--- title: "Measure before you order: the opening, the swing and the hookups" description: "The old unit is the wrong thing to measure. What to record instead, which clearances to subtract, and the three photos that save a second trip." url: "https://applianceinstallation.center/guides/measure-before-you-order/" date_modified: "2026-09-26" --- First checks and setup codes # Measure before you order: the opening, the swing and the hookups To measure for a new appliance, record the opening rather than the old unit, add the maker's clearances to the cabinet size, check the swing of doors and drawers and the depth with the door open, and note every connection by type and position. Photos of the outlet, valves and drain save a second trip on installation day. By [ApplianceInstallation.center technical team](https://applianceinstallation.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 26, 2026 ## At a glance. Ten minutes with a tape, a level and a phone camera settles most fit questions before money changes hands. The trick is knowing which numbers the order form never asks for. Read the whole guide ### Hinge-side room, GE side-by-side 3/4 in for a 90° door opening Less than that beside a wall and the doors stop short. ### Front-load depth, LG WM4080 30-1/4 in closed, 55 in with the door open The walkway in front has to hold the open door. ### Front-load weight, LG WM4080 198.4 lb net Before a single towel goes in. ### Dish care in a corner, GE 2 in to the side, 25-1/2 in in front Room for the door to clear its neighbor and fold down. In this guide 1. Measure the space, not the appliance leaving it 2. The numbers that go on the order 3. Doors, drawers and the room in front 4. Write down the connections as well as the space 5. Weight and the floor under it 6. Step by step 7. Questions ## Measure the space, not the appliance leaving it The most common measuring error is running a tape across the old machine and ordering a new one of the same size. The old unit tells you what fit years ago, before a floor was redone or a cabinet was adjusted, and it says nothing about the clearance the new model's maker wants. Pull the old one out if you can, or measure the cabinet walls, countertop and back wall around it. Measure for a new appliance with three tools: a steel tape that locks, a two-foot level and a phone. Write each number on a sketch of the opening with the date, because a sketch survives the showroom visit better than memory does. ## The numbers that go on the order Width, height and depth are the obvious three, and each should be the smallest of several readings across the opening. Take height from the finished floor up to whatever caps the opening, a countertop or a cabinet, and take depth from the cabinet face back to the deepest obstruction on the wall behind. Then subtract the clearances before comparing with a product page. GE's side-by-side installation instructions ask for 1/8 inch at each side and 1 inch at the top and back for air and connections. A cabinet 36 inches wide therefore takes a unit of about 35-3/4 inches, not 36, and a product listed at exactly the opening size is a warning sign rather than a match. - Width: top, middle and bottom of the opening, smallest reading wins - Height: front and back, floor to the underside of the counter or cabinet - Depth: to the furthest thing on the back wall, not to the wall itself - Clearances from the installation instructions, subtracted from all three ### Clearance is part of the size Makers print two sets of numbers: the appliance's outside dimensions and the opening it needs. Order against the second. Where only the first is on the page, download the installation instructions for the exact model number before buying; they are nearly always posted beside the owner's manual. Source: [GE Appliances — Side by side owner's manual and installation instructions (49-60198)](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49-60198.PDF) — Clearances of 1/8 inch at the sides and 1 inch at the top and back; 3/4 inch door clearance for a 90° opening Close on a tape measure across the depth of a cabinet opening. ## Doors, drawers and the room in front Closed dimensions fit the cabinet; open dimensions fit the kitchen. GE says its side-by-side models need 3/4 inch of room on the hinge side for the doors to reach 90 degrees, the angle GE says gives better access to the food inside. Next to a wall or a tall pantry, a unit that fits the opening can still trap its own drawers. Laundry makes the point in inches. LG lists one of its front-load machines at 30-1/4 inches deep, and 55 inches deep with the door open. A closet or hallway that fits the cabinet but not the open door leaves no space to stand while loading. When a dish care machine goes into a corner, GE asks for at least 2 inches between it and the neighboring cabinet or wall, and 25-1/2 inches clear in front of it for the open door. ### Corners and hinge sides Stand where the appliance will go and open the neighboring cabinet doors and drawers. Anything that swings across the front, such as a corner drawer, a dishwasher door or an oven door, needs to open without meeting another one. Check which side the new unit hinges on and whether it can be reversed, since that answer differs by model. Source: [GE Appliances — Side by side owner's manual and installation instructions (49-60198)](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49-60198.PDF) — Clearances of 1/8 inch at the sides and 1 inch at the top and back; 3/4 inch door clearance for a 90° opening; [LG Electronics — Front-load washer owner's manual (WM4080)](https://media.us.lg.com/m/12df7154cf356724/original/WM4080_2023_Owners-Manual_Washer_Eng.pdf) — 27 x 39 x 30-1/4 inches; maximum depth with the door open 55 inches; net weight 198.4 lb; [GE Appliances — Built-in dishwasher installation instructions](https://products-salsify.geappliances.com/image/upload/s--yxlKQraa--/4e08089748bc59f01329d93f1d3a0456e6018299.pdf) — In a corner allow 2 inches minimum to the adjacent cabinet, wall or appliance and 25-1/2 inches in front for the door opening ## Write down the connections as well as the space The opening decides whether the unit fits; the connections decide whether it runs on installation day. Note the outlet type, counting the prongs and their shape, and whether a gas cooking unit has a grounded three-prong outlet behind it for its igniters. Note where the gas shutoff sits, where the water valve sits and how far each is from the floor and the sides. For dish care and laundry, record the drain: a disposer, a waste tee or a standpipe, and its height. For cold storage with an ice maker, record whether a water line exists at all. A missing line or the wrong receptacle is a plumber's or electrician's job that has to happen before the delivery