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If your dishwasher has backed up and is pouring dirty water into your sink, don’t panic. There are several common reasons for this happening, and the good news is that it’s usually pretty easy to fix!
We’ll go over some of the most prevalent causes of dishwashers backed up into sinks, as well as how to repair them. There are typical reasons for a dishwasher to back into a sink, including a block in the air gap, an obstruction in your dishwasher, or clogged garbage disposal.
Maintenance of Sink & Dishwasher
Unplugging your appliances is a must before you attempt any plumbing or electric repair. Turning both cold and hot water supply valves off will prevent any accidents, so make sure this never fails to happen by unplugging all of them!
You might have thought that the water from your dishwasher and kitchen sink leave separately, but you would be wrong! The two systems use a single drainage line. If one clogs or blocks up with matter, then there will likely be backups in both places since they share this main conduit for waste disposal.
The dishwasher, garbage disposals, sinks, and air gaps are the most frequent reasons of sink blockages. For example, water can fill your sink when running your dishwasher if any of these four locations in your plumbing system is clogged.
1. Obstructed Dishwasher
In your dishwasher, a little bit of water is standard, but standing puddles and overflowing dishes are not. If you notice that the bottom is covered with liquid or obstruction near where all the dirty dishes go after being washed by mistake, something should be checked out immediately!
Be sure to check both hoses as they can become blocked due to too many clogged drains; make certain also use detergent compatible for devices like those found at home (most brands have websites).
2. Garbage Disposal
The drain plug on