Installing a washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop

Installing a washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop will be a wonderful option for those who do not want to run between the bathroom and the kitchen, doing household chores. In addition, this is an ideal opportunity to complete the most tight layout of your entire household appliances and furniture, which is very important for owners of small houses. In this article we will talk about how to install a washing machine in the kitchen, discuss the disadvantages and advantages of this approach, and also talk about the connection.

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Pros and cons of placing a washing machine in the kitchen

Do I need a washing machine in the kitchen? There is no way to give a definite answer to this question. Someone perceives this completely normal, but this device may interfere with someone. Also, a lot depends on the size of the kitchen. Therefore, we consider all the positive and negative points.

Advantages:

• Saving useful space in the bathroom. As a rule, the kitchen is not a small room, unlike the bathroom, so placing a washing machine in the kitchen will be justified.
• You can cook and do laundry at the same time - indeed, installing a built-in washing machine will help you avoid running around the house. I threw towels, linen and aprons into the appliance, dishes into the dishwasher, and components for pilaf in the slow cooker, and half of the household chores can be considered finished.
• Even the deepest and largest washing machine can be installed in the kitchen - in some bathrooms it is simply impossible to place a large appliance.

Looking at all these advantages, it may seem that this installation has no drawbacks. However, this is only at first glance, and here are just a few of the minuses.

Disadvantages:

• There is no place to store laundry in the kitchen - in the same bathroom a special tank can be adapted for these purposes. The presence of a linen tank in the kitchen will at least look ridiculous.
• There is no place for washing powders in the kitchen either - they will need to look for some separate place, for example, in the same bathroom. And this, again, is an extra trip around the apartment.
• After washing, it is difficult to ventilate the tank - there is a chance of accidentally tearing down the door of the loading hatch with your foot. Similar difficulties appear in built-in appliances.
• An installed washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop can quickly get dirty, because in the kitchen, as a rule, everything tends to get dirty quite quickly with random food debris. Therefore, the appearance of sagging or oily stains should not be surprising.
• There are difficulties with the installation of the device with a vertical load of linen. The kitchen, in which such a washer will be built in, should have a folding tabletop, which is also not too convenient.

As a result, we see that there are even more minuses than pluses. But even all these shortcomings may not scare everyone. For example, laundry detergents and a laundry tub can be placed in a separate section of kitchen furniture. The same is true for too quick dirtying - if the niche of the headset is closed by a door, then the machine itself will not get dirty.

With regard to drying the tank, ventilation can be carried out at night, when there is no one in the kitchen. The main thing is not to take down the open door with your feet during a midnight visit to the refrigerator in search of something tasty.

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Choosing a washing machine in the kitchen

The washing machine in the kitchen can have almost any size, because the kitchen furniture has quite impressive dimensions. What kind of washing machine can we choose for the kitchen? Here are a few options:

• Freestanding.
• With the ability to embed.
• Built in.

The first two options are almost the same, because the machine with the ability to embed - this is a freestanding device with removable housing walls.

Freestanding or built-in?

If you choose a built-in apparatus, then everything is extremely simple - we place it under the countertop, and then we hook the kitchen doors to it. Arriving in the kitchen, it will be quite difficult to say that a washing machine is hidden somewhere here. It is for this quality that built-in appliances are appreciated.

Important! The disadvantage of embedded models is that they are quite few. Therefore, it is not easy to choose an embedded device with the required characteristics. It is much easier to choose something among the options of freestanding machines, the choice of which - on the contrary, is very large. After that, we will only have to install the selected model in a niche or cabinet.

Freestanding cars are good in that they can become built-in. There will be no fasteners on the doors, but all interfering covers can be very easily removed.

Size selection

In order to properly install the washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop, you must first choose it correctly. Since our device will be located under the tabletop, we need to provide a margin in height - it will be enough 4-5 cm. The same applies to the side walls of the case - they should not touch the side walls.

And you need this for this:

• For easier installation of the machine - it will be quite difficult to set it in level if the upper edge of the device body rests on the countertop.
• To prevent vibration - when washing the car should not hit the furniture and make the whole kitchen set shake at once.

Based on this, the first thing we should do before leaving the washing machine is to measure a cabinet or a niche. Only after that you can safely go to the household appliance store.

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Choose a place to install the machine

Choosing a cabinet for installing a washing machine in the kitchen is quite simple - often this technique is installed in niches and cabinets that are located in the immediate vicinity of the sink. This is due to the fact that it is here that all the necessary communications pass - sewerage and water supply:

• The socket is installed in advance, its height should be about 30 cm from the floor level.
• If you want to install the washer not next to the sink, but in another niche or cabinet, then here you will encounter additional difficulties - with pipe laying. That is why the best place to install a washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop is considered to be a cabinet near the kitchen sink.

