# Dishwasher and garbage disposal problems



## longislander2 (Oct 4, 2013)

We are having some problems with our dishwasher and garbage disposal draining properly after being very recently installed as part of a remodeling. Any advice on the situation below would be greatly appreciated.

With the garbage disposal (Insinkerator Excel) installed, the water drains slowly out of the sink. If we turn the faucet on full, the water will back up fairly quickly and this is only partly alleviated by running the garbage disposal. The disposal has hardly been used, so it's not as if food or debris is stuck down there.

Our contractor installed one corner of our kitchen island out of plumb and when he came back to re-do it, he had to remove the dishwasher. When he reinserted it and we later ran the dishwasher, we got water in the bottom and an OE code that indicated 1) the filter needed to be cleaned, or 2) the drain hose was kinked or crushed. The machine has hardly been used, so the filter was totally clean. We assume the contractor did something to the drainage hose. Since this happened, we also notice that the water drains from the sink even slower than before. Since our wood kitchen floors have just been refinished, we're concerned that they will be damaged when the dishwasher is again removed. While our contractor has not been so good in installing islands or dishwashers, he has been very good at nicking and damaging things.

Two questions:
1. Was the garbage disposal installed properly and is this slow drainage normal when you have a disposal vs. just the drain pipe?
2. What should we insist be put under the dishwasher to protect the floors? I'm thinking a thin sheet of plastic similar to what is used under an office chair. I don't think paper or a cloth tarp will do and, left to his own devices, the contractor would put nothing on the floor.

Any advice would be appreciated, other than suggesting we settle up with this contractor as soon as possible. We already know that.:furious:


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

longislander2 said:


> Two questions:
> 1. Was the garbage disposal installed properly and is this slow drainage normal when you have a disposal vs. just the drain pipe?
> 2. What should we insist be put under the dishwasher to protect the floors? I'm thinking a thin sheet of plastic similar to what is used under an office chair. I don't think paper or a cloth tarp will do and, left to his own devices, the contractor would put nothing on the floor.
> Any advice would be appreciated, other than suggesting we settle up with this contractor as soon as possible. We already know that.:furious:


First, some pictures of your set-up underneath the sink where everything is hooked up would be greatly appreciated so we can better assist you in determining if everything is up to code. Thanks. 

Second, If there's enough room and it doesn't stick out, you can install something under the dw, up to you. Some just put a mat in front of it. IMO, it's not necessary if the dw is hooked up correctly. The dw should not have any standing water left in it after a cycle. That may be what is causing the dw error codes.

Finally, you may have a clog further down the line causing everything to back up and drain slowly or a poor venting issue. Just a thought. Stay tuned, let's see what others recommend.

Edit: After you post some pics, this may be a plumbing issue rather than an appliance issue. Will leave that for the moderators to decide.


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## longislander2 (Oct 4, 2013)

Thanks for the advice.

Here's a photo of the plumbing configuration. The dishwasher is in a separate cabinet on the left. The gray drain hose exits the dishwasher at the upper far left -- behind the sink and above the electrical outlet -- comes around behind the garbage disposal and makes a 180-degree turn to enter the disposal toward the front. The waste line goes down into the floor behind the trap. It looks like the bulbous white thing to the right of the disposal and above the trap is some kind of air relief valve. Could the air valve be closed and that's preventing all the water from draining properly? 
Any additional advice or info would be appreciated. As you can guess, I'm no plumber.

As for the plastic under the dishwasher, I wasn't suggesting putting anything under the dishwasher when it is inserted into the cabinet. I was suggesting putting something temporary and protective -- maybe thin plastic or cardboard -- on the floor in front of the dishwasher when the contractor or plumber has to slide it out to check the condition of the drain hose. A small portion of newly installed flooring in another part of the house was already scratched by the contractor and needs to be repaired. The guy doesn't seem to know the word "dropcloth."


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## longislander2 (Oct 4, 2013)

After doing a little more troubleshooting, it seems that the rubber gasket that Insinkerator provides for the sink opening -- to muffle noise, prevent splashback and prevent silverware from sliding down -- is preventing the water from draining normally. If I remove the gasket, the water seems to drain OK. I'm going to have to investigate some alternate kind of gasket that has more drain holes in it.


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

Everything is brand new and the rubber gasket may be a little tight and stiff right now, give it a little time to loosen up and break in. You can try working it with your hands for awhile to loosen it up, see if that helps. For safety, don't remove it. Keep an eye on it. Let us know if you have any other issues with it. Thanks.


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

longislander2 said:


> Thanks for the advice. As for the plastic under the dishwasher, I wasn't suggesting putting anything under the dishwasher when it is inserted into the cabinet. I was suggesting putting something temporary and protective -- maybe thin plastic or cardboard -- on the floor in front of the dishwasher when the contractor or plumber has to slide it out to check the condition of the drain hose. A small portion of newly installed flooring in another part of the house was already scratched by the contractor and needs to be repaired. The guy doesn't seem to know the word "dropcloth."


Your welcome. Ok, I see what what you mean now.


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## longislander2 (Oct 4, 2013)

Just to follow up, I contacted Insinkerator and they are sending me what they call an "alternate quiet collar." We'll see what that's like. Either that, or I go out and buy a $6 screen from Home Depot after plunking down more than $300 for what I thought was a premium product. My guess is that they are sending out this "alternate" piece because the original was not well designed and I'm probably not the only one complaining.


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

longislander2 said:


> My guess is that they are sending out this "alternate" piece because the original was not well designed and I'm probably not the only one complaining.


I agree. Probably a bad design by insinkerator. Hopefully the work around will help with your draining issues. Thanks for the feed back.


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