10 Things Your Appliance Installer Wishes You Knew Before They Arrived

After installing thousands of appliances across Middle Georgia, I’ve noticed the same patterns. The jobs that go smoothly have one thing in common: the homeowner did a little prep work. The jobs that turn into two-hour productions usually have the same avoidable problems.

Here’s what I wish every homeowner knew before we showed up.

1. Check Your Electrical Before the Install

For dryers: Is your outlet 3-prong or 4-prong? This matters. New dryers ship with neither cord — you buy the matching one separately. If you have an older 3-prong outlet, you can either buy a 3-prong cord OR have an electrician upgrade the outlet to 4-prong (the safer, code-compliant option). Don’t assume.

For electric ranges and wall ovens: These need a 240V circuit rated for the appliance wattage. Most homes have this already. Confirm the circuit rating matches before the install date.

For dishwashers: Need a dedicated 15A or 20A circuit. Most kitchens have one. Some older homes don’t.

2. Know Where Your Shutoffs Are

For anything with a water connection — dishwasher, refrigerator ice maker, washing machine — you need to be able to cut the water before we start. If you don’t know where the shutoff is, spend five minutes figuring it out now.

A shutoff under the kitchen sink handles most dishwasher jobs. The main shutoff handles everything else if there’s no dedicated valve. Bonus points if you can show us where it is without a 15-minute search.

3. Pull Out the Old Unit (If You Can)

Not everyone can do this, and we’re happy to handle the full removal. But if you’re physically able to unplug the old dryer or pull the old washing machine out from the wall, that genuinely speeds things up. We don’t charge less if you do it — but the job moves faster, and faster means we’re in and out of your home sooner.

4. Measure the Space, Not Just the Appliance

Appliance dimensions and installation space dimensions are different things. A 30-inch range fits in a 30-inch cutout — but does your kitchen have a 90-degree turn in a 32-inch hallway between the front door and the kitchen? Does the refrigerator have the door clearance it needs to fully open?

Measure the delivery path, not just the final location. This is especially critical for refrigerators, which are bulky and don’t bend.

5. Have the Model Number Ready

If there are any questions about compatibility — vent sizing, electrical draw, whether the existing hook-ups match — having the model number lets us look up the spec sheet in seconds. It’s usually on a sticker inside the door, on the back, or on the purchase paperwork.

6. Clear a Path

This one sounds obvious and yet it causes delays constantly. Remove rugs, move the dog crate, push the laundry basket out of the hallway. Give us a straight path from the door to the install location. We carry appliances — the more direct the route, the better.

7. Check Vent Condition Before the Install

Dryers: Flexible foil ductwork deteriorates. Metal rigid duct is the standard. If your dryer vent is a long run of that crinkly silver accordion duct, be prepared for us to recommend a replacement. We can handle that same day, but it’s better if you know before we start.

OTR Microwaves and Range Hoods: Does your existing exhaust duct connect to the outside, or does it recirculate internally? Recirculating setups are fine, but if you want a ducted installation and there’s no existing duct path, that’s a bigger project than a standard microwave swap.

8. Buy the Accessories at the Same Time as the Appliance

This is where a lot of jobs hit unexpected delays:

• Dryer cord (3-prong or 4-prong — know which one)
• Washing machine hoses (the rubber hoses that come in the box are a liability — braided stainless is worth the $25)
• Refrigerator water line (for ice maker connection)
• Anti-tip bracket (required by code for freestanding ranges — some come in the box, some don’t)
• Dishwasher supply line (sometimes included, sometimes not)

If you’re ordering appliances for delivery, add these to your cart at the same time. If we show up and something’s missing, the job either waits or we source it ourselves (which adds time and sometimes cost).

9. Don’t Rush the Test Run

After every installation, we run the appliance through a test cycle and verify it’s working correctly. Let this happen. Don’t tell us you’ll test it later — you won’t know what “later” looks like if we didn’t check. We want to confirm the drain is moving, the water connection isn’t seeping, and the drum is spinning before we pack up.

The five minutes we spend testing is the difference between a completed job and a callback.

10. Ask Questions Before We Leave

If anything about the installation looks unfamiliar to you — how the vent connects, what that water line shutoff does, when you need to run an empty cycle before using the new dishwasher — ask while we’re there. We’re not in a rush to get out the door at the expense of a question.

Better to understand the setup now than to call us six months later when something doesn’t look right.

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Serving Middle Georgia

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