JJ Lighting & Electrical - Home Electrical Centre

First things first, integrated dishwashers are generally interchangeable. The only thing to watch is the difference between “semi-integrated” and “integrated” machines. Semi-integrated machines are the earlier type, and can be indentified by the control panel at the top of the door which is clearly visible when the door is closed. The more modern fully-integrated type have a control panel fitted actually in the top edge of the door – this cannot be seen at all with the door shut and the front of the dishwasher looks like any other cupboard door. Once you know what type it is, any machine will usually fit in the gap, and all machines come with their own fitting kit which allows you to mount any wooden door onto the front.

As far as replacing your machine is concerned, it depends what it is. While it’s true that the cheaper end of the integrated appliance market has come down in price, you’ll still need to pay a fair chunk of money (approximately £400) for a good quality machine from the likes of Bosch or Neff. The cheap “unbranded” machines may be tempting, but we tend to find that they last only two or three years – and of course, every time they go wrong or need replacing most engineers and retailers charge a fair sum to remove them from your kitchen cabinet. I would say it’s far better to buy a good machine which will go in and last a good number of years without trouble, even if it’s more expensive to start with. If your current machine is a good-quality brand and only a few years old it’s well worth getting an engineer in to have a look at it, but again, if it’s a cheap machine you will simply be throwing good money after bad. We can recommend a good local engineer, feel free to call us for his details.