How to Prepare for Washing Machine Installation

For some people installation of a washing machine is a daunting task. They may be driven by the idea that any work that requires professional expertise can be done only by a professional who is trained for it. This is far from truth. Anyone can play the role of a DIY professional provided he makes necessary preparation for that. We can prove it by showing how it makes washing machine installation a breeze.

Things You Need for It

· Spirit level

· Adjustable wrench and plier

· Clamps and screws

· Drill

· Inlet and outlet pipes

· Valve (including diverter valve if needed)

· Water and electrical connections

· Switch board having 15A or 20A socket

· Hack-saw blade

· PVC pipes

· Drain pipe

· Couplings

· Tape to avoid leakage &

· Solution for joining pipes

The Way You Do It

To begin with, if you are replacing an old machine with a new one, your task is easier; because you already have the water and electrical connections in place. All you got to do is attach the inlet and outlet pipes to the same connections that you used for your old machine.

The next thing to do is level the washing machine by adjusting the feet of its legs. In order to remove any error in this regard, it is good you make use of spirit level. There is available in the market digital spirit levels. They are quite cheap and it is good you have one for the purpose. If the leveling of your machine is not proper, it will vibrate badly when the spin cycle starts.

But if you don’t have in place any connections for inlet and outlet pipes, and switch board with a 15A to 20A socket, then you certainly need to install these connections first. For this, you need to decide where it is convenient to place the washing machine. Once you are clear about it, you may take help from a professional plumber for it. This is because installing septic tank for drain pipe is not quite easy.

Fixing the water connection for inlet pipe is not too difficult, involving extending pipes from the nearest connection to the place where your machine is. Nowadays everywhere PVC pipes are used to lay water connections. If you have things like diverter tee, PVC elbows, pipes, clamps, hack-saw blade and solution for making connections leak proof, then you will find this task like one of those fun games for kids to cultivate creativity in them. You can finish the whole thing in less than an hour. Of course, if you got to drive holes through a wall, then it may take some time. But if you don’t need to do that, it certainly won’t take much time.

The present generations of best washing machines in India have systematically staged washing cycles. They are computerized and each washing cycle is completed within specific time period. If the force of water supply is not adequate, the water intake of the machine will not be completed in time. That will directly impact the washing cycles which don’t start until they get the necessary amount of water that they need. It results in an error in running the program and the machine will stop functioning.

The point is the pressure of water in the inlet pipe must be adequate. If it is necessary to make use of pipes that have large diameter in order to increase the pressure of water, please do so.

Very often the low pressure situation is created because the overhead water tank is placed on a rooftop which is not high. Raising the rooftop for the sake of a washing machine is a tall order. The solution of using large diameter pipes to increase water pressure is both practical and effective.

As for the task of installing a switchboard, if you don’t have professional know-how about how it is to be done, you better take help of a qualified electrician.

Once these basic tasks are looked after, it is time to install the washing machine. It is absolutely easy. All you got to do is remove the carriage or transit bolts and check out that the drum moves freely.

Next, you fit the inlet pipe of the machine with the water tap and the drain pipe with the connection that drains water into the septic tank. The latter does not create difficulty; however the task of fitting the faucet water tap adaptor to the tap is a bit problematic. If it is not done properly, it would leak badly.

In order to avoid it, it is better you disassemble it completely and first fix the metal connector to the tap and screw it properly. Thereafter put the Teflon backup ring and the rubber washer in the metal connector, and screw up the plastic base on the metal connector. Now it is ready to receive the inlet pipe. If you do it this way, it won’t leak.

As you can see, if you have all the necessary tools with you, and know where it is to be placed, it is not much difficult to install a washing machine.