DDIY - How Not to Install an Under-the-Counter Washer

Going back to the old house we had, and never really having the money to pay people to do things properly, we needed to replace our washing machine. We were fortunate back then that White-Westinghouse made a washer and dryer that could either stack or be installed under a counter. Since there was no basement, no attic and a very small backyard because we lived close to a corner in a busy city; the space was at a premium. Our kitchen was designed with a standing stove on a short wall, with the under the counter washer, dishwasher, the sink then at the end, the dryer all across the long wall with the stove to the right next to the washer. So we fortunately found an appliance store that had a replacement for the washer that no longer worked. They delivered it and took the old one away for a decent fee, but we chose to install the new one ourselves to avoid additional fees. Since we were replacing an identical appliance with another, how hard could it be?

So I would be the helper and my husband operated just like a doctor; I had to hand him all the tools while he played master installer. Because it was at a right angle to the stove, he had to take the door off the stove or there would be no room to push the washer in. The stove had a heavy glass door so we made sure we put it in a safe place. Being without a washer for a few days we naturally had lots of laundry awaiting the installation.

As my husband perused the installation directions, I went about doing other things until he needed my assistance. God forbid, I tried to help him because he had everything "under control". So finally he had the washer hooked up, and I started stuffing it with laundry because he started it and sure enough the water worked and it started filling up with no leaks. So I continued with the laundry and walked away to do something else.

Suddenly, the noise that came from the kitchen caused us to run and see just what was happening. I quickly turned the washer off before it completely jumped through the top of the counter and broke the glass door on the oven. Something was terribly wrong. The old washer never did this, what the heck happened? Hubby swore he did everything exactly as the directions said when installing. So I took the directions and went through them and sure enough he did exactly as they said. However, one piece of literature was totally overlooked; the one that was on the front of the washer that he removed and put aside. That was the page that had big red letters that said; BEFORE INSTALLING THIS MACHINE, PLEASE REMOVE THE SHIPPING BRACKETS. Duh!

Source: Life experience living with a man who refuses to read all the directions!