How to remove the front from a dishwasher
If you need to remove the front from your dishwasher, be sure to read these instructions. In fact, the work ahead is not difficult if you know what the decorative panel is attached to and what elements need to be removed so that it no longer sticks to the dishwasher. Let's look into the nuances.
How is the front part of the door attached?
The facade of the PMM door is held on by several screws. It is useless to pull the wall with force; to remove it, you will need to deal with the fasteners. But where to look for fasteners?
The facade is screwed to the dishwasher door with special screws at the end.
You can see the mounting screws by opening the dishwasher door and looking at the end of the dishwasher from the side. There will be several screws, but not all of them hold the panel, only those located at the top and bottom. Usually the facade is fixed with four or eight screws, it depends on the model of the machine. After unscrewing the bolts, you can safely remove the decorative wall.
The number of fasteners will vary depending on the PMM model. On some machines these are 4 bolts located on the sides, bottom and top. Other dishwashers have 8 screws located around the entire perimeter of the lid. Therefore, you should be more careful.
For some dishwasher models, the façade is secured not with screws, but with special Velcro and brackets. In this case, you don’t even need a screwdriver to remove the decorative panel. You will need:
- unhook the upper part of the facade from the Velcro;
- lift the panel up so that the brackets come out of the grooves.
Usually, no problems arise with removing the decorative facade of a dishwasher. This is a fairly easy job, taking 5-10 minutes.All you need in the process is a Phillips screwdriver and patience.
Selecting a new façade according to size
A new facade can be ordered even before the old one is removed. The dimensions of the decorative panel directly depend on the dimensions of the equipment. The width of built-in PMMs is usually 45 or 60 cm, height 82-85 cm. However, there are also compact devices on sale that occupy a height of 50 or 60 cm.
The size of the decorative panel must exactly match the size of the dishwasher door. If during the installation process it turns out that it is too large, then simply cutting it off will not work. Therefore, experts recommend first choosing and buying a PMM, and only then ordering a façade for it. After all, the declared dimensions of the device often differ by several millimeters from the real ones, and this is important to take into account.
The height of the façade should be just slightly higher than the height of the dishwasher door. Literally a couple of millimeters. In order to further align the panel flush with the tabletop, you will have to adjust the PMM legs.
The height of the facade of a partially built-in dishwasher depends on the size of the dashboard located on the machine door. The sensor must be left open and this must be taken into account. Installing a panel on such a machine is even easier than on a fully built-in one.
If you want to change the facade, leaving the old dishwasher, then everything is simple. It will be enough to order a decorative panel of exactly the same dimensions as it was previously.
Installation of a new facade
When you have managed to remove the front from the dishwasher, you can begin installing a new panel. If a change is required due to the purchase of another dishwasher, then first connect the purchased device to the water supply and sewerage system and install it in a niche. During further work you need to have on hand:
- construction tape;
- level;
- drill and bit;
- screwdriver;
- fasteners.
At the very beginning of the work, it is necessary to fix the dishwasher in the niche. To do this, it is attached with special holders to the side walls of the cabinet and to the countertop. Next, you can work on the facade - screw the handle to it.
The handle is attached to the front side of the facade, in its upper part. First, a hole is made for the self-tapping screw - it should be smaller in diameter than the screw itself. The handle is then secured to the decorative panel using a suitable bolt.
Then you need to calculate at what distance the attachment points for the decorative facade should be located. The edges of the panel are placed flush with adjacent kitchen cabinets. Take a construction tape and measure:
- the gap between the countertop and the front of the nearest cabinet;
- distance from the top hinge of the cabinet door to the countertop.
Then the first value should be subtracted from the second value. The result will be the distance at which the upper fasteners of the decorative PMM facade should be located. There is no need to drill the door right away; in this case, be sure to double-check everything several times.
Having calculated the distance, take the mounting template, which usually comes with the built-in dishwasher. Attach it with tape to the inside of the facade in the right place. Mark the points for drilling. Place the wall against the dishwasher door, making sure that in this position the panel will stand level.
Then take a drill with a drill bit of the required diameter. The holes for fastenings should only go through 3/4 of the thickness of the facade; there is no need to make them through. It is possible to do without drilling at all, then the screws are immediately screwed into the MDF.
Next, you can begin attaching the front to the dishwasher door.Screw in the screws one at a time, first the top two, then the bottom. Self-tapping screws must be included with the built-in machine. It is also worth providing moisture protection for the tabletop - this will extend the life of the furniture.
After installing the front, check whether it fits tightly to the dishwasher, whether it is securely fixed, and whether there are any interference when opening/closing the door.
If you make a mistake in the calculations, you will notice that the decorative panel, when opening the PMM, rests on the bottom of the device. In such a situation, you will have to make a small gap in the base (the size of the façade thickness + 2-3 mm). This method will be acceptable especially when it is impossible to adjust the level by twisting the legs of the dishwasher.
As already mentioned, in some PMM models the facade is attached with Velcro and brackets. In this case, hanging it will be even easier. First, insert the “tabs” into the holes, and then adhere the decorative panel to the dishwasher door.
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1 reader comment
All clear!