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So other half bought a new dishwasher this week and got my dad (who tbf is quite handy with diy) to fit it. Issue is that it transpires that the old unit was directly hardwired in as its a newish built house, whilst the one she bought had a plug
So rather than return it, he cuts off the moulded plug, and just wires it in to the wall.
Now whilst I know nothing about electrical stuff, I have my concerns. It appears the house has a dedicated dishwasher circuit as there is a switch on the wall. But a quick chat gpt query tells me the model should always be used with a plug..as its missing something called a 'stress relief'?
The manual doesn't explicitly say dont wire it in, but it's certainly not clear.
It actually works just fine, but I'm not convinced. I'm happy to pay an electrician to pop round and check it, but ultimately if it's not designed to be installed like that then will it ever be 100% safe? And if it did go on fire, woukd I even be insured?
Can Anyone offer any professional insight? Is it standard practice to do this or am I buying a new dishwasher?
'stress relief'
I'd guess that's more to do with the moulded-on plug than anything else
As long as the cable is clamped inside the outlet so that it can't expose conductors if you pull the machine out a bit hard then it'll be fine. You can see the cable clamp on the back of this one. https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-900-series-13a-switched-fused-spur-flex-outlet-white/86116
The only other problem is the lack of a local fuse that would be inside the plug top. You should see a separate fuse-holder either on the outlet or the remote switch above (if it has a switch, not all do). See also the example^^
Provided it has been wired correctly into a correctly fused, switched spur and flex outlet it should be fine.
The moulded plug is there for convenience, safety, and compliance.
better could have been to have replaced the front of the wall spur/flex outlet with a socket.
‘dishwasher circuit’ is interesting. Do you mean it has its own mcb on the consumer unit?
It'll be fine.
The switch should be a fused spur, so no need to worry about the plug fuse. The stress relief basically means if you pull the dishwasher out and it's on a plug the plug will eventually come out the socket. If it's hard wired it won't, so the cable should be clamped.
TBH unless you're a monster and pull the dishwasher out in a hulk rage it will be fine
Our oven is connected to something like this, which you can see has a clamp on the cable for stress relief. Is your dishwasher wired into something similar?
Is there a switch for the outlet (usually a separate switch above the counter), and if so is that fused? If so then it's fine. The only real risk is that there isn't a correct fuse in the circuit now.
Personally I'd would've replaced the outlet plate with a single socket and kept the plug. That gives max protection and let's you take the dishwasher out easily.
In summary, it might be fine, might not, depends.
Yeah as above if it's on a switched and correctly fused spur then good. Check the fuse in the switch.
Bitd, nothing came with plugs anyway so we all be either hardwiring in or adding a plug with the right fuse.
But for convenience and ease of repair/ future access, you could add a single unswitched socket instead. That's what I would do.
It's definitely got a switch next to the cooker specifically for the dishwasher, is that where the fuse will be? I can get an electrician to check but I assume this replaces the one in the original plug?
If I refit a plug and a wall socket is there going to be an issue? Ie the old plug was moulded on, presumably fir waterproofing purposes?
So is it fairly common to do what I've done? Will insurance have an issue, if worst case there was a fire?
Its the norm now to hard wire the appliances with a switch above the worktop IIRC. the outlet on the wall - can you see a fuse holder in it? Usually like a tiny door about 2cm x 1 cm with a screw in it. Pictures might help. Other alternative is its a dedicated line from the consumer unit but a fused spur is more likely. Or the fuse could be by the switch - again yo should be able to see the fuse holder
It may well have an outlet plate to allow the machine to be fully pushed back. There often isn't room behind the appliance for the additional plug depth. As others have said as long as there is a fused spur it's fine..
No idea how I quoted myself!
It's definitely got a switch next to the cooker specifically for the dishwasher, is that where the fuse will be?
Would normally look something like this, though presumably yours does not have FUSE written in big letters, otherwise you wouldn't be asking!
It's definitely got a switch next to the cooker specifically for the dishwasher, is that where the fuse will be? I can get an electrician to check but I assume this replaces the one in the original plug?
See my post (and others). The text and linked images will answer your question
If I refit a plug and a wall socket is there going to be an issue? Ie the old plug was moulded on, presumably fir waterproofing purposes?
That boat has sailed
So is it fairly common to do what I've done? Will insurance have an issue, if worst case there was a fire?
Yes. It's common. Sometimes a plug won't fit in the space
It's definitely got a switch next to the cooker specifically for the dishwasher, is that where the fuse will be? I can get an electrician to check but I assume this replaces the one in the original plug?
If I refit a plug and a wall socket is there going to be an issue? Ie the old plug was moulded on, presumably fir waterproofing purposes?
