Plumbing In A Washing Machine

[abrakazabra]

How do you plumb in a washing machine? My boyfriend was less than helpful when I asked him & didn't offer to do it, so I'm determined to do it myself! I have to remove the old one, so do I ... 1. turn the water off at the stopcock, 2. unlpug it..... 3. detach the hot & cold water pipes from the back (catch water in a bucket).... and then do the same in reverse when putting the new one in? What tools am I likely to need? Is there anything else I need to know? Any help would be MUCH appreciated! :-)

[MORELLO]

Unplug old machine. Turn water off at stopcock. Pull machine out and disconnect hot, cold, and drainage pipes ( you may need a pair of grips/pliers to disconnect hot and cold. Remove old machine. Present new machine. Tightly wrap some plumbers tape (very thin white tape - B&Q) around the male connection of the hot and cold ( metal threaded part) to ensure water tight connection. Reconnect hot, cold, and drainage pipes. Turn water back on and check for leaks. If OK, push machine back in and turn on at plug. Away you go! 

[MORELLO]

Don't forget to set machine up as per instructions ie. there are usually four large'plugs' that hold the barrel steady in transit which you have to remove. Screwdriver required.

[booksworth]

What do you mean by "stopcock"? There should be two, one hot, one cold, behind machine. If the only one you have is on the incoming main, it could be more complicated. And, as you would for some other human activities, make sure you have at least one towel close at hand.

[MORELLO]

You're right booksworth, there are two. There's one upstairs next to my hot water tank. You would turn this off and then run the hot tap in the downstairs sink to drain the pipe. BUT, although my machine has hot and cold inlets, I only turned my main supply off and got no drainage? abrakazabra - turn 'em both off to be safe.

[MORELLO]

You're right booksworth, there are two. There's one upstairs next to my hot water tank. You would turn this off and then run the hot tap in the downstairs sink to drain the pipe. BUT, although my machine has hot and cold inlets, I only turned my main supply off and got no drainage? abrakazabra - turn 'em both off to be safe.

[Hammer]

When you take the old washing machine out, you may well find some valves on the pipes near the connections to the washing machine. They are usually blue and red for the hot and cold (or just blue if there is no hot) and need to be turned a quarter turn to turn off the supply. This means you won't have to turn off your stopcock.

Something else you you might find is that you only have a cold water supply not hot as well. If so, you will need to attach a 'Y' shaped adaptor to connect the cold supply to both the hot and cold connectors on your w/m. These adaptors usually come with a new w/m or if not, any DIY shop should sell them.

Other than that, agree with all the above.

Good luck!

[Dusky]

One variation on the hot water supply:

 

I've never been able to find an actual stop valve in the hot water supply so I have to put a wine bottle stopper on the inside end of the "hot water tank" outlet pipe & then run the tap to empty the pipes before undoing anything (the water in the tank is cold).

[abrakazabra]

Thanks guys... Tuesday is D-Day, so fingers crossed - I'll let you know ho wi get on!! :-)

[ursula62]

If you have a B&Q near you they have leaflets on all DIY projects. They also have something in some branches called a Ladies Club, where you can go and ask for help with your DIY project and won't feel inadequate if you're a complete novice. That being said, they are always very helpful anyway.  I'd try them over the weekend if you have time, it can't do any harm.

[abrakazabra]

Phew!! Thanks you so much for all your advice... I have now done my first wash in the new machine which I fitted today!! And NO leaks!! Thanks again, I don't think I would have had the confidence to do it if it wasn't for your advice :-)

[booksworth]

Check the hoses again in a week or two's time. If anything's going to work loose it will happen soon. -.-.-.- And CONGRATULATIONS.