With the help of a couple of friends holding it up, it took only a few minutes to replace my over-the-range microwave. The store was going to charge me around $113 to install it for me (on a $200 microwave). No thanks. It helped that I got the same brand and line (GE Spacesaver), so that I wouldn’t have to redo the bracketing and drill new holes everywhere. That’s me in the reflection in the door basking in the glory of a project completed.
After it went in, I got a whole 2 hours to enjoy it before I started tackling the dishwasher… I got the old one removed easily enough…
And I found a great place to potentially stash a dead body…
But when I went in to install the new one, I realized that I was missing something…
It’s a 90° pipe elbow with 3/8″ threading. This is the one I got the next day from Home Depot. By the way, here’s a little tip: When you go to Home Depot and need to have even a marginally complicated question answered, ALWAYS look for the oldest looking employee. They usually know what they’re talking about. I made the mistake of talking to someone who looked like he had to be dropped off at the store because he didn’t have his learner’s permit yet. He led me through half the store before I ducked behind a display in an attempt to try to lose him and get someone else who actually knew the difference between a nail gun and a caulking gun (hint: you’d rather accidentally trigger a caulking gun while it’s in your lap).
I wondered why the dishwasher would come with everything else except this one little piece… but then I tried to install it. It just wouldn’t stop leaking (and yes, all you plumber wannabes out there, I tried using plumber’s tape – duh). It was tricky because it not only had to be tight, but it had to point in a certain direction after being tightened. It was a nightmare. It was then that a lightbulb went off in my head. If this dishwasher would fail anywhere, it would be at this joint. If they supplied it and it failed, the dishwasher company would be liable for any damage that it caused by leaking water under pressure inside your house. I realized that this must be their “don’t blame me, it was the 90° pipe elbow that the customer supplied” excuse in court. So after re-installing it several times, it finally became too beat up to use reliably. So I had to wait until the next day to go back to Home Depot to get a couple* more (*just in case).
So in my frustration that I couldn’t finish the job that evening, I decided to do a post-mortem on my old dishwasher and flipped it on its side…
See all that “dirt” under it? That’s what fell out of the motor when I tried turning it by hand. And it’s actually dried up rust. So I did what any other engineer worth his salt would do in this situation… disassemble it for spare parts.
So if you know of anyone who needs a water pump motor which may or may not be functional or a dishwasher shell, tell them to give me a call.
that’s why i refuse to use the dishwasher. every time i hear a water drip, i panic and freak out now.
holy cow – the whole thing looks very daunting.
Bob Villa of da year!
Congradulations on getting both jobs done.
I bet you are glad you gave up tv for lent otherwise you might not have gotten this all done.
home depot is stupid. I’ve never had a good experience there. …but I’m also biased because I work at a much better home improvement store. 😉 And I work in the plumbing department! *grin* congratulations on jobs well done
NICE! I have a bona-fide plumbing guru I can ask all my questions to now!!! I knew xanga was good for something.
And thanks, everyone, for the congratulatory remarks… but let’s wait a few days to see if there’s a pool of water in my kitchen before popping open the champagne.