Hayes Plumbing handles dishwasher installation in Ajax, from Pickering Village and Downtown Ajax to Southwood, Applecroft and Nottingham. Our licensed plumbers take out the old unit, connect the new dishwasher to the water supply and drain, level it, secure it to the cabinet or countertop and run it to check every connection. We also run water lines to refrigerators with ice makers and water dispensers, and hook up washing machines. We drive out from 448 Ritson Rd. South in Oshawa, 20 to 30 minutes away by road, and every quote is written up before the job begins. Garbage disposals have their own service page.
How We Install a Dishwasher
- Prepare the space. We shut off the water, disconnect and remove the old dishwasher, and check the cabinet floor for signs of past leaks.
- Check the supply. A dishwasher is normally fed from the hot water line and needs a shut-off valve you can reach. A valve that is seized, crusted with mineral buildup or dripping at the stem is replaced before the new unit goes in, and a worn supply line is replaced rather than reused.
- Route the drain. The new drain hose connects to the existing drain tee or sink tailpiece, or to the garbage disposal if there is one, with a high loop beneath the countertop, or an air gap where the appliance instructions or local requirements ask for one. When the dishwasher drains through a new disposal, the disposal's knockout plug has to come out first.
- Level, secure and test. The dishwasher is levelled and fastened to the cabinet or countertop, then run through a cycle while we check the supply and drain connections for leaks.
Fridge Water Lines and Washing Machine Hookups
The same visit can cover the other appliances in your kitchen and laundry room that use water:
- Refrigerator water lines: for a fridge with an ice maker or water dispenser and no line to it, we fit an isolation valve on a cold water pipe and run a new copper line to the fridge through the basement ceiling, the base cabinets or removable ceiling tiles.
- Washing machine hookups: we connect a new washer to the hot and cold supply valves and the drain, replace valves that no longer close fully, and check every connection with the water on before you start a load.
- Efficient models: the Region of Durham estimates that laundry accounts for about 30 per cent of the water used in a home, and says ENERGY STAR Most Efficient clothes washers use 40 per cent less water and 45 per cent less electricity than first-generation front-load washers from 2000.
Electrical Work Is a Separate Trade
Our plumbers make the water and drain connections. If a new dishwasher needs an outlet or circuit that is not there yet, or a hard-wired connection, that piece of the job is electrical work. The Electrical Safety Authority says only Licensed Electrical Contractors are legally authorized to do electrical work in your home, with some exemptions such as HVAC installers, although homeowners may do their own electrical work if they follow the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and file the required notifications.
On its permits page, the Town of Ajax reminds residents that filing an ESA electrical notification and getting a building permit are two separate things, and some projects need both. If your dishwasher location needs electrical work, we let you know ahead of time so you can book a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Permits for Appliance Plumbing in Ajax
Plumbing is one of the minor construction permit types on the Town of Ajax building permits page, and applications go through the Town's online portal or by email (buildingpermits@ajax.ca). The page does not say which small plumbing jobs are exempt. Connecting a replacement dishwasher or washer to the supply and drain already in place is a different job from running new drain or water piping, such as a drain for a laundry area that never had one or a new line to a dishwasher in a kitchen island. If your plans include new piping, check with the Town's building permits staff before the work starts.
Ajax Water and Efficient Appliances
Ajax is home to one of the Region of Durham's Lake Ontario water treatment plants, and the Region lists the hardness of the system serving Ajax at 125 mg/L as calcium carbonate. Health Canada notes that hard water causes scaling in hot water pipes and household appliances, so it is worth following the dishwasher maker's cleaning and care instructions. With Regional water, installing a softener is optional.
Ajax was also the site of one of the Region's efficiency studies. In a demonstration community at Tribute Communities' Hamlet development, half of 176 new homes were fitted with water-efficient toilets and showerheads and ENERGY STAR dishwashers, fridges and washing machines. Those homes used an average of 132 litres less water a day per household (22.3 per cent) than the homes with builder standard fixtures and appliances, although the Region notes that some of the savings came from the owners' own habits.
Dishwasher Installation Cost in Ajax
According to our 2026 Oshawa plumbing cost guide, connecting a dishwasher, a washing machine or a refrigerator water line typically costs $150 to $300. Adding an isolation valve or running a new line through the basement or cabinets is priced after we have looked at the route, and any valve or supply line that needs replacing is included in the written quote before work begins. Quotes are free.