So is it fairly common to do what I've done? Will insurance have an issue, if worst case there was a fire?
Why would you put a plug back on when you have the fused isolator above the worktop? How your dad has wired it is exactly how it should be done.
Would normally look something like this, though presumably yours does not have FUSE written in big letters, otherwise you wouldn't be asking!
Nope no fuse written in big letters. It's a panel with the cooker, fridge and dishwasher switches on it. Do I have to remove the panel to check?
Why would you put a plug back on when you have the fused isolator above the worktop? How your dad has wired it is exactly how it should be done.
So if it's common, how do they go about mitigating the strain relief? Or is it simply a case of not yanking it out if you ever remove it? Any time I woukd ever go round the back of the dishwasher the wall switch woukd be switched off anyway, so assume no danger
This sort of thing?
Yep very much like that, but for a dishwasher, cooker and fridge
So that's just the grid switch then. No fuse.
Is the dishwasher now connected to a fused connection unit / unswitched fused spur (back box and face plate with visible fuse holder)?
https://media.screwfix.com/is/image/ae235/29775_P?$fxSharpen$=&wid=414&hei=414&dpr=on
Is the dishwasher now connected to a fused connection unit / unswitched fused spur (back box and face plate with visible fuse holder)?
If you mean where the cable connects to the wall? It's connected to the same wiring harness as the old one was. I genuinely have zero idea if there is a fuse in there, but can get an electrician to check
I dropped the manufacturer a line and their customer service team said it should be connected via a plug but I'm dubious they knew what they are talking about.
In mean time, the wall switch is off. I assume the appliance is safe for time being?
Whether you use a plug or not is not important, but you do need a fuse. Ask your Dad if there is a fuse in the current setup, if he does not give a convincing reply, I would get someone with more knowledge to check it out.
First off you need to find the cut off plug top and find out what rating fuse is in it. That fuse is there to protect the dishwasher internals in the event of an overload, so if it is a 5amp fuse and you’ve got a 13amp fitted the internal wiring and electronics might not cope.
Then you need to go about getting that correctly sized fuse into circuit which probably means dishwasher out again and seeing what the flex goes into at the moment and going from there
Pull the dishwasher out and then check for a fuse at the outlet. The appliance does not make a difference ( bar amperage) Its the way its wired. I would be very suprised if its not a fused outlet as this is how it was built and inspected. all directly wired appliances need a fused outlet
I have just had a dishwasher fitted in a new kitchen. Electrician put plug socket in adjacent cupboard, with plug easily accessible. Reading prior posts I can see why he did that, good idea.
In fact looking around he s done individual isolation switches in adjacent cupboards for oven, hob and extractor. These are all hard wired though, no plugs.
If appliances come with plugs fitted it’s advisable to leave them fitted, in fact some manufacturers claim it’ll affect a warranty claim if they’ve been cut off. We fit sockets inside adjacent cupboards to plug them into when fitting cabinets.
That ship has sailed however, so you just need to make sure there’s a fuse at the connection now. This can be achieved with an unswitched FCU. It’ll be a 13a fuse required for a dishwasher.
anything over 13a won’t, for obvious reasons, come with a plug pre fitted.
So there is a fuse in there, but my dad dint check it was 13a. Think he just assumed it would be. Electrician is coming tomorrow morning to check, until then power is off at the wall.
My dad seemed to think even if the fuse was wrong, the circuit breaker in the fuse box in my garage would be first to go..I'm not sure how true that is. Apparently there is a switch in there for the freezer, cooker and dish washer
Surely the maximum fuse size that could be fitted is a 13a, so if that was what was in the cut off plug then it should all be ok? I cant imagine it would be a 5a or 3a etc. Still electrician should give peace of mind.
Electrician came round and told me it was all good, 13 amp fuse in there. Young lad hadn't even heard of a stress relief but there you go..
Good 👍
If they’ve never heard of stress relief for cables I wouldn’t be trusting their knowledge or judgement on anything remotely technical to be honest!
The stress relief is to protect the cable where it comes out of the plug, especially for flexes that get moved a lot. They are designed to make the cable exit the plug in a nice curve not a 90 degree bend which can stress the cable. In the case of a fixed appliance like this they are not needed unless the cable has been pulled tight at an angle to the plug. If that's the case the cable needs lengthening.
The stress relief is to protect the cable where it comes out of the plug, especially for flexes that get moved a lot. They are designed to make the cable exit the plug in a nice curve not a 90 degree bend which can stress the cable. In the case of a fixed appliance like this they are not needed unless the cable has been pulled tight at an angle to the plug. If that's the case the cable needs lengthening.