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I recently bought a place which came with the appliances, one of them being a dishwasher. I'd like to extract the dishwasher from its compartment.

From what it seems, the only thing preventing me to do that is a pair of screws legs that lift-up the dishwasher. Those screw legs have a hexagonal head but the area to access them is very narrow.

Here is a picture (of the side which has the more room. I couldn't even take a picture of the other side as there is no way to have direct visibility over the screw head):

enter image description here

The screw is really small. I'd say the head's diameter is about 4 mm. I suppose, I'd a need a tool with a head like that:

tool
(source: alicdn.com)

But the only one I have is shaped like a screwdriver and is too tall to fit in the available space.

I tried to look online on various sites (Home Depot and alike) but I don't even know which tool I'm looking for, let alone the name for it.

What tool can I use for that job ?

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    4mm socket with a flexible socket tool or flexible socket extension
    – Tyson
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 18:24
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    Generally speaking these are adjustable with fingers alone. If not, lube the threads a bit. You shouldn't need tools at all if you lift the weight off the leg.
    – isherwood
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 18:29

4 Answers 4

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Those are levelling legs.

Dishwashers are either held in via screws on top of the dishwasher that attach to countertop above, or that screw the side (look roughly 1/3rd down just inside the DW door) of the dishwasher to the surrounding cabinet.

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  • The dishwasher at my other place is indeed held with a screw on top. This is not the case here, and I couldn't find any other screw, be it on top or on the sides. The only thing that seems to prevent the dishwasher from being extracted is the fact that it is too high and the metalic frame goes in the way of the counter on the top.
    – ereOn
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 17:49
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    @ereOn Yes those are leveling legs, so another option would be to just tilt the dishwasher back, and use your fingers to twist it. +gbronner
    – Ben Welborn
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 18:00
  • @BenWelborn: It sadly won't move one way or the other because it's (because of the legs) in direct contact with the counter on top already. I guess if nothing else, I can still "cut" the legs (let's hope I won't have to resort to that)
    – ereOn
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 18:02
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    Look around harder for screws, especially if you have a stone countertop. Alternatively, put a shim under the frame to lift the dishwasher up just a hair. Then screw the legs up by hand.
    – gbronner
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 18:15
  • @ereOn Regarding names: socket, wrench, nut driver, or pliers; these are your turning tool options. Re: shims, you could use a hammer-claw, pinch-bar, block, or a long screwdriver.
    – Ben Welborn
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 18:22
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Don't worry about the head of the screw. Just grab the threads near the foot with a pair of pliers (under the bracket that's in the way). You could even just grab onto the foot itself but be careful not to scratch the floor if this area will be visible with the new unit.

If regular pliers are too thick, use a pair of needle nose or even some bent needle nose

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These are meant to slide (with some effort), so you should not need to take them out. In fact you should leave them in and with some hired muscle pull the dishwasher out.

You would only need the tool (a metric hex-head, sometimes called an allen-head) to adjust the leveling of the dishwasher. Leveling after install and with age is all they are normally used for.

If you have problems reaching them there are tools called 'ratcheting' sockets that are designed for tight spaces. Look online under that name and find one that match's the size of extender you show in a lower picture. You wiggle your hand to make the ratchet mechanism work and it will turn the extender you have plugged in. You do not need to buy ones with built-in magnets.
I bet every car mechanic has a set of these.

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  • The thing is, the dishwasher is currently too high and its metalic frame is somewhat in the way of the counter on top so it won't slide. The counter is made of very solid rock so there is no flexilibility here (and if I tried, I may even damage the counter I think).
    – ereOn
    Commented May 5, 2016 at 17:53
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A ratchet socket wrench might be what you're looking for if your screwdriver type socket wrench is too tall:

ratchet socket wrench

If not, then use the previous suggestion of pliers or vice-grips near the floor.

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