Success!

Thanks to a very helpful hardware store sales assistant and the grace of God, I was able to get the dishwasher up and running last night. It took no more than four hours counting the time in the crawlspace figuring out how our plumbing is done and a trip to the hardware store. Here are the highlights (as much as home improvement can have highlights):

-Ace Hardware saved the day. As I was fumbling around in the plumbing section of the store a sales associate with some knowledge asked if I needed help. I was able to describe the task at hand and in just a few minutes he had talked me through the procedure and showed me the hardware I would need. Not only was this great service that put the competition to shame, but it saved me quite a bit of time and probably an extra trip to the hardware store.

-Pulling out the dishwasher did reveal a severely kinked copper tube. This was what we suspected was the source of our problem.

-I used a propane torch to remove the existing valve. To protect the cabinets from the torch, I got this cool flame-proof "cloth"; I have no idea what it was made of but it worked very well. It looks like a book-sized piece of aluminum foil with thick cotton glued to one side and, oddly, the cotton side faces the flame.

-The new valve is leak free and much easier to turn by hand.

-I need to get a set of drill bits. I was thinking ahead enough to buy one large bit for the hole I would need for the new hose but not so far to realize that drilling a smaller pilot hole first would be a good idea. Oh well, I made it work.

-I know how to shut-off the water to the property from the valve at the meter. There is also a master shut-off in the basement but it doesn't stop the water to our one exterior faucet.

-I have a much better understanding of the plumbing and duct-work in our house due to some quality time in the crawlspace.

Special thanks to my wife who acted as the standby fire brigade and valve installation tester/operator.

Lastly, thanks also to Michael who loaned me the propane torch and showed me how difficult it can be to light. I got us a striker so we wouldn't have to deal with all of that mess next time.