If you are going to reuse it, you need to know how it should be installed.

Go to the manufacturer's website and see if you can find a product manual for your dishwasher. Maybe it wasn't installed correctly.

Otherwise, google for the manual. The way that you search makes a big difference in what you find (I'm a librarian - finding stuff is my stock and trade). Experiment with quotes: Frigidaire "450-K" or "Whirlpool Ultimate 2000." I made those up; you'll have to play with the information that you have.

I recently replaced a dishwasher that was original to my home, circa 1981. It did a cr@ppy job washing, but it didn't damage anything. And the laminate wasn't painted underneath.

Best of luck to you,

B

It sounds like it is not venting correctly. Please see about getting it taken care of (sorry for the bad English). My boyfriend just learned an expensive lession when he let a small leak under his sink go. He ended up with mold all over his bottom cabinets and had to replace them all. Don't think he will be making that mistake again.

ditto what mustbnuts said. A new DW wouldn't cost you nearly as much as paying for new counterops.

We just pulled out our old DW today and looks like we have some water damage. Either it's a pipe leak the DW got messed up when we got the pipes replaced with copper in February. Either way I'll be calling Repipe Specialists on Monday...

some dishwashers do vent from the top along the door and should not be used with laminate.

Vapor barriers should be installed with most modern DWs if a laminate counter (or butcher block) is used. (Look at the Ikea site countertops specs to get an idea of what I'm talking about). Either seal the underside of the laminate with a good primer like KIlZ for at least a foot on either side, and then topcoat that with whatever you've got leftover that isn't flat paint. Preferably semi gloss made for kitchens and baths, as that usually has a mold inhibitor in it, but plain semi gloss is fine.

Or, you can staple 6 mil plastic to the underside of the laminate, covering the staples with caulk, and drape it down over the sides of the DW.

You also should encourage as much air flow in your kitchen as possible to dry the moisture that escapes and condenses into water against the vapor barrier. That doesn't mean leaving a gap that sound can escape, but it does mean maybe turning on a ceiling fan, or using the AC in the summer to dry things out as well as using an externally venting fan to let the moisture from cooking escape so the interior air is actually dry enough to evaporate the DW moisture.

We had an old Asko in our last house that vented out the top. We started to notice the swelling of the particle board substrate, so DH brushed on some polyurethane on the underside of the top. It worked for us. We moved about a couple of years later, so I'm not sure how it's held up since then (2001).

When we bought our new KA DW, it came with a reflective strip, and according to the instructions, was to be placed on the underside of laminate so it reflects the heat and moisture away. We have granite but used the reflective strip on the 3/4" plywood under the granite, but just above the DW vent (it vents from the top) for protection. We had to build up our cabinets by 3/4" to make the height 36". It's been almost a year and it's doing the job. Perhaps that might be what you need. Just a thought.

Thank you all for the feedback and ideas. I'm going to contact Frigidaire, talk to the GC, and try some of these solutions. Hopefully a simple fix will do it.

Cate

You might want to try cleaning the gasket seal around the edge of the door and sometimes the main body. They can get cruddy and stop working.

I think the problem is fixed. We cleaned the gasket, moved the DW forward a bit, and the plumber put some silicone on the underside of the counter. I think now that the door also wasn't latching properly (perhaps aided by sneaky little hands). All steam is now properly coming from the vent under the handle. Thank you all for your help!

What kind of silicone? Was it a sheet or like a paint?

It was 12 years ago.

Suzknapik - I would suggest using the reflective metal tape used to seal hot air ducts. It will be water proof. A few bucks for a roll you will never use all of. Can’t think of the name of it right now. It’s not heat tape or duct tape.