Guess What’s Coming to the Kitchen – Part III, the Ultimate Post
Ultimate as in the end… hopefully! The dishwasher is up and running. It is not completely fitted into the space, but we are waiting to use it a couple of times to check for leaks while it is easier to pull out. You can read the beginning of this story here and here.
At first, we planned to hire a plumber. Douglas had never used a blow torch, and he was unsure if it would be a good idea to attempt it. After doing some research on the internet, what would we do without it?, and speaking to some friends, one of whom is a plumber, he decided that he was going to try. We figured that we could always call a plumber if things did not work out. We needed to take out the old copper pipe that attached to the dishwasher and change the valves.
The first step was to break the seal with the pipe to be able to pull it off. Douglas put the foil behind the pipe to prevent a fire under the sink. Once that was off, he heated the connection with the lower valve in order to take it off.
Here are the pipe and valve. I plan to do something with them, but I am not sure what that is yet. Currently, they are in the garden.
Everything was removed. Then, the joint had to be cleaned. Here, it is all clean.
The new valve fits and is sweated on. You can really see the smoke swirling around in the one picture. It did not smell good in the house.
Then, the process was repeated for the top valve.
Here are the new valves from a couple of angles.
The dishwasher remained unattached for an entire week. I was not there when Douglas attached the new flexible piping and wiring, so I cannot include those details in this post. I am just happy to have a functioning and good-looking dishwasher, however. Another step in the kitchen renovation is complete. If you are interested in the transformation of the kitchen, you can read another post here.
Happy Homemaking!
I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com
The valve looks like a flower. Get some more valves and attach them to the pipes at a shorter height and you will have some flowers in your garden that won’t die.
I had the same thought. Will have to keep my eye on the trash to see if anyone is throwing out valves.
Congrats on your new dishwasher!! New appliances are the best and Douglas did a kick-ass job on the plumbing. I love seeing people just go for it! I feel like there’s nothing you guys can’t tackle. Good for you.
Thank you. It is amazing how much cheaper home improvements are when you can do them yourself. And with the internet, there is no excuse not to try. It is so easy to get instructions.