How to connect the dishwasher to the mains

The dishwasher in the process deals with water and electricity - this is a deadly combination. Therefore, it is necessary to approach the stage of connecting the dishwasher to the mains with all responsibility, make the connection correctly so that the operation of the appliance is as safe as possible for people. At the same time, the connection must be reliable - once connected and forgot. In this article, we give recommendations that will help to properly connect the dishwasher to the mains.

The importance of grounding wiring

The dishwasher is one of the most dangerous electrical appliances in terms of electrical safety. Therefore, when connecting to the mains, it is first necessary to ensure the grounding of this appliance. That is, one of the main requirements for wiring - availability of working protective grounding.

Often they make a gross mistake - they connect the dishwasher by means of zeroing, that is, in the absence of grounding, they connect the grounding contact of the outlet with a working zero. In the event of a break in the neutral wire, a dangerous potential will appear on the dishwasher's body - the phase voltage of the mains.

Also dangerous is the lack of grounding as such - in the event of a dangerous potential appearing on the body of an electrical appliance, a person will be shocked by electric shock. Moreover, in the event of an insulation breakdown, the dangerous potential flows through the water and can be dangerous not only to residents of the apartment, operating the water supply in other rooms, but also to neighbors.

Therefore, do not neglect these recommendations and the issue of grounding the dishwasher should be resolved first.

Wiring Requirements

It is very important to correctly assess the condition of the wiring, in particular its load capacity, in order to be sure that connecting a new household appliance to the network - a dishwasher, will not damage the wiring.

A household dishwasher has an average power consumption of 1,500– 2,500 watts, so it plugs into a regular household outlet, designed to turn on loads up to 16 A (up to 3,500 watts of power).

To connect the dishwasher, it is recommended to use an outlet powered by a separate wiring line directly from switchboard. An individual circuit breaker and a residual current circuit breaker (or a differential circuit-breaker that functions as two protective devices) are installed on this line. This option is the most acceptable, both in terms of reliability, and in terms of security.

If there is a free outlet, but not from an individual wiring line, but from a group line in the junction box, then before turning on the dishwasher, you must make sure that this section of the wiring is able to withstand a new load. The total load of the group of sockets should not exceed the permissible for a given section of the wiring - that is, for the cable from which the junction box of this socket group is powered.

It is necessary to analyze which electrical appliances and their power are included in certain sockets. It may be necessary to switch one of the household electrical appliances into an outlet powered by another junction box to plug the dishwasher into an outlet in this group.In this case, the main task is to exclude possible overloads in individual sections of the wiring in case of the need for the simultaneous operation of several electrical appliances.

It is also very important that the wiring is in good condition. Old wiring is not able to withstand the permissible load currents and when a new load is connected to the network, it can fail at the most inopportune moment. If the wiring is in an unsatisfactory condition, then you should consider replacing it, since the stable power supply of the house is at risk.

Before connecting the dishwasher to the network, it is necessary to check the status of the outlet, in particular the status of the plug connectors and contact clamps, through which the wiring cable is connected. If the plug connectors are loose and do not provide sufficient reliability of contact with the plug of the dishwasher, then in order to avoid problems in the future, such an outlet should be replaced without fail.

Operational Safety

In addition to grounding the appliance and installing a residual current device, additional measures must be taken to ensure safety when operating the dishwasher.

In order to avoid the negative consequences of water entering the outlet, it is recommended that the outlet be kept away from the dishwasher, not in the piping and connection hoses. The main task is to prevent water from entering the outlet in case of damage to the water supply elements. If the outlet is located in the zone of possible splash of water, it is necessary to install waterproof outlet.

For reliability, the dishwasher should be plugged into the outlet directly, without the use of extension cords and tees of dubious quality.