How to Replace a Maytag Dishwasher

If you are swapping Maytag for Maytag the connections are effectively identical. Coming from another brand, pay attention to the drain hose routing — Maytag runs it differently from some competitors.

Confirm the electrical is dead with a non-contact tester before touching wiring.

Taking the old one out#

Breaker off, supply valve under the sink off, towels down. Remove the lower access panel — two 1/4-inch hex screws on a Maytag.

1. Water. The supply line meets the inlet valve on the left through a 3/4-inch compression fitting. Loosen the nut counter-clockwise and pull the line free, draining what is in it into a towel or bucket
2. Drain. Loosen the clamp under the sink and pull the hose off the disposal nipple or sink tailpiece; more water will come out
3. Electrical. Open the junction box under the tub. Hard-wired means removing the wire nuts from black, white and green or bare, pulling the house wires clear and capping each one individually. Cord-and-plug means simply unplugging
4. Mounting. Open the door, remove the two screws driven up into the countertop underside, close it, then wind the front levelling legs clockwise to drop the machine and free it from the counter

Slide it straight forward slowly, watching the supply line and drain hose as they clear the cabinet.

Preparing the opening#

Clean the floor and inspect what is left: supply valve, drain connection and electrical access all need to be in good order. Check the house wires are long enough to reach the new junction box, which on most Maytags sits in the same front-right position. The opening should be 24 inches wide, 34 inches tall and at least 24 inches deep.

While it is empty, deal with the supply hose. Braided stainless lines get replaced every 8-10 years, and any rubber hose gets replaced now, not later.

Putting the new one in#

Wind the front levelling legs out to their lowest position for maximum clearance. Thread the supply line, drain hose and electrical through the cabinet opening, then slide the machine in slowly, guiding hoses and wires so nothing kinks or gets pinched, until the front flanges sit flush with the cabinet face.

• Water: two or three clockwise wraps of Teflon tape on the inlet valve threads, then the compression fitting hand-tight plus a quarter turn with pliers. Brass strips easily, so do not lean on it
• Drain: route the hose through the cabinet side wall, then make a high loop by clamping it up under the countertop — that is what stops sink water backflowing into the machine. Clamp the end to the disposal nipple or tailpiece, and if it goes to a disposal, confirm the knockout plug was actually removed
• Electrical: feed the house wires through the strain relief, join black to black, white to white, green or bare to ground with wire nuts, tug each one to check it holds, then close the cover

Levelling and first run#

Adjust the front legs until the machine is level side-to-side and front-to-back with a level laid on the tub opening edge, and until the top sits snug against the counter underside without straining. Open the door and drive the mounting screws up through the top brackets into the countertop.

Water on first. Check under the machine and under the sink for leaks before restoring power. If it is dry, breaker on — the panel should light. Run a Normal cycle empty, watching the supply connection during fill and the drain connection under the sink during drain. Check underneath once more after it finishes.

Three Maytag details worth knowing: use the hardware in the box (supply elbow, drain hose, brackets, wire nuts) rather than the old parts; the manual wants at least 20 inches of clearance above the tub for the door to open fully; and a stainless-tub model runs about 70-80 lbs, so have a second pair of hands if the floor grips.

Aluminium house wiring, a non-standard opening, a corroded supply valve, a permit requirement or a drain run over 12 feet all mean book a repair instead.