date. - Receptacle: number and shape of prongs, and its height and side - Gas: shutoff position, and whether a flexible connector is already there - Water: valve position and whether the line is copper, braided or missing - Drain: disposer, waste tee or standpipe, with its height from the floor ### Photos that save a second trip Take three photographs with the tape in view: the whole opening, the back wall with every outlet and valve, and the floor at the front edge. Send them with the order or bring them to the site check. An installer who has seen the back wall arrives with the right connector, cord and fittings. Source: [GE Appliances — Gas range installation instructions (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) — A gas unit needs a properly grounded three-prong 120-volt receptacle ## Weight and the floor under it The last measurement is the one people skip. LG gives a net weight of 198.4 pounds for its front-load model, and large built-in cold storage units weigh far more; True recommends consulting a flooring expert before installing its large built-in columns. A floor that flexes, a threshold that is higher than the opening, or a basement stair with a turn all belong on the sketch. The route from the door to the opening is its own subject, covered in our guide to the delivery path. Source: [LG Electronics — Front-load washer owner's manual (WM4080)](https://media.us.lg.com/m/12df7154cf356724/original/WM4080_2023_Owners-Manual_Washer_Eng.pdf) — 27 x 39 x 30-1/4 inches; maximum depth with the door open 55 inches; net weight 198.4 lb; [True Residential — 42/48 built-in installation manual](https://true-residential.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/848062-TR-42-48-C-Install-Manual_REV_C_EN.pdf) — Because of the unit's weight, consult a flooring expert before installation ## Where to stop Do not unscrew an outlet cover, a gas fitting or a water valve to see behind it; measure what is visible and photograph it. Measuring stops at the surface: nothing behind a cover plate, a gas union or a panel door gets opened for a better look. If the connections do not match the new unit, book a site check before the delivery date. Written by [ApplianceInstallation.center technical team](https://applianceinstallation.center/authors/technical-team/). Installers who fit new household appliances, writing from real openings and hookups and each maker's installation instructions. Sources: [GE Appliances — Side by side owner's manual and installation instructions (49-60198)](https://www.geappliances.com/content/older-pdfs/49-60198.PDF) · [LG Electronics — Front-load washer owner's manual (WM4080)](https://media.us.lg.com/m/12df7154cf356724/original/WM4080_2023_Owners-Manual_Washer_Eng.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Built-in dishwasher installation instructions](https://products-salsify.geappliances.com/image/upload/s--yxlKQraa--/4e08089748bc59f01329d93f1d3a0456e6018299.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Gas range installation instructions (31-2001181)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--908c05QS--/f3ee5a7cd364e8da504dd855094d7730a19cf416.pdf) · [True Residential — 42/48 built-in installation manual](https://true-residential.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/848062-TR-42-48-C-Install-Manual_REV_C_EN.pdf) ## Step by step. Five steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Clear and sketch Pull the old unit forward if possible and draw the opening with the back wall, outlets and valves marked. 02 ### Take the three readings Measure width, height and depth at several points and keep the smallest of each. 03 ### Subtract the clearances Use the exact model's installation instructions, not the product page. 04 ### Check the swing Measure the open depth of doors and drawers and the room beside each hinge. 05 ### Photograph the connections Three pictures with the tape visible, sent with the order. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Should I measure the old appliance or the opening? The opening. The old unit shows what fit once, not what the new maker asks for, and floors and cabinets change over the years. ### How much room should I leave around a new unit? Whatever that model's installation instructions say. GE's side-by-side models, for example, ask for 1/8 inch at the sides and 1 inch at the top and back, plus 3/4 inch on the hinge side for a full door swing. ### Why does the depth with the door open matter? Because someone has to stand there. LG's front-load model is 30-1/4 inches deep closed and 55 inches open, so a narrow hallway can fit the machine and still block the load. ### Can a site check be booked before the order? Yes. A pre-installation visit measures the opening, the path and the connections against the model you have in mind. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/) Problem ### Unit Too Big for the Opening: Cutout, Depth and the Delivery Path 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Plug Does Not Fit the Outlet: Cords, Receptacles and Circuits 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Door Not Closing Flush After the Install 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The installations on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Pre-installation site check A visit before you order: opening, path in, gas, water, drain, power and exhaust checked against the spec sheet. ### Built-in and panel-ready fitting Built-in columns, drawers, wall ovens and panel-ready models set to the cutout, anchored, connected, and custom panels hung and aligned. ## More in first checks and setup codes. What an owner can check before the order and after the install: the opening and the path in, the first days of a new appliance, and the demo modes and setup messages a display shows at first power-on. [The whole section](https://applianceinstallation.center/guides/troubleshooting/) Measure first, then read the first week ### The first week after installation: what to check, and on which day Thermometers on day two, water joints on day three, flame color and feet by day five. A short schedule that catches a connection that was nearly right while help is still easy to reach. Measure first, then read the first week ### Setup codes and demo mode on a new appliance: when the display is the whole story Showroom settings, Sabbath modes, control locks and a clock that must be set first. How to clear each one, and when demo mode on an electric oven is really a wiring sign. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Measure before you order: the opening, the swing and the hookups](https://applianceinstallation.center/guides/measure-before-you-order/)** **[Book a visit with ApplianceInstallation.center](https://applianceinstallation.center/schedule/)**