Installing a dishwasher where a washing machine goes?

We’ve convinced the landlords to buy us a dishwasher, but the problem is that we are severely limited on counter space, to the point that it would be absurd to give one of the 6 cabinets up. (there’s plenty of pantry room and cabinets in a different room, but they’re all full). Their suggestion is a portable dishwasher, which we are against because of the smaller size of most and having to run water hose across our kitchen to the sink.

We have a spare nook that is supposed to hook up to a washer/dryer, and we don’t have any plans of using it (since the refrigerator is where a dryer would go anyway); we have basic carpentry skills to build an enclosure for it, or could get the landlord’s guy to do it.

Practically, though, is it possible to use the water supply and drain for a clothes washer for a dishwasher? I can’t figure out what Google terms to use to find my answer :confused:

My mother’s dishwasher slot, and those of several other people I know, are where the clothes washer was supposed to be - the clothes washer got moved to a balcony or bathroom, which needed to be set up for it, but the preexisting spot didn’t need any work.

The tubes which go from the pipes to/from the machine are flexible, the electrical power needed is the same.

I see no reason it won’t work. You may want to be careful about scraping the dishes before washing. Normally the diswasher is set up to drain through the garbage disposal, which can handle any larger food scraps. You should have hot water and 120 volts.

I don’t see why not. There’s three basic connections; water line, drain, electrical.
Most dishwashers drain line just feeds to the garbage disposal so you could easily use the washing machine drain.
Electrical may be a bit more involved since I believe dishwasher connections are hard wired rather than plug-in.
Water line shouldn’t be a problem either however you’d have to get the correct fittings to connect to the outlet.
Definately do-able, just needs some extra parts and labor.

It shouldn’t be a problem. It may be easier to install since the water supply and drain connections are already there. Portable dishwashers can be the same size as the counter models. Some are top loading, which is less convenient, but I once had a front loading full size portable. We now have a small front loading portable since we have a relatively small kitchen, and with the kids gone we don’t produce that many dirty dishes now. It’s about 2/3 the width of a full size machine, but the result is it only holds about 1/2 as many dishes.

And of course a portable makes the connection more versatile since you can just snap off the water supply/drain hose. If there’s a sink there, you would just use the spigot and drain in the sink, and not need any other connections.

How far away from the sink is the spot where you would put the dishwasher? As long as it is close, it should be fine. I can’t imagine trying to make it work if it was much further, though. Carrying wet dripping dishes piece by piece across the kitchen would be awkward.

Why would the dishes be wet and dripping? Most people just scrape the scraps into the garbage and put them directly into the washer.

What would be absurd would be for the landlord to go to the trouble of installing a dishwasher anywhere but in the kitchen where it belongs. If you need more cupbord space put some sort of stand-alone unit in the washer/dryer nook.

It’s certainly possible to put a dishwasher in that space so long as you have a 120 volt outlet, a water supply, and a drain line. The dishwasher will have its own macerator pump in the bottom of the unit, so it’s not necessary to feed the discharge into a garbage disposer. Home improvement centers and appliance stores will have dishwasher cord kits that you can use to plug a dishwasher into a standard three prong outlet rather than hard wiring it. Since there’s a refrigerator already there, it sounds like there is already an outlet that you can plug the dishwasher into. If you go with a portable model, they will already have a 120 volt plug attached, and finished sides and a top so that you won’t need to buy/build a cabinet. This doesn’t come for free, however, and most portables that I’m familiar with are in the $400-500 range.

The water supply is the next consideration. If you go with a portable, it will come with an adapter to snap it onto your faucet aerator, though that means your kitchen sink won’t be available while the dishwasher is running. If you opt for a built-in model, are there water valves in place for the washing machine in that laundry nook? Is it a pair of single valves, or a double valve? If you have a pair of single valves, you will only need to connect your water supply to the hot valve. If you have a dual valve like this, you’ll need to cap the cold side since that lever in the middle controls the hot and cold flow at the same time. Washing machine valves have a garden hose thread on them, and you can get a hose thread cap at any hardware store or home center.

Appliance stores and home centers will have flexible dishwasher connection kits that contain a length of braided stainless steel line and various adapters. You’ll need an adapter to step you up to garden hose size so you can connect to the washing machine valves, which is a part that you can get while you’re at the hardware store. They’ll be in with the brass plumbing fittings.

Finally, we need to consider the drain. The dishwasher drain hose is usually clamped onto a barbed pipe that projects either from the side of the garbage disposer, or directly from the side of one of the pipes under your kitchen sink. Putting it into the pipe where the washing machine drain hose is intended to go might require a little modification so that the hose doesn’t pop out from the pressure of the water being pumped out of the discharge during its drainage process. Fernco makes an item called a hose grip that might be helpful to you.