Trying to understand how I disconnect my old Maytag dishwasher's water supply

[Johnny-Canuck]

One of my first DIY plumbing jobs was to install a Maytag dishwasher in my kitchen over 35 years ago. It's done yeoman's service over the years, but its now time for it to go to dishwasher heaven, so I'm trying to disconnect its water (hot) supply line so I can start to remove it and then replace it.

(PS: As a rookie DIYer and trying to save $ in my 1st DIY kitchen renovation project many years ago, I decided to save money by not laying tiles under the counter area & dish washer. In hindsight now, that was truly a "pennywise-pound foolish" decision because the DW now sits below the level of the finished tile surface, which of course will make it's extrication and replacement much more difficult, but that's a different story).

For now all I want to do is disconnect it from it's water supply so I can continue to figure out how I'm going to extricate it with the least destruction to it's surroundings.

I've attached a shot of my water supply connection and the description of the Water Hookup from the Maytag installation doc.

For the life of me, I don't know how I actually managed to tighten everything together in the tight quarters and not have a leak in the intervening years, but I guess its because I wasn't 70 years old when I did it : -)

You can see the water supply pipe coming from the back, where it ends in a 1" nut … that's holding the rest of the pieces that connect to the pump on the left side. There's a short stub of 3/8" copper between the nut and 1st 90 fitting that screws into what's described as the washer's Street Ell.

Question: All I'd like to confirm is that the 1" nut should come loose when I turn it CounterClockwise (i.e. lefty loosey). (It's very stiff and awkward to get at with a wrench, so I'm trying to avoid making my life any harder than it needs to be

 

[Terry]

I would think lefty loosey. A small six inch wrench may do it. What's behind that? Normally back then it would be 3/8" or 1/2" nominal soft copper to a shutoff under the kitchen sink. Worse comes to worse, you could disconnect there and pull out the dishwasher and the soft copper together and leave it connected at those 90's.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Question: All I'd like to confirm is that the 1" nut should come loose when I turn it CounterClockwise (i.e. lefty loosey).

If you are talking about that big hex thing in your picture, I am not sure it is going to turn. But if it turns, I think you would want to go clockwise when viewed in your picture. The way I am picturing it, that is screwed onto a male thread, and the white is the PTFE tape. Viewed from the water line, that would be counterclockwise. I am not a plumber.

 

[Themp]

I would just get a hack saw blade and cut the pipe between the nut and the 90 degree fitting. And it would be easier to just cut the copper supply pipe. You will not be re-using the copper supply pipe with your new dishwasher I assume.

 

[Johnny-Canuck]

Thanks to all for your thoughts. I'm going to look at it again today with a fresh view.

If I decide to try undoing the 1" hex nut ... I'll start with "lefty loosey".

The thought that the nut might not even move, made me look more closely behind the nut ... and now I'm not so sure it will actually loosen (although it still seems that it must).

The last thought, to simply cut the copper stub piece between the nut and the 90 degree fitting ... and then unthread the stub from the nut ... and then deal with the nut separately once I can see what's what ... is likely what I'll do.

(PS: I understand your point, but I actually had been assuming I'd reuse the rigid copper supply because I'm not doing a major kitchen remodel and foolishly when I did the original plumbing in the 70's I didn't install a separate shutoff for just the dishwasher. So now, I just want to cap it while I remove it and start looking for and installing a replacement).

Thanks again.

 

[Reach4]

Here is an alternative. I like the Ridgid 101 pipe cutter, and it would fit if you could get your arm in. Cut your 1/2 copper, clean the end a bit, and push on a Sharkbite valve. There is your shutoff. Connect the new dishwasher with a flex hose from there.

 

[hj]

The nut will unscrew VERY EASILY once you get it started, but remember it is "lefty loosey" when you are facing it. that nut is on the back side so it will go "righty loosey".

 

[Johnny-Canuck]

For everybody that took the time to offer suggestions ... thanks. I now have the water supply disconnected and capped.

The solution was a combination of all the thoughts. I tried the "lefty loosey" approach on the nut for about 2 secs until I realized I couldn't even start to budge it because of the angle and force that it seemed it would require so I stopped with that approach. (If I had known there was a corollary to my "lefty loosey" knowledge of plumbing before I started, I might had tried "righty loosey". They say you learn something everyday and I did :- )

So my fallback was to cut the copper stub between the hex nut and the 1st 90 degree bend and cap it with a shark bite.

Anyway, now I can move on to the next job of trying to actually extricate the old dishwasher.

PS: This is the first time I've used a Shark Bite fitting, so now I also appreciate the last suggestion of using one that has a shutoff valve and poly piping when it comes time to install the new dishwasher.

PPS: fyi - I've attached a picture that shows the hex nut from the back side ... in a mirror ... and now I understand why your viewing perspective is a critical part of the rule. I obviously only ever learned 1/2 the rule.

 

[Dj2]

"Anyway, now I can move on to the next job of trying to actually extricate the old dishwasher."

If your space is limited, see if you can rotate the mini DW stands inward. But if you can't -

Once I was removing a dishwasher which was lodged in so tight, due to thick floor tiles. Luckily the HO had a few spare tiles and some matching grout. I had to remove 3 tiles to get the DW out. Then I laid 3 new tiles in their place.

 

[hj]

screw all the legs up as high as they will go, and maybe it will come out.

 

[Johnny-Canuck]

My "saga" is almost done. I screwed all the legs up as high as they would go and luckily there was just enough clearance that I didn't even have to break any of the ceramic tiles that I was originally thinking I'd have to. I managed to get it close to halfway out of it's opening until it stopped moving and I finally realized there was another piece of plumbing that I hadn't disconnected yet ... the rubber drain hose. When I installed it originally, the counter top hadn't been installed yet and there was no back on the kitchen "peninsula" that had a cabinet and then the dishwasher. At the time, it was easy to attach the drain hose at the very back of the opening to some 3/4" rigid copper pipe I had run to drain into the garberator under my sink.

Breaking the drain connection to my rigid copper drain pipe should complete the saga. That's tomorrow's job. I just need to jury-rig a very long handle onto a hacksaw blade and cut the 3/4" copper I can see at the very back of the opening. :- )

 

[Plumber69]

You sure are making removing a dishwasher seem complicated

 

[Jadnashua]

The nut on that union should loosen, then come apart fairly easily. But, cutting it off works too!

 

[Dj2]

You sure are making removing a dishwasher seem complicated

Come on, give the guy a break.
You don't know how much free time he has, you don't know how much experience he has. Totally out of place remark.