Dishwasher Drain Hose | Should I Replace it Myself?

If your dishwasher drain hose needs to be replaced, then don’t procrastinate – just do it! It’s obviously possible to do it yourself, but we would recommend calling a PLMBR to do it, since even a small mistake could quickly turn disastrous. Either way we’d love to help, so read on!

In this article we’re going to discuss:

• How to know when your dishwasher drain hose needs replaced
• The tools and supplies you’ll need to do so
• The process to replace your dishwasher drain hose
• Whether or not you should even try to replace your dishwasher drain hose

How to Know When You Need to Replace your Dishwasher Drain Hose

It’s leaking. That’s pretty much it! If you’ve noticed water oozing out from under your dishwasher, or your floor seems discolored in front of the dishwasher, these are signs you might have a leak. And the most likely culprit is your dishwasher drain hose.

Dishwasher Drain Hose Replacement | Parts and Tools Needed

If you’re the handy type and think you would like to give it a shot, here are some tips. First of all, you’ll need all these things:

• A new replacement dishwasher drain hose, readily available in every town somewhere
• A pair of channel locks (pliers) or possibly standard pliers
• Crescent wrench
• Flathead or Phillips screwdriver (both maybe?)
• Power drill 
• Dirty water bucket 
• Nut Driver

How to Install a Dishwasher Drain Hose

Here are general step-by-step instructions for replacing your dishwasher drain:

1. Turn off the power to the dishwasher, either by throwing the breaker to OFF position, or simply unplugging the dishwasher.
2. Disconnect the existing drain hose from the sink. Be sure to have your bucket ready to catch any water that is currently sitting in the hose.
3. Remove the access panel from the bottom front of the dishwasher. You’ll most likely need your screwdriver or nut driver for this job.
4. Disconnect the water supply line to the dishwasher, unless you have enough slack in the hose to pull the dishwasher out without disconnecting. If you don’t have the slack, then disconnect it before pulling the unit out.
5. If your dishwasher is secured to the cabinet, which most are, you’ll need to unscrew the anchor screws holding it in place before pulling it out. Once you’ve done that, go ahead and pull the dishwasher out.
6. It should be easy to find the drain hose at that point. It will be connected to the dishwasher pump, so find it and disconnect it.
7. Once your hose is disconnected at both ends, you can go ahead and pull it out and put it aside.
8. Get the new hose, and start by connecting it to the dishwasher pump first. Whatever the lock or tightening mechanism, be sure of a solid, tight connection so you don’t have a leak. This is one of the most critical points, because even a small leak can do major damage before you even know it’s leaking.
9. Feed the other end of the new hose back through the hole toward the sink as much as possible, so you can slide the dishwasher back into place underneath the cabinet. If the hose was secured to the dishwasher with a nut or something, be sure to work backwards from when you removed it, reattaching it and securing it as it was. Delicately pull the hose (from the sink end) into the area under the sink. If it needs to be secured to the side of the cabinet or sink with a strap because it’s a little long, install that “high-loop” strap and connect the hose to the sink, in the same spot you disconnected the old one.
10. Turn your water back on, turn your power back on, and you’re ready to go!

Should I Replace it Myself?

Now that you theoretically know how to do this job, the question is: should you? To be honest, only you can answer that question! Are you good with tools, and things you normally try to fix yourself usually work out pretty well? Or do you end up making dumb mistakes and having to redo DIY projects? If you lean more toward the latter, we would suggest calling one of our PLMBRS to come do it for you. 

Don’t Risk a Costly Mistake

To be frank, plumbing is one of the areas that a bad DIY job – or even a DIY job with one tiny mistake – can do the most damage. I personally had an under-the-counter ice maker spring a small leak once while I was out of town, and came home to a $14,000 flooring and water line repair job. If you try a plumbing fix yourself and don’t execute it perfectly, it can end up being very destructive – and very expensive.

Call a PLMBR

If you call 323-4-PLMBRS, here’s what you’ll get:

• a trained and educated expert that’s licensed, bonded, and insured
• an honest evaluation of your problem – even if it means there’s nothing to be fixed
• a complete bid or estimate, with full explanations and no surprises
• an on-time professional execution of the job
• a space that’s left cleaner than it was when our expert started the job

Please let our experts help you! You’ll be happy with the outcome every time – and you can use that DIY time to fix all that other stuff on your list!

Call us today at 323-475-6277. We’ll fix it right.

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