need to add wall outlet for a dishwasher - code & standards?

[AcidWater]

My Kitchen Aid dishwasher, installed in 1970, has finally bit the dust. Can't get parts. It is hard-wired to a 2-wire Romex cable coming up from below, near the front center of the recessed space under the kitchen cabinet. The new dishwashers all have a 3 prong plug & cord.

Is there a particular code standard, like being water resistant, for a hidden outlet back there? Also would need to make the panel breaker GFCI since it would be impossible to reach the outlet to reset it, without pulling the dishwasher out from under.

Also, I think the outlet needs to be recessed behind the stud wall, because the cabinet recess might not be wide enough to accomodate several inches of the plug & wire sticking out, plus the width of the dishwasher. OR would it be allowable to cut off the plug & hard wire it in an electrical box? The cord is really, really long.

There is a stud wall to the left, and the wire could be re-routed from the basement below to rise in between the studs.

A side issue is that the current dishwashers are taller than mine so they don't fit the vertical space - but I'm replacing the cabinets anyway, and putting a new vinyl planking floor on top of the linoeleum, which adds another 5mm to the height I need to specify.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Install the outlet under the kitchen sink. Any surface electrical box will do with a GFCI. If possible do run a new cable with a ground if the existing one does not have a ground wire. If it is not possible, the GFCI comes with labels for a "non-grounded" installation. New dishwasher are not taller, only a taller door since it hinges closer to the floor. You need to purchase an appliance cord for the new dishwasher.

New dishwashers have no space under it for anything other than a power cord and water line including the rear of it. Dishwashers are packed with thick insulation and the bottom maybe boxed off for quiet operation. The is the my Samsung dishwasher I installed this past February. It was impossible to get the drain hose into the sink base cabinet from the side. I had to drill a hole below the sink base, then another hole into the base. When I did a remodel ten years ago, you can see I surfaced mounted the electrical box. The wire (UF cable) comes from under the slab inside the wall. Recessing a box can be a hassle if the studs don't line up.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[AcidWater]

I could move the romex to the right & Install an outlet under the kitchen sink. I'd mount it on the left wall, I suppose. Use an outdoor type with a waterproof door.

But it seems to me, that location is the place where its most likely to get sprayed by water.
In the adjacent dishwasher recess, there are only the two hoses which might fail.

The replacement unit, from a friend who remodeled, does have a long cord with plug.

But I want to know about what would meet code, in any case.

And I'm realizing that since I am replacing the cabinets, I will need to make sure the width as well as the height are suitable. I presume the width is still a standard distance ??? The issue might be specifiying the width of the front trim strip, between the dishwasher recess and the under-sink cabinet area. The dishwasher will need a trip strip on both sides, and I don't think the left side width can be reduced because its up against a side wall.

 

[WorthFlorida]

But I want to know about what would meet code, in any case.........And I'm realizing that since I am replacing the cabinets, I will need to make sure the width as well as the height are suitable. I presume the width is still a standard distance ??? .............

You can direct wire the dishwasher but it becomes a hassle to switch off the breaker if ever needed to service the machine. An outlet under the sink is now common everywhere including one for a garbage disposal. Do use an outdoor surface mount box with a GFCI but a water proof cover is not needed but if it makes you feel it's warranted by all means use one. It'd be rare that a waterline could leak but it's the GFCI purpose to trip in 5ms should a ground fault be detected.

Dishwashers are made for 24" wide openings and kitchen cabinets are 35" tall. An industry standard.

Use this single gang box.

Commercial Electric 1-Gang Non-Metallic Weatherproof Box with (3) 1/2 in. Holes, Gray WSB350PG - The Home Depot

Commercial Electric's non-metallic weatherproof boxes are rated to protect branch circuits in wet, damp, and/or dry locations. Powder coat finish provides maximum weatherability and scratch resistance.

www.homedepot.com

 

[Jeff H Young]

ok so you are building new cabinets . put the D/W next to k/s and connect electrical , water , and drain as typical ?
check specs on DW measurements and verify with cabinet builder?