Wiring code for new dish washer

[6PTsocket]

I am awaiting delivery on a new Bosch dish washer. Browsing the spec sheet I saw: "51 inch power cord, permanent." Over a lot of years, this is my 4th dish washer. This house has a length of Romex coming out of the wall. The previous three dish washers all had a junction box on the machine. You fed the Romex through the clamp, into the box and wire nutted it to the pigtails. I can see the logic of a flexible cord to extend the machine for wiring instead of the Romex. This means I will probably have to mount a junction box, probabably on the floor, to tie the power cord to the Romex. Is this,some kind of code change to eliminate exposed Romex under the machine? I hesitate to cut the Romex off short so I will probably try to neatly fold it up going into the box. I haven't seen the machine yet so I may be worrying about a non existent problem. Anybody installed a dish washer recently that came with a power cord? Thanks.

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[ddawg16]

It depends on which state you are in and your local building codes.

My dishwasher has a cord with a plug on it. Behind the dishwasher on the wall is an outlet. That plug goes into the outlet.

I personally see NO reason a dishwasher should be hardwired in.

 

[jeffmattero76]

Around here, either is acceptable, as far as I know. I have rental properties, and if I am rehabbing the kitchen compleyely, I will add a receptacle very low in the wall and then buy a cord. If not rehabbing the kitchen, and no receptacle is there, I use the existing romex. Either way, you will still have to make the electrical connections in the dishwashers Junction box.

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[6PTsocket]

Around here, either is acceptable, as far as I know. I have rental properties, and if I am rehabbing the kitchen compleyely, I will add a receptacle very low in the wall and then buy a cord. If not rehabbing the kitchen, and no receptacle is there, I use the existing romex. Either way, you will still have to make the electrical connections in the dishwashers Junction box.

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With a cord coming off the dishwasher, I wonder if there is a junction box on board to act as as covered tie point. We shall see. I just thought there might be some new rule outlawing Romex from hanging out of the wall. Maybe the cord comes out of a box and is detachable. I will know when it arrives. Is a plug legal if it is not directly accessable. It is called portable cordage for a reason. A washing machine is free srtanding; a dish washer is built in.

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[Jim greengo]

It's a line of sight disconect,around here we normally install a gfi under sink to cover both bases.

 

[teamextreme]

The last 2 Bosch D/W's I installed had a cord with a plastic j-box on the end of it that I connected the romex coming out of the wall to. You can hard wire them or use a recep, but pretty much all the D/W's I've hooked up (a dozen or more) have been hard wired.

 

[TRWham]

It's a line of sight disconect,around here we normally install a gfi under sink to cover both bases.

This is the best solution to meet NEC 2017. Article 422 permits, but does not require, that a dishwasher be served by a receptacle, and requires that the receptacle be accessible and in the "space adjacent to the space occupied by the dishwasher." In addition, it requires that there be an accessible disconnect within line of sight, which a receptacle can be, so the easiest way to satisfy NEC is to install a GFCI receptacle under the sink. There are other ways to do it, like a switch, but this seems like another case where it would be simpler if they just required something directly, rather than writing rules that lead you to their apparently preferred solution.

 

[shoot summ]

I installed a new Bosch dishwasher about a month ago, our 13 year old Bosch finally died.

The box and cord included is really slick, no more laying on your side trying to wire up the dishwasher under the front. I shortened the romex, mounted the box, and plugged it in, quick and easy.

If you ever find a need to extend the romex just mount a junction box where the Bosch box was.

 

[Muzzy]

As mentioned it comes with it's own box. The box is fairly big and may not fit in the opening with the dishwasher. The cord comes out the back of the dishwasher, so you have the full length to use. Chances are the wiring on your current dishwasher attaches to the front and you will have to move the wire...or at least that's how my luck runs.

Please see attached pictures.

IIRC the cord then plugs into the dishwasher, which would satisfy the local disconnect requirement. I would suggest installing a GFCI in line before the Bosh connection regardless.

 

[75gmck25]

When they wired my kitchen they put a standard receptacle up under the sink cabinet near the dishwasher, and then drilled a hole between the cabinet and the dishwasher area. When they slid the dishwasher into place they threaded the cord through the hole and plugged it into that receptacle. IIRC, they plugged the garbage disposal into the same receptacle, so it does double duty.

Bruce

 

[TRWham]

When they wired my kitchen they put a standard receptacle up under the sink cabinet near the dishwasher, and then drilled a hole between the cabinet and the dishwasher area. When they slid the dishwasher into place they threaded the cord through the hole and plugged it into that receptacle. IIRC, they plugged the garbage disposal into the same receptacle, so it does double duty.

Bruce

That could be done only if the combined load of the 2 does not exceed the circuit ampacity. I'm sure it's okay in many cases, but some dishwashers are pretty hungry and that plus a big power disposer might be too much.

 

[6PTsocket]

Thanks guys for the info and the pictures. After looking at the picture of the dish washer, I see the door is almost full lengeth and overhangs the small front panel. The older ones had the big removable lower panel to access the washer's junction box from the front. Now I see why they had to go to a cord. When I looked at it in the store the cord and box was inside and I did not really look at it and just assumed it was just some filter gizmo as I saw a lot of translucent white plastic. Thanks again. Can't wait to get it in; sick of washing dishes.

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[Jim greengo]

That could be done only if the combined load of the 2 does not exceed the circuit ampacity. I'm sure it's okay in many cases, but some dishwashers are pretty hungry and that plus a big power disposer might be too much.

Well that and it would have to be a 1/2 switched outlet for the disposal,wheres your gfi protection?

 

[TRWham]

Well that and it would have to be a 1/2 switched outlet for the disposal,wheres your gfi protection?

Could be on a GFCI breaker. We generally supply a dedicated circuit to the dishwasher in any case. And don't forget an airswitch is after the receptacle and most of our clients are using airswitches.

 

[Low277]

Many years ago having NM cable coming out of wall and hard wiring dishwashers was common. Been many years since I have wired a new home but the last one I did I put a single 20 amp dedicated receptacle behind it and a cord on the dishwasher.

In my area this is becoming the common practice as many times the dishwasher is installed by the plumber. They can just plug it in.

 

[theoldwizard1]

When they wired my kitchen they put a standard receptacle up under the sink cabinet near the dishwasher, and then drilled a hole between the cabinet and the dishwasher area. When they slid the dishwasher into place they threaded the cord through the hole and plugged it into that receptacle. IIRC, they plugged the garbage disposal into the same receptacle, so it does double duty.

I did the exact same on a kitchen remodel I did about 6 years ago.

That could be done only if the combined load of the 2 does not exceed the circuit ampacity. I'm sure it's okay in many cases, but some dishwashers are pretty hungry and that plus a big power disposer might be too much.

Not an issue as it was feed by a 20A circuit.

Well that and it would have to be a 1/2 switched outlet for the disposal,wheres your gfi protection?

Good question and now I can't remember ! I might have just put a double box in with 2 duplex outlets. The first would have been a GFCI outlet for the dishwasher and the second outlet for the disposer would been switched off of the GFCI "downstream" leg.

 

[larry4406]

New home construction guy here.

For the past 15+ years whenever we did custom kitchens, Bosch dishwasher was always plug in. Part of scoping out the build and determining roughin requirements.

One county I build in is still on an older Code cycle and still permits direct wire dishwasher (Fairfax County VA less than 10 miles from Washington DC! no less so not backwoods). Other county (Montgomery County MD) is on a newer Code cycle and requires readily accessible GFCI disconnect so we simply put a GFCI outlet in the sink base and plug in the dishwasher.

So the answer is ymmv depending on the ahj