Domakihub How to Install a Dishwasher: A Step-by-Step DIY Guide
Connect water, drain, and power yourself and have a working dishwasher in an afternoon.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Installing a dishwasher is one of the most rewarding kitchen upgrades you can tackle yourself — whether you own a home in Athens, manage a holiday villa on a Greek island, or run a small hotel needing a reliable appliance fast. The video above from This Old House walks through the full installation visually, while this article gives you the ordered steps, the tools list, and the answers to the questions that trip people up most. With the right preparation, the whole job takes three to four hours.
What You Need Before You Start
Check that the cabinet space under your counter is sized for a standard dishwasher — most European and Greek-market machines are 60 cm wide, 60 cm deep, and 82–86 cm tall (adjustable feet add a few centimetres). You also need an existing hot-water supply line under the sink, a drain connection on the sink trap or garbage-disposal unit, and a nearby earthed (grounded) electrical outlet rated at least 10 A.
Pick up a dishwasher installation kit from any Greek hardware store (praktiker, Leroy Merlin, or a local ironmonger). A standard kit includes a braided stainless-steel water supply line, a dishwasher drain hose, compression fittings, and Teflon tape. Have a bucket and a few old towels ready — some water will spill during connection.
Safety and Prep: Turn Off Before You Touch Anything
Before touching any fitting, shut off the hot-water supply valve under the sink and trip the circuit breaker for the kitchen counter outlets. Tape the breaker in the off position if others are in the house. Confirm power is off with a non-contact voltage tester before you touch any wires — this is not a step to skip.
If you are replacing an old dishwasher, disconnect its water supply line, drain hose, and electrical connection first. Slide the old unit out carefully — dishwashers are heavy (45–60 kg) and the feet can scratch tile floors, so lay a folded towel or cardboard in front of the cabinet opening.
How to Install a Dishwasher: 5 Steps
- 1
Run the Water Supply Line
Thread the braided stainless-steel supply line onto the 90-degree elbow fitting at the bottom-left of the dishwasher (the inlet valve). Hand-tighten first, then snug with an adjustable wrench — do not overtighten or you will crack the plastic valve body. Feed the other end of the line through the side of the cabinet to the shut-off valve under the sink; connect it with the compression fitting provided, wrapping the threads with two layers of Teflon tape before assembly.
- 2
Connect the Drain Hose
Attach the ribbed drain hose to the pump outlet on the bottom of the dishwasher (usually secured with a spring clamp). Route the hose up as high as possible inside the cabinet — this high-loop prevents backflow of dirty sink water into the machine. Clamp the hose to the underside of the counter at its highest point, then connect the other end to the side port on the sink trap or to the knockout plug on a garbage-disposal unit (knock the plug out first with a screwdriver and hammer before connecting).
- 3
Make the Electrical Connection
Most dishwashers sold in Greece come with a standard Schuko plug and simply plug into a grounded wall socket inside the cabinet. If yours is hard-wired, feed the appliance cable through the strain-relief fitting on the junction box, match wire colours (brown to live, blue to neutral, green-yellow to earth), and secure with the wire connectors supplied. Replace the junction-box cover before proceeding. Always confirm the circuit is off before handling wires.
- 4
Slide In, Level, and Secure
Carefully slide the dishwasher into the opening, guiding the hoses and cable through the cabinet side as you go — avoid kinking them. Adjust the front levelling feet (turn clockwise to raise, counter-clockwise to lower) until the machine is level side-to-side and front-to-back, and the door clears the counter edge smoothly. Once level, open the door and drive the two mounting screws through the brackets on the top of the door frame up into the underside of the counter, or into the side-mounting brackets if you have stone countertops.
- 5
Test for Leaks and Run a Short Cycle
Restore the water supply and turn the breaker back on. Run the dishwasher on a short rinse cycle and stay nearby for the first ten minutes. Check all connection points — the water inlet, the drain hose clamps, and the sink trap — with a dry paper towel while the machine is running. A damp towel means a loose connection; tighten it a quarter-turn at a time until dry. If everything is watertight after the rinse cycle completes, the installation is complete.
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FAQ
- Do I need a plumber or electrician to install a dishwasher in Greece?
- For most standard installations in Greece, a licensed professional is not legally required — it is treated as appliance connection, not building work. However, if your kitchen has no existing water shut-off valve near the sink, or if you need to run a new dedicated circuit, those individual tasks should be done by a licensed plumber or electrician respectively.
- My dishwasher does not drain completely. What is wrong?
- The most common cause is a missing or incorrectly formed high-loop in the drain hose. If the hose dips below the pump level before reaching the sink, water sits in the bottom of the machine. Re-route the hose so it rises to at least counter height before descending to the trap. A blocked filter basket inside the dishwasher is the second most common cause — remove and rinse it under running water.
- Can I install a dishwasher in a kitchen that has never had one before?
- Yes, but it requires more preparation. You will need to add a hot-water shut-off valve to the supply line under the sink, add a drain connection to the sink trap (or install a new trap with a side port), and ensure a grounded electrical outlet is available inside or beside the cabinet. None of these tasks are major, but the plumbing additions are best handled by a plumber if you are not comfortable cutting and joining copper or PEX pipe.