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Dishwasher kill switch under sink - needed?

pete6032

pete6032

Diamond Member
I am considering getting a new dishwasher and when I bought my home the inspector recommended installing a "kill switch" underneath our sink next to the dishwasher. I do not believe this is a requirement, but more of a suggestion. Does your home have one and do you think it is necessary?
 
Common sense, if you have to work on it, or replace it again.

Without it you are going to have to kill power to the kitchen, to wire in the new one, which might include the lights. Besides how much can a box and switch cost?
 
every dishwasher I have installed included a cord to an outlet. nothing in code to hard wire it.
 
MtnMan said:
Common sense, if you have to work on it, or replace it again.

Without it you are going to have to kill power to the kitchen, to wire in the new one, which might include the lights. Besides how much can a box and switch cost?
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Box and switch prob not much but I don't have any experience doing electrical wiring. Is this something a novice could crack out?
 
pete6032 said:
Box and switch prob not much but I don't have any experience doing electrical wiring. Is this something a novice could crack out?
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You don't need it. The dishwasher should have a cord that goes into a plug under the sink. I've never seen it done any other way, and I've been in the business for over forty years.
 
Greenman said:
You don't need it. The dishwasher should have a cord that goes into a plug under the sink. I've never seen it done any other way, and I've been in the business for over forty years.
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The problem is that I cannot physically see the plug anywhere. Idk if the contractor hid the plug somewhere but it's definitely not visible in the cabinet underneath the sink. I cannot see any of the wiring, it must be behind the wall. Home inspector noted the absence of ability to disconnect in case of emergency during his inspection.
 
Greenman said:
You don't need it. The dishwasher should have a cord that goes into a plug under the sink. I've never seen it done any other way, and I've been in the business for over forty years.
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None of mine had a plug, and I got a new one this summer.

That also assumes you have a plug under the sink, which none of my home had/have.
 
pete6032 said:
Box and switch prob not much but I don't have any experience doing electrical wiring. Is this something a novice could crack out?
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If you feel confident enough to wire and plumb a dishwasher, it shouldn't be an issue. If that is a mystery to you, have it installed.
 
pete6032 said:
The problem is that I cannot physically see the plug anywhere. Idk if the contractor hid the plug somewhere but it's definitely not visible in the cabinet underneath the sink. I cannot see any of the wiring, it must be behind the wall. Home inspector noted the absence of ability to disconnect in case of emergency during his inspection.
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It's probably behind the dishwasher. This is why idiots shouldn't be allowed to build.
 
Greenman said:
It's probably behind the dishwasher. This is why idiots shouldn't be allowed to build.
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Yes I have run into a couple confusing circumstances where it appears that corners were cut. First with plumbing and now with electrical. The home is from 2005, the height of the building boom, so I knew before buying there would probably corners cut since demand for new home construction was so high at that point. Our inspector did very good due diligence so I knew what issues to anticipate. Now I am slowly addressing each issue and making things right.
 
pete6032 said:
Yes I have run into a couple confusing circumstances where it appears that corners were cut. First with plumbing and now with electrical. The home is from 2005, the height of the building boom, so I knew before buying there would probably corners cut since demand for new home construction was so high at that point. Our inspector did very good due diligence so I knew what issues to anticipate. Now I am slowly addressing each issue and making things right.
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We have a saying in the trades around here "never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over".
 
Every place we lived in when we were in CA had a plug in dishwasher. Every place here in WA has had a hard-wired dishwasher. I thought it was state code, but apparently not. However, the line that's hardwired is on its own circuit/breaker rather than just plugged into one of the usual household circuits.
 
Greenman said:
We have a saying in the trades around here "never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over".
Click to expand...

When I was a service oiler apprentice on a big dirt spread, the master mechanic had just the opposite attitude..."if you don't have the time to do it right the first time, when are you gonna have the time togo back and do it over?"
 
I've never even thought to add one when I ran power for a dishwasher (there was none when I bought the house) but it's not a bad idea actually.
 
Remind me to check for an outlet if I ever get my own place. then I can remove the dishwasher, and put some mining rigs in their place. 😛

Edit: "own place" == "place that I own, not rent".
 
I usually turn off power myself. I'm more worried about eye damage than a shock. Ex: I short something and it shoots sparks at my eyes or something. Yeah I could wear safety glasses but turning off the power is just faster than trying to find them. I have worked live at my parents' house though, their panel is very hard to get to. You need to use a hockey stick to turn off the breaker - probably end up turning more than one at a time due to it being awkward. Then turning it back on is harder as it's hard to get enough leverage from like 4 feet away. Their panel is inside a wall inside a cabinet that is full of stuff. Terrible setup. My mom is very keen on looks before functionality when it comes to stuff like that.

I think they finally fixed that now though so it should be easier to get to the panel now but been a while since I needed to do electrical at their house.
 
Had it done for $160. Took two guys about an hour. Now I have a switch underneath sink. Probably would have taken me much longer not knowing what I was doing. Sometimes it's better to just pay someone to do it.
 
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