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I don't really like dishwashers. I've scarcely used one since I moved out from my parents' house ten years ago. Even so, I have problems with mine. Or maybe it is my sink, my drains, or my sink disposal.
The day I moved in to my current apartment eight months ago, the kitchen sink blocked up. It was the side with a garbage disposal, which we hadn't used except to wash a few nice dishes from their packing material. They fixed the drain the next day. Since then, I've had problems with opening my dishwasher and discovering an inch of water just sitting in the bottom. I usually look because it seems to... smell. Not a garbage smell, just like a stagnant smell. Or moldy smell, perhaps. I've probably noticed this about six different times since I moved here. My response is sometimes to run the dishwasher to wash out the water and the smell. At a couple of times during the wash/rinse cycle water backs up in the sink (same side that was blocked originally). Then the water drains out again.
I've called the management several times. I usually ignore it, however. One time they left me a note stating they had to fix a motor problem. The last time they came, end of December, the note was a little snippier and it said before I call, I should try running the garbage disposal first to clear the disposal of contents. Okayyyy. I had tried that, but I don't know why that would affect the dishwasher, which hadn't been run sinse the last time they "fixed the motor".
So this weekend I cleaned the kitchen, did a lot of dishes. Did not use the dishwasher since they checked it in December. In fact, I hadn't looked at it since I checked to be sure it was dry last month. Last night and today I noticed this icky smell. So I looked... yup, stagnant water in the dishwasher. I'm running it now. It did back into the sink a bit and then drained again.
So is this backing up normal in the dishwasher/sink? I don't like it.
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What is wrong with it, that could be fixed? I think the maintenance people here don't believe me. Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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There should be two hoses that go from your sink to your dishwasher. maybe one of them is clogged?
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Backing into the sink is normal in some installations as long as it drains quickly. Backing up into the dishwasher itself is not.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Our dishwasher used to do that at our old place. It has something to do with not spending the extra money for the plumbing to be separate or something. You have to run the garbage disposal (without disposing of anything) for a WHILE before you turn on the dishwasher.
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Appliances are supposed to be connected to drains with an air gap between the outlet of the appliance and the actual drain pipe. This is to prevent bacteria from growing upstream from the drain pipe (which connects to the sewer) to the appliance, which is connected to a fresh water supply. Theoretically the bacteria in the sewer could contaminate the fresh water supply in your house, so this is a serious issue.
If your dishwasher is filling with water from the sink drain, then that water is unsanitary, and whether it contaminates your drinking water or not, it's certainly capable of contaminating your dishes, so the drain for the dishwasher DEFINITELY isn't set up right.
With the proper air gap, if water backs up in the drain, it will simply spill out of the air gap, and onto the floor or wherever. Mine does this from time to time, and it makes a mess in my basement. Of course when it does, it means that the drain from my sink is clogged, so I have to clean it out. I don't see how running your garbage disposal can undo that.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Well, for ours, somehow the disposal drain and the dishwasher drain were connected, and if there was anything in the disposal drain because we'd recently rinsed off dishes in the sink, it would sometimes end up in the dishwasher.
Or something like that. As long as we remembered to run the disposal for a while first though, we didn't have a problem.
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