--- title: "Pre-Installation Site Check | ApplianceInstallation.center" description: "A visit before you order: opening, path in, gas, water, drain, power and exhaust checked against the spec sheet." url: "https://applianceinstallation.center/services/diagnostic-visit/" --- # Pre-Installation Site Check A visit before you order: opening, path in, gas, water, drain, power and exhaust checked against the spec sheet. ## What the pre-installation site check involves. A pre-installation site check answers one question before money changes hands: will this appliance fit, connect and run where you want it? The technician brings the spec sheet of the model you are considering, or two or three candidates, and holds each against the room. The opening is measured at several points, since cabinets and walls are rarely square, and the floor is checked for slope. The delivery path is walked from the curb: steps, railings, door widths with the door stop removed, the tight turn at the top of the basement stairs. Then the connections are read as they are today: which fuel the house has and whether a shutoff sits where the new connector can reach it, the receptacle type and the breaker size on the circuit, the water valve and its condition, where the drain goes, and how the exhaust leaves the house and how far it has to travel. The result is a short written list: what fits as is, what the installation day will include, and what has to happen first, such as a new outlet by an electrician, a gas line by a plumber, a cabinet change by your carpenter, or a door taken off its hinges on the day. How the visit goes ### What it costs Installations are quoted once the room and the model are known Think of the ladder as a way to set one fitting job beside another, and nothing more precise than that. ### Answers 6 problems Unit Too Big for the Opening: Cutout, Depth and the Delivery Path Plug Does Not Fit the Outlet: Cords, Receptacles and Circuits · Breaker Trips on the First Run: Leave It Off and Find Out Why · Hood Not Drawing Smoke: Duct Size, Damper and Makeup Air · Appliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages · Burning Smell on the First Run: When It Is Normal and When to Stop ### Comes up most on Cold storage Cooking appliances · Dish care · Laundry ### Codes that lead here E:9001 · Bad Line · Bad Line Gaggenau E:9001: incoming power to a dish care machine. ## Pre-installation site check, step by step. Write down what fits now, what the installation will cover, and what a licensed trade or a carpenter must do before the delivery. 01 Read the spec sheet and the installation instructions of the model, or the few models, you are weighing. 02 Measure the opening at the front, the back and both sides, and check the floor for level and for any new flooring in the way. 03 Walk the delivery path from the street to the room, noting every door width, stair turn and railing. 04 Look at the existing gas shutoff, receptacle and breaker, water valve, drain and exhaust, and compare each with what the model asks for. 05 Write down what fits now, what the installation will cover, and what a licensed trade or a carpenter must do before the delivery. ## The problems it answers. 6 of them, from unit too big for the opening: cutout, depth and the delivery path to burning smell on the first run: when it is normal and when to stop. [All problems](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/) Most common ### Unit Too Big for the Opening: Cutout, Depth and the Delivery Path 6 causes, cheapest first Before you call ### Tell us this when you book 1. The make and model you are considering, or a link to its spec sheet, and the appliance it will replace 2. Which room, and whether the new unit goes where the old one stood or somewhere new 3. Any stairs, narrow halls or tight turns on the way in, and whether there is an elevator 4. What the house runs on: gas or propane, and whether you have noticed the type of receptacle behind the old unit It also answers - [**Plug Does Not Fit the Outlet: Cords, Receptacles and Circuits** 6 causes](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/plug-does-not-fit-the-outlet/) - [**Breaker Trips on the First Run: Leave It Off and Find Out Why** 6 causes · hazard after a hookup](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/breaker-trips-on-first-run/) - [**Hood Not Drawing Smoke: Duct Size, Damper and Makeup Air** 6 causes](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/hood-not-drawing-smoke/) - [**Appliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages** 8 causes](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/appliance-installation-code/) - [**Burning Smell on the First Run: When It Is Normal and When to Stop** 6 causes · hazard after a hookup](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/burning-smell-on-first-run/) ## A price before any work. Think of the ladder as a way to set one fitting job beside another, and nothing more precise than that. Sliding a new dishwasher into the space the old one left may take an hour, while a panel-ready column pair set into fresh cabinetry can fill a working day; a valve that turns freely costs nothing extra and a seized one adds a step; an exhaust that exits right behind the machine is simple and one that climbs to the roof is not. Your price is set after the model and the room have both been looked at, it is written down, and the work starts when you say go. [Read the full cost guide](https://applianceinstallation.center/cost/) | Installation | Relative cost | | --- | --- | | [New gas range, cooktop, wall oven or dryer connected with a new connector, conversion kit fitted if needed, every joint leak-tested and the first flame read](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/gas-hookup-and-leak-check/) | | | [New supply line and quarter-turn stop for a refrigerator, ice maker, dish care machine or laundry pair, flushed and tested under pressure](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/water-supply-and-shutoff-connection/) | | | [Drain hose routed through a high loop, an air gap or into a standpipe, disposer knockout removed, first drain checked](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/drain-and-air-gap-connection/) | | | [Metal exhaust transition and reachable wall run fitted from a new dryer to the outside hood, joints taped, airflow confirmed](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/laundry-exhaust-run-installation/) | | | [Wall, island, insert or downdraft hood mounted and ducted outdoors at full size, damper and cap fitted, fan and lights tested](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/hood-ducting-and-fan-installation/) | | | [Built-in column, integrated drawer, wall oven or panel-ready model set to its cutout, anchored, connected and its panels or trim aligned](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/built-in-and-panel-ready-fitting/) | | | [Laundry pair stacked with the maker's kit or raised on pedestals, leveled, connected and run together](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/stacking-kit-and-pedestal-installation/) | | | [Anti-tip bracket fastened and engaged, leveling legs set, doors squared on a range, cold storage unit, dish care machine or laundry machine](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/anti-tip-bracket-and-leveling/) | | | [Old appliance shut off, disconnected, capped and carried out, opening cleaned, disposal or recycling arranged](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/old-appliance-disconnect-and-removal/) | | ## Where it comes up most. Most