Like most (I assume) we are to fit our washing machine under a worktop. In an ideal world you'd have a water supply with isolator just above the washing machine, but that's obviously not possible with it under a worktop. Given that option is off the cards, does it make any difference to have the connection and any particular height? The only consideration I can think of is to have it at a height that you can get a tub underneath to catch any water when disconnecting. That suggests a height of something like 150mm would be good.

 

I suppose the other option is to still have it high, higher than the machine's own connection point, so the hose can remain full when disconnected and then get drained.

 

Do NOT have the connector and isolator tap behind the appliance.

 

Fit it inside an adjacent cupboard unit so it is accessible, and does not restrict the appliance going fully back into it's recess.

 

Same for waste fitting and electrical socket.

+1

 

Adjacent cupboard.

7 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Do NOT have the connector and isolator tap behind the appliance.

 

Fit it inside an adjacent cupboard unit so it is accessible, and does not restrict the appliance going fully back into it's recess.

 

Same for waste fitting and electrical socket.

 

Does the height not matter at all?

There is generally zero room left behind the appliance to have an electric or water connection behind it.  Run to the cupboard next to it. Water height - doesn't matter as long as your hose will reach.

 

Electric we plug into a dumb socket in the cupboard and have a ready/easy to reach wall isolation switch on the wall.

 

Waste connection also do in the next cupboard.

20 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

 

Does the height not matter at all?

Only in so far as it has to be accessible inside the cupboard.

Great, the plumbing is working out so it can be to the side, but much easier to plumb if low down rather than high up.

Sometimes of course it is not possible to put the connection in the adjacent cupboard because the adjacent cupboard is another appliance or a drawer unit etc. This is the case with us and we have the room (670mm worktop depth) to position the connector behind the machine - however we have ensured the supply pipe has a shut off valve under the sink.

 

Regarding height, don't forget some washing machines and dishwashers these days can come with leak detection and shut-off devices attached to the water input pipe. These can be 3-4 inches long, so if mounting the connector facing down for example you probably need at least 6 inches and probably a bit more for the water shut off device and the bend in the pipe.

5 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

There is generally zero room left behind the appliance to have an electric or water connection behind it.

 

I was surprised to see how deep some of the condenser dfiers are. Some of the Bosch ones are deeper than 600mm and many others are just under 600mm (eg Hisense).

3 minutes ago, Spinny said:

Sometimes of course it is not possible to put the connection in the adjacent cupboard because the adjacent cupboard is another appliance or a drawer unit etc. This is the case with us and we have the room (670mm worktop depth) to position the connector behind the machine - however we have ensured the supply pipe has a shut off valve under the sink.

 

Regarding height, don't forget some washing machines and dishwashers these days can come with leak detection and shut-off devices attached to the water input pipe. These can be 3-4 inches long, so if mounting the connector facing down for example you probably need at least 6 inches and probably a bit more for the water shut off device and the bend in the pipe.

 

I never knew they had these leak detectors, thanks for the heads up

16 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

 

I was surprised to see how deep some of the condenser dfiers are. Some of the Bosch ones are deeper than 600mm and many others are just under 600mm (eg Hisense).

Yes, definitely something to watch out for. I printed out all the dimensions for our washer to use for planning, and the plumber said the dryer would be slimmer than the washer, which I also expected. However when I did check the heat pump dryer dimensions I was shocked to find it actually deeper than the washer. Indeed I think it was 610mm deep and therefore incapable of ever being fitted in the standard 600 by 600 space.

 

The manufacturers seem to compete heavily on machine capacity and so are constantly trying to make the drums bigger - pushing ever outwards at the back and at the front by making the front panel and the door stick ever further forward.

Edited September 10Sep 10 by Spinny

5 minutes ago, Spinny said:

Yes, definitely something to watch out for. I printed out all the dimensions for our washer to use for planning, and the plumber said the dryer would be slimmer than the washer, which I also expected. However when I did check the heat pump dryer dimensions I was shocked to find it actually deeper than the washer. Indeed I think it was 610mm deep and therefore incapable of ever being fitted in the standard 600 by 600 space.

 

The manufacturers seem to compete heavily on machine capacity and so are constantly trying to make the drums bigger - pushing ever outwards at the back and at the front by making the front panel and the door stick ever further forward.

Found exactly the same with a heat pump dryer.  In the end we stacked the washer and dryer and just ran the utility work surface up to the space for the washer and dryer. Worked out much better.

Another Noddy question, but are appliance hoses normally right angle at the supply connection end?

Usually one right angle which fits on the back of the appliance.

I think traditionally the connection hose always had a right angle where it screwed in to connect to the back of the machine, and then a straight connector on the other end to connect to the supply. Our new machine has the hose integrated with the machine and with a water leak detector/shut-off on the water supply end which is straight.

 

We had a minor celebration at the weekend because for the first time in 3 years and 8 months the weekly wash did not have to be taken to the laundrette !

Edited September 10Sep 10 by Spinny

ProDave is right on this one. From the leak side, the height matters much less than having the isolator somewhere you can actually reach. When a machine hose lets go, the difference between a puddle and a wrecked kitchen is whether someone can turn that valve off in seconds rather than dragging the machine out first.