I am not saying you should do it but if you hard wire the dishwasher with a brand new 12 gauge Romex strung correctly nonstop to the panel without telling anybody and without pulling a permit, then chances are nobody will ever notice.
Dishwasher connection and wiring, oh boy!
The dishwasher died and has to be replaced. So, I disconnected the water supply, the drain and pulled it out of the counter. Oh boy. The romex the installed used was 14 gauge and was hardwired into the back of the machine. At the breaker box, of course, nothing was labeled, so I turned breakers off until I found the right one. This involved turning a breaker off, going upstairs and holding a pen tester to the wire, When the tester didn't chirp, I knew I had the right one.
Since the romex was too short to really get to the connection, I cut the cable as close to the machine as possible. No problem. Out comes the machine.
Now, here's the problem. While testing breakers, I discovered that the circuit the dishwasher is on is 20A and this circuit is also the one the washing machine is on. So, I have 14 gauge wire on a 20A circuit, and if memory serves, a washer is supposed to be on its own circuit anyway, I couldn't find a code requirement in the 2005 NEC for this, so I may be mistaken. What I definitely need to do is pull the 14 gauge wire and replace it with 12, from the junction box to the dishwasher, and make sure that the rest of that circuit has 12 gauge all the way back to the breaker.
What started as a simple pull the dishwasher and replace it is now a rewiring job, for which I will have to get a permit, and which may fail anyway due to the jackleg wiring job some idiot did down in my basement when they ran power to the dishwasher and installed an outdoor receptacle. Yes, that's a problem too. While tracing the dishwasher circuit down I discovered it (the outdoor receptacle) is also wired with 14 gauge wire and is on a 20A circuit.:furious:
I suppose I could just replace the breakers with a 15A, and I may just do that for the outdoor circuit, but the washer and dishwasher really need a 20A circuit.
This is a cautionary tale. I seem to find stuff like this in every house I have ever had. There are lots of effed up wiring jobs out there folks.
Q: should I hard wire the dishwasher or install a receptacle and wire the machine with an appropriate cord and plug? The code says you can do either, but I am looking for some pros and cons here from those knowledgeable on this subject.
Also, what's your collective experience with inspectors in re: existing conditions unrelated to what you pulled a permit for? Down in my basement the jackleg who did the wiring for the dishwasher also strung romex along the underside of floor joists and along the exterior of a drywall stairwell. None of this is code compliant. I am concerned the inspector will fail my whole effing house and I'll have to rewire the whole basement.
Thanks for any advice.
Since the romex was too short to really get to the connection, I cut the cable as close to the machine as possible. No problem. Out comes the machine.
Now, here's the problem. While testing breakers, I discovered that the circuit the dishwasher is on is 20A and this circuit is also the one the washing machine is on. So, I have 14 gauge wire on a 20A circuit, and if memory serves, a washer is supposed to be on its own circuit anyway, I couldn't find a code requirement in the 2005 NEC for this, so I may be mistaken. What I definitely need to do is pull the 14 gauge wire and replace it with 12, from the junction box to the dishwasher, and make sure that the rest of that circuit has 12 gauge all the way back to the breaker.
What started as a simple pull the dishwasher and replace it is now a rewiring job, for which I will have to get a permit, and which may fail anyway due to the jackleg wiring job some idiot did down in my basement when they ran power to the dishwasher and installed an outdoor receptacle. Yes, that's a problem too. While tracing the dishwasher circuit down I discovered it (the outdoor receptacle) is also wired with 14 gauge wire and is on a 20A circuit.:furious:
I suppose I could just replace the breakers with a 15A, and I may just do that for the outdoor circuit, but the washer and dishwasher really need a 20A circuit.
This is a cautionary tale. I seem to find stuff like this in every house I have ever had. There are lots of effed up wiring jobs out there folks.
Q: should I hard wire the dishwasher or install a receptacle and wire the machine with an appropriate cord and plug? The code says you can do either, but I am looking for some pros and cons here from those knowledgeable on this subject.
Also, what's your collective experience with inspectors in re: existing conditions unrelated to what you pulled a permit for? Down in my basement the jackleg who did the wiring for the dishwasher also strung romex along the underside of floor joists and along the exterior of a drywall stairwell. None of this is code compliant. I am concerned the inspector will fail my whole effing house and I'll have to rewire the whole basement.
Thanks for any advice.
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