Best Way to Connect a Washing Machine

These days, having a washing machine in your home is almost as common – and now considered as necessary – as owning a kettle. In real terms the price of washing machines has come down steadily over the years and the machines themselves have been designed and built to standard sizes so that they fit effortlessly into a fashionable fitted kitchen, or will stand alone in a luxury ‘utility room’.

There is no great mystery to connecting up a washing machine or even running a water supply for one, providing you follow a few simple rules. I remember when one of my sisters moved into her first flat. She had a washing machine delivered and connected it up herself. I recall she removed the drum mounting bolts as well as the transit bolts and consequently whenever it was switched on she had to sit on top of it to prevent the machine from bouncing across the room. I believe this went on for a considerable length of time before the mistake was rectified. She was too embarrassed to tell me at first, but we had a good laugh over her description of events on washing day. God only knows what the neighbors must have thought!

First of all, thoroughly read and familiarize yourself with the manufacturer’s instructions that come with the washing machine. Check that wherever you are going to install the machine, the water pressure level will be high enough to run it satisfactorily.

The most common location for a washing machine is in the kitchen near the sink. There are two good reasons for this: firstly, the mains water feed normally begins in the kitchen, so the water pressure here will be more than sufficient to run the machine; and secondly, the dirty water from the machine can be connected to the waste system very simply.

To get the best performance from your washing machine, always ensure that the machine is positioned both level and plumb. To make this easier to achieve, create a small platform for the machine out of 18mm or 25mm ply. Using a spirit level, fit this into the washing machine space on the kitchen floor, levelling the platform with packers if necessary before screwing the platform down to the floor. When you pop the washing machine onto the platform, it will run smoothly without any need for adjustment.

When you purchase a new washing machine, it will come with two inlet hoses – a blue one for the cold water supply and a red one for the hot water. These hoses are connected to the outlets on the back of the machinevia washing machine valves attached to the water supply. These are color coded.

Some machines have only a cold supply with just one hose, in which case the fitting procedure is exactly the same as for a machine with a dual water supply. However, it is far more expensive to run this type of machine, because the water has to be heated in the machine, which means that the whole washing process takes longer and consumes more energy.

The hook-shaped waste hose is fitted into a 40mm vertical plastic waste pipe attached to a deep seal trap and away to a gully. The hose is loosely fitted into the standpipe to avoid dirty water being siphoned back into the machine. Ensure that the pipe is a minimum of 610mm (24in) in height from the floor.

Some sink waste traps have a spigot end to attach a washing machine. Make sure you fit an in-line anti-siphon return valve, to avoid dirty water returning into the machine. The valve fits in the machine outlet hose simply with a hose connector at each end.

Don’t forget to turn on the power and the valves before you slide the machine into place. If you spot a slight leak on the valve connection, wrap some PTFE tape around the thread and reconnect the fittings.

Plumbing in a dishwasher involves exactly the same process as that used for the washing machine, except that a dishwasher normally only has a single cold water supply. Try to avoid placing two appliances alongside each other, as this makes both machines awkward to get to if you need to move them for any reason.