choose to make it stationary, it might be a good idea to install the plug for convenience during the de-installation when that time comes. Replacement plugs are available in many types of stores.
A screwdriver is all that is needed to complete this step.
You can buy a replacement style electric cord. Remove the wires and install the new cord in the same way that the wires were installed. Either type of modification works the same in the long run.
Remove the inlet hose and replace it with one that has a coupling.
Most dishwashers only have one water inlet hose. This is because they only use hot water. You can buy hoses with a garden hose or washing machine type of connector coupling on the end. The other end should not have a coupling because most dishwashers use a clamp to attach this hose to the device. You will need the coupling to install the adaptor that will allow you to use your kitchen tap as the water source.
You can choose to put an adapter on the end of the current hose.
This would be route to go if you plan to have a stationary unit. You can connect the hose by using an adapter directly to a water line from your house. This is basically the same way that a built-in would be hooked up. It might require some extra fittings or tubing to complete this permanent connection.
Add enough length to the drain hose to allow you to drain the dishwasher.
Dishwashers pump their water through the drain hose like a washing machine. The end of the drain will need to be elevated to keep the water from draining from the unit before it is supposed to. For a portable installation, you need enough hose to reach into the kitchen sink. It is best to drain the dishwasher on the side of the sink with a garbage disposal. For a stationary installation, you can install a coupling that will let you attach a line to the sewer. Make sure to put a rigid drain pipe that rises above the water level in the dishwasher before it descends to the house sewer system.
Construct a simple cabinet to enclose the dishwasher.
Whether you build a cabinet or not is personal choice. Using some 1×2 or 2×4 lumber and some 1/8 plywood will build a light weight usable cabinet. Install some corner trim around the edges to make it look a little better. This cabinet just needs to go over the top and down the two sides. The door will be in the front and the connections will be in the back. So, they can be left uncovered. If you are making it portable, add casters to the bottom of the dishwasher so that you can roll it about.
