Do You Need a Plumber to Install a Washing Machine?

You don't need a plumber to install a washing machine if it's going where the old one was and the valve and waste are already there and working. That swap is a DIY job for most people. You need a plumber when there's no connection where the machine will stand, when you're moving it to a new spot, or when the existing valve is seized, leaking or missing. Those jobs mean new supply pipe, a new valve and a new waste, and they're priced on time. This guide helps you work out which one you've got before you book anyone.

DIY swap or plumber?

Pull the old machine out, or look in the space where the new one will go, and check three things: a valve on the water pipe, somewhere for the waste hose to go, and a socket.

What you find	Who does it
A lever valve that turns, a standpipe or a sink trap spigot, and a socket nearby	DIY or the retailer's installer. It's a like-for-like swap.
A valve that won't turn, drips when closed, or has no lever	Plumber, to replace the valve before the new machine goes on.
No valve at all, with the old hose screwed straight onto the pipe	Plumber. The water has to go off at the stopcock and a proper valve needs fitting.
No waste, or a waste hose pushed loose into a sink or bath	Plumber, to fit a standpipe with a trap or a spigot on the sink trap.
The machine is moving to a new wall, room or floor	Plumber, for a new supply and waste run.
A kitchen refit or extension with new units	Plumber, as part of the kitchen pipework.

If you're taking the old machine out yourself, our guide on how to disconnect a washing machine covers closing the valve, draining it and capping the pipes.

A like-for-like swap is simple. Screw the new fill hose onto the valve by hand with its rubber washer in place, fit the waste hose into the standpipe or onto the sink spigot with its clip, open the valve slowly and watch every joint while the machine fills and drains on a short rinse. Use the new hoses that come with the machine rather than the old ones. Remove the transit bolts from the back before the first wash, as the manual will tell you.

What retailer installation covers

Many retailers offer to install a new machine when they deliver it, and for a straight swap that's usually the easiest option. The catch is that these services generally only connect to existing, working plumbing. Installers typically won't:

• replace a seized or leaking valve,
• fit a valve where there isn't one,
• run new pipe or cut into waste pipes,
• move the connections to a new position.

If they arrive and find any of those, they may leave the machine uninstalled. Check the space before delivery day, and if the plumbing isn't ready, get it done first. Each retailer sets its own terms, so read what yours includes.

What a plumber does

When a washing machine needs new plumbing, the work usually covers:

• A cold supply. A branch taken off the nearest suitable cold pipe, often the one feeding the kitchen sink, and run to the machine position. Most machines sold in the UK are cold fill only, so one supply is enough. Check your manual if the machine has two inlet hoses.
• An isolating valve. A washing machine valve on the end of the new supply, so the machine can be turned off and disconnected later without shutting off the whole house. New pipework and fittings have to meet the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
• A waste. Either a standpipe with its own trap, connected into a waste pipe, or a spigot on the kitchen sink trap. The waste hose has to sit within the height range the machine's manual gives, and the hose should loop up above the drum before it drops into the waste, so dirty water can't siphon back.
• Testing. Filling the machine and running a drain cycle while checking every joint.

What decides the time is distance and access. Connecting a machine to a supply and waste right behind it is a short job. Running pipe across a kitchen, through a wall into a utility room, or up to a new floor takes longer, especially where pipes run under floorboards or have to be boxed in neatly.

Old waste connections are the part people overlook. A waste hose pushed loose into an open pipe with no trap lets drain smells into the room, and a spigot that's clogged with lint makes the sink and the machine drain slowly. If you already have a smell near the machine, read our guide to a sewer smell from a washing machine before the new one goes in. If the machine is leaving water in the drum, our guide to a washing machine not draining helps you tell a blocked waste from a machine fault.

How the cost is worked out

Plumbing in a washing machine is charged on time plus parts rather than as a fixed price, because the work ranges from a ten-minute valve connection to a new supply and waste across the room. Our pricing is simple:

• Labour: £95 an hour.
• Call-out: £60, waived when the job runs over 2 hours.
• Parts: the valve, pipe, fittings, trap or standpipe, charged on top.

The shortest jobs are replacing a faulty valve or fitting a proper waste to existing pipes. A new supply and waste run to a new position takes longer, and if it goes over 2 hours the call-out comes off. We confirm the price before any work starts, so you know what you're paying before the water goes off. Our pricing page sets out how every job is charged.

You can often save time on the day by clearing the space, taking the old machine out, and having the new one unboxed with its hoses to hand.

Kitchen, bathroom, utility or flat

Kitchen. The usual spot, because the sink's cold supply and waste are right there. A spigot on the sink trap is the neatest option when the machine sits next to the sink.

Utility room or under the stairs. Common in London terraces and extensions. The supply and waste need running from the kitchen or the nearest waste pipe, which is where most of the time goes. If this is part of a bigger project, see our kitchen extension plumbing page.

Bathroom. Supply and waste are close, so the plumbing is rarely the problem. The electrics are: sockets and appliances in bathrooms have to follow the wiring rules for bathrooms, so ask an electrician to confirm the position first. Plumbers don't fit sockets.

Upstairs or in a flat. A leak from a washing machine on an upper floor goes straight through the ceiling below, and in a London flat that's often your neighbour's. A drip tray under the machine is a sensible extra, and new connections should be checked carefully while the machine fills and drains. If you're a leaseholder, check whether your lease needs consent for changes to the plumbing before new pipework goes in.

Before you book

A few details let us tell you on the phone what the job involves:

• Where the machine will stand, and where the nearest sink or waste pipe is.
• Whether there's a valve there now and whether it turns.
• What the floor is: floorboards, concrete, or a flat above someone else.
• Whether the stopcock works. If it doesn't, our guide to a stopcock that won't turn explains your options, and it's worth replacing at the same visit.

If you've already got a machine in and water is appearing underneath it, that's a different problem. Our guide to a washing machine leaking helps you tell a connection leak from a fault in the machine. For a leak you can't trace, see our leak repair service.

Frequently Asked Questions