Since we have already chosen the place for installing the washing machine, it remains to understand the question, how can it be installed correctly?

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Floor installation

When choosing and installing a kitchen unit, it should be possible to mount the washing machine on the floor. It is written in the documents for the equipment that the installation should be carried out exclusively on stable surfaces.

Important! If you install the device on the base of the kitchen unit, then you will encounter vibration that will spread throughout all furniture elements.

If the washer stands on the floor, then you will receive:

• Transmission of vibration to the floor - furniture with kitchen utensils will not tremble during the spin cycle.
• A reliable balanced technique is crucial for the operation of an imbalance control system.

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Base mounting

If it is not possible to install the washing machine on the floor, then:

• It is necessary to take measures to strengthen the basement so that it does not move and stand steadily.
• Accurate alignment of the washing machine at the installation site will also be required - this is done using the building level and adjustable legs.

Important! It is very easy to hide the washing machine in the kitchen - for this you need to install it in such a way that the front part of the appliance is hidden behind the doors of the headset. If the colors of furniture and appliances successfully harmonize or even coincide, then the front part can be hidden away at all, and unnecessary doors removed. The positive point of the second option is that you can always see what is happening with the washing machine.

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Installation preparation stage, equipment and tools

In order to install the washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop, you will need the following tools:

• Pliers.
• Fasteners.
• Adjustable wrench.
• Yardstick.
• PTFE sealing tape.
• Building level.
• A screwdriver is a voltage detector.
• Water filter with mesh.
• Water hose.
• Stationery knife.
• Shutoff valve.

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Installation procedure

If the washing machine is completely new (in the package), first of all, it is necessary to remove the transportation fasteners from it. It is needed for the safety of the device during its transportation. As a rule, transportation elements look like bars, staples and bolts:

• The brackets secure the power cord and drain hose.
• With the help of bolts during transportation, the tank is fixed - they can be seen on the rear panel of the machine. After their dismantling, the hollow holes are closed with plastic plugs included in the package.
• In some models for transportation, bars are placed between the machine body and the tank. In order to remove them, tilt the machine slightly forward and pull them out.

Important! It is advisable not to throw away all the transport elements in case the device is transported in the future (moving, repair, etc.).

Mounting Methods

Installation of the built-in washing machine can be performed in the following ways:

• The machine is placed in a separate cabinet with a basement, side walls, body strips and facade doors.
• If the built-in model of the device on the front part has places for fixing elements of the kitchen set, then it is installed between adjacent boxes of the set, and the furniture facade is mounted on the machine body.
• A technical device is installed between the two sections of the elements of the kitchen, and the furniture facades are attached to the outside of the side parts of the boxes.
• The wash is placed between the two sections of the headset and is covered on top with a countertop, while its front part remains visible.

Important! Built-in or hidden models are closed from the bottom with a false panel, which is made in the image of the basement of the headset.

Connection to utilities

The washing machine is connected to utility networks in three stages:

• Sewerage system - first and foremost, the device should provide drainage. It does not always turn out that the drain hose reaches the desired place, therefore, for stationary connection of the washer to the sewage system, an additional siphon should be installed. As a result, the drain hose is connected to the sewage system through such a rubber siphon, which does not allow unpleasant odors and moisture to pass through.

Important! The maximum length of the drain hose indicated in the machine manual is designed for the power of the pump installed in the apparatus, so it is not recommended to expand the hose on your own.

• Connection to the water supply system - the device is connected to the water supply system using a special flexible hose, which is included in the package. In the event of a breakdown of the washing machine or a malfunction of the water supply, water must be shut off. In order not to deprive the whole house of fresh water, an additional valve should be installed on the pipe, which leads to the washing machine.

Important! Water from the water supply is not ideal for washing machines - over time, scale may form, which can damage the heating heater. In order to prevent such a problem, it is recommended to install a water filter.

• Connection to the power grid - following the safety precautions when working with electrical appliances, in particular with a washing machine, the equipment should be connected to the power supply from the distribution panel with a neutral or ground wire.

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Stock footage

Installing the washing machine in the kitchen under the countertop is actually not so difficult, especially if all the systems ensuring the correct operation of the appliance were provided in advance at the installation site. For the device to work, you need a perfectly flat surface on which it stands. If there are slight irregularities on the kitchen floor, then the adjustable legs of the appliance can correct the situation. Using the building level, it is not difficult to put the machine in the optimal position for work.