bookings: Cold storage, Cooking appliances, Dish care, Laundry. [All appliance types](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/) Codes that lead here - [`E:9001` Gaggenau · Power and wiring](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/gaggenau-e9001/) - [`Bad Line` GE · Power and wiring](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/ge-bad-line/) - [`Bad Line` Monogram · Power and wiring](https://applianceinstallation.center/error-codes/monogram-bad-line/) Often the same visit - [**Hood ducting and fan installation** 3 problems in common · moderate to highest](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/hood-ducting-and-fan-installation/) - [**Laundry exhaust run installation** 2 problems in common · moderate](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/laundry-exhaust-run-installation/) - [**Built-in and panel-ready fitting** 2 problems in common · highest](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/built-in-and-panel-ready-fitting/) ### Cold storage ### Cooking appliances ### Dish care ## The makes we see it on. 37 makes on this site, and the pre-installation site check on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 37 brands](https://applianceinstallation.center/brands/) ## Pre-installation site check, where we come out. The home, the climate and the building all change how the pre-installation site check goes. These notes are about that, metro by metro. [All service areas](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas Before a new appliance is ordered for a Tampa Bay house, the pre-installation site check asks the question that decides the rest: does the home have natural gas, a propane tank or neither, since a gas cooktop bought for an all-electric slab ranch cannot simply be plugged in. - [Hyde Park](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas A pre-installation site check in an Orlando subdivision usually finds a builder-grade opening sized to the unit that came with the house, so the technician measures width, depth and the doorway into the garage laundry before the owner commits to a larger upgrade. - [Winter Park](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - [Bay Hill](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/bay-hill/) - [Lake Nona](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/lake-nona/) - [Heathrow](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/heathrow/) - [Celebration](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/orlando/celebration/) [Miami / South Florida](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/) FL · 47 areas In a South Florida condo tower the pre-installation site check covers the building as much as the kitchen: the freight elevator's door and cab size, the association's rules on laundry machines and the paperwork the manager wants before a delivery is let in. - [Brickell](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/coconut-grove/) - [Coral Gables](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/coral-gables/) - [Pinecrest](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/pinecrest/) - [Key Biscayne](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/key-biscayne/) - [Aventura](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/aventura/) - [Sunny Isles Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/sunny-isles-beach/) - [Bal Harbour](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/bal-harbour/) - [Miami Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas A New York pre-installation site check starts on the sidewalk, counting flights, measuring the tightest landing turn and the apartment door, because in a walk-up the stairwell decides which appliance can come home long before the kitchen opening does. - [Upper East Side](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas Houston houses often have gas at the kitchen wall and a laundry out in the garage, and a pre-installation site check there confirms the gas stub, the dryer outlet type and whether the house was raised under flood rules, which changes steps and the delivery path. - [River Oaks](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - [Piney Point Village](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/piney-point-village/) - [Hunters Creek Village](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/hunters-creek-village/) - [Sugar Land](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/sugar-land/) - [Cinco Ranch](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/cinco-ranch/) - [The Woodlands](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/the-woodlands/) - [West University](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/houston/west-university/) [Chicago](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/) IL · 50 areas A Chicagoland pre-installation site check walks the basement stairs with a tape measure, since many laundries sit below grade behind a turn at the landing, and it notes whether the standpipe, the floor drain and the exhaust wall are where the new machines expect them. - [Lincoln Park](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/lincoln-park/) - [Near North Side](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/near-north-side/) - [West Loop / Near West Side](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/west-loop-near-west-side/) - [Wilmette](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas In Los Angeles a pre-installation site check looks for the earthquake shutoff at the gas meter and the anchoring points behind a tall unit, and on hillside lots it measures the outside stairs and gates, which are often narrower than the kitchen doorway. - [Beverly Hills](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas San Diego backyard cottages and garage conversions are getting their own kitchens and laundries, and a pre-installation site check there confirms what the smaller unit was wired and plumbed for, so a 24-inch appliance is chosen to fit the space rather than squeezed in. - [La Jolla](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas Many Bay Area remodels now swap gas for induction, and a pre-installation site check there tells the homeowner whether a 240-volt circuit is already at the wall or whether a licensed electrician needs to come first, before the cooktop leaves the store. - [Pacific Heights](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://applianceinstallation.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the pre-installation site check. ### Is a site check worth it for a simple like-for-like swap? For the same size and the same connections, often not; the installation visit measures on the day anyway. It earns its cost when the model is a different size, built in, panel-ready, heavier, on a different fuel or going into a new spot. ### Can the site check be done from photos? Photos of the opening, the receptacle, the shutoff and the exhaust help a lot and can settle an easy case. A tight built-in cutout, an uneven floor or a long exhaust run still needs a tape measure in the room. ### What if the site check finds the house needs an electrician first? You get a plain note of what the model asks for, such as the voltage, the amperage and the receptacle type, to hand to the electrician. The installation is booked for after that work is done. --- **[Read on the site: Pre-Installation Site Check | ApplianceInstallation.center](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/diagnostic-visit/)** **[Book a visit with ApplianceInstallation.center](https://applianceinstallation.center/schedule/)**