2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 05:33
You can meet a washing machine or a dishwasher built into a kitchen set in almost every second apartment. This design solution for filling the kitchen space has found a positive response from most owners of small apartments.
What is the reason for the popularity of this solution and how is the installation of equipment under the countertop of the kitchen set? You can find out about this by reading our article.
The built-in freezer will significantly save space in the room.
Advantages and disadvantages of a washing machine under the kitchen countertop
Placing large household appliances under the countertop of a kitchen set is often a forced measure, which has its own advantages and disadvantages:
- this allows you to save precious space in a small bathroom;
- an additional work surface is formed in the kitchen space, which can be used for cooking or storing small household appliances (electric kettle, microwave oven, toaster, etc.);
- it becomes possible to wash clothes, regardless of whether the bathroom is occupied by one of the family members or not.
However, deciding to embed household appliances into the kitchen countertop, you will need to put up with some unpleasant moments
- Noises from a running washing machine (especially when squeezing and draining the water) can be uncomfortable while eating. Family members will have to speak louder and the TV sound will be muted.
- It is no secret that washing powder and other detergents (fabric softener and softener) have a pronounced chemical odor, which is inappropriate in the space for storing food and eating.
- Difficulties may arise due to the fact that additional actions will have to be performed. For example, if the laundry basket is in the bathroom, and the washing machine is in the kitchen, you will first need to sort the dirty laundry, place it in the basins, measure out the required amount of detergent, and only then go to the kitchen. Doing this several times a day can be tiring.
Recommendations for choosing a washing machine
Choosing a model of a washing machine that would fit perfectly into the kitchen space is not so difficult as it might seem at first. You just need to adhere to some recommendations.
It is no secret that the washing machine is presented in two forms. It can be front and top loading. It is logical to assume that the latter, for installation under a countertop, is not the most convenient option. Therefore, it is recommended to give preference to the front models, where the loading of linen is carried out through the lid on the front panel of the device.
However, for a vertical machine, there is an option to install a lifting table top. But you need to be prepared that the space on the washing machine should always be free.
The latest generation washing machine is usually equipped with a modern interior design that makes it virtually silent. Thus, you can cook food on the countertop or put small household appliances on it.
In turn, there is the option of placing the washing machine directly under the kitchen sink.
But it is worth mentioning that the height of the device in this case should not exceed 60 centimeters.
Location and options for installing the washing machine under the kitchen space
In order to facilitate the process of installing the washing machine in a kitchen set, it is necessary to maintain a distance between the device and the wall of at least 10 centimeters. This will allow the hoses leading to the pipe to be freely positioned. In most washing machine models, the legs are adjustable. But still it is recommended to pre-measure the distance between the tabletop and the floor … Otherwise, there is a possibility that the legs will need to be unscrewed completely, which may cause some inconvenience during the installation process.
The same applies to the side space of the washing machine. It is recommended to leave at least two centimeters on the left and right sides.
This is due to the fact that during operation the washing machine may vibrate and sway from side to side (especially during intensive washing). Do not forget that regardless of how the washing machine will be located, there should always be access to its components, in particular - to the hole for the detergent, garbage filters and water drain.
In order for the washing machine to work, you need to connect it to three necessary communications:
- sewerage drain for water;
- an electrical outlet that will provide the device with energy;
- tubes and hoses for water supply.
The choice of the installation option for the washing machine is an extremely important point, since each of the possible options has its own specific characteristics. For example, it is permissible to install a washing machine directly on the floor or on plinths.
Quite often, in the documentation accompanying the purchase of a washing machine, there is a note that the device must stand exceptional on a stable surface.
This offers certain advantages over installation on plinths. For example, vibrations emanating from the device during spinning or intensive washing will be transmitted exclusively to the floor surface. At the same time, the kitchen set will remain stationary, which will allow you to use the work surface even with the washing machine turned on.
It is the transmission of vibration to kitchen furniture that is the main disadvantage of installing this device on plinths.
If the device is installed exclusively on plinths, it is recommended to take all available measures to strengthen them .… It is necessary to limit the possibility of their movement from a place, as well as to ensure stability. In turn, it will be necessary to carry out a laborious adjustment procedure - adjusting the plinths to an uneven floor surface.
Similar actions are carried out using tools such as a building level and removable adjustable legs.
Dishwasher installation features
Most of the models of dishwashers presented in the store already have a design that can harmoniously fit into any color scheme of the kitchen set. As a rule, the dishwasher has small rollers that allow you to slide it completely freely into the free space under the countertop of the headset.
For ease of installation, all devices have a standard size: 60 (or 45) centimeters wide, 82 centimeters high and 55 centimeters deep. In turn, manufacturers deliberately make dishwashers slightly smaller than the declared size, and a special box for installation in a kitchen set is a little larger than a household appliance.
Thus, the manufacturer makes the installation process easier for the consumer.
Another feature of dishwashers is the same mounting on all models. That is why all kitchen sets are equipped with a special niche with fixing elements for installing a household appliance. In its absence, the consumer can simply refuse it by ordering a standard package.
When choosing a place for the dishwasher, it is recommended to choose the future location of the appliance near an electrical outlet. This will save yourself from additional work with electrical wiring, in the absence of experience and work skills, with which it is better not to carry out the process yourself.
The process of connecting to water supply will be less laborious. In most cases, the dishwasher is placed near the kitchen sink .… This allows you to minimize movement in the kitchen space, since it is convenient to load dirty dishes into the dishwasher directly from the sink, and place clean dishes on a dryer, often located above the sink.
Also, one of the water supply hoses will need to be connected to a siphon with a fitting located under the washbasin.
If it is decided to place the equipment at a distance from the kitchen sink, you will need to purchase hoses to increase its length.
Also, as in the case of a washing machine, it is necessary to achieve the stability of the position of the equipment. The presence of rollers, although it facilitates the process of installing the device in a niche of a kitchen set, but makes the structure extremely unstable.
Pay particular attention to whether the dishwasher is level. If there is an uneven floor, you will need to adjust the height of the built-in appliances using special legs … Otherwise, during the operation of the dishwasher, water leakage may occur or the communication connections of the nodes may be disrupted.
On a note. In no case is it recommended to install this device near an oven or hobs. The body of the kitchen set, located next to the dishwasher, must be sealed with a vapor barrier. And when adjusting the height of the dishwasher, you need to make sure that this parameter matches the height of the table top and at the same time takes into account the need for free space between it and the side parts of the headset case.
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