How far from the sink can we install the dishwasher without major remodel?

Question

We are buying an old house built in 1935. We do not want to do a major kitchen remodel but we would like to replace the old portable dishwasher (that you roll over to the sink and hookup) with a regular dishwasher. There is no spot next to the sink and we would be putting the dishwasher on the other side of the kitchen.

Is this possible? Can we somehow run the plumbing under the kitchen in the basement to reach the sink for disposal? If I had to guess it would be about 10-15 feet of hose to reach the dishwasher.

Answer 1

There are no code regulations concerning the placement of a dish washer. As AWMoore mentioned, you will need to supply a hot water feed and a drain, with a trap. You will have to see where you can tie the drain into the system being sure to meet the drop to run ratio. You can most certainly find a place to make this connection in a basement. To save head space in the basement , the trap can be installed above the floor behind the dishwasher, and the dishwasher drain hose install there, kinda like a washing machine.

Answer 2

I would say you should be fine. Normally the dishwasher hot water and drain lines tie right into the sink hot water and drain lines, but you could give it a separate hot water and separate drain of its own. However, usually the dishwasher is right next to the sink so you can rinse major food stuff off in the sink and then put the dishes right into the dishwasher, so across the room might be a bit of a hassle. I don't know if there are any building codes about this, someone else may be able to comment on this. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

You can pump water as far as you want below and side to side of the pump. Your limitation is how high you can pump. Most dishwashers tie into a sink trap so they are designed to pump only 18-20" high. I did this in my house. It took a 3 universal 6' rigid dishwasher drain kits with 6 hose clamps and a 1' length of 7/8 PVC pipe cut into 3 4" lengths. You also need a 1' 1 1/4" spade bit.

Don't tie into a trap in the basement unless you put a 16"-18" loop on the line above the sub floor otherwise you will drain the water to fast, run the pump dry, make a loud obnoxious noise, and possibly over heat the motor. I did that first. But didn’t fry the motor.

Answer 4

If your basement is open, then it's pretty easy. Cut the kitchen drain in the basement and install a T-connector. Run copper or ABS to a location under the dishwasher. You should also do something similar with the hot water supply. Mine has an 18" braided hose into the basement, which then threads onto the copper supply.

Answer 5

Since there are no code regulations directly concerning dishwashers, your best place to ensure correct operation is probably the dishwasher's installation manual. For example, in the installation guide for my particular dishwasher, it mentions, among other requirements:

• use a new drain hose with a maximum length of 12 ft (3.7 m) that meets all current AHAM/IAPMO test standards, is resistant to heat and detergent, and fits the 1" (2.5 cm) drain connector of the dishwasher.
• Make sure to connect drain hose to waste tee or disposer inlet above drain trap in house plumbing and 20" (50.8 cm) minimum above the floor. It is recommended that the drain hose either be looped up and securely fastened to the underside of the counter, or be connected to an air gap.

Of course, your particular dishwasher model may have different requirements! I would say if you think your drain line is going to be much longer than 10' (depending on your dishwasher), then shirlock's answer of installing a new trap behind the dishwasher is likely the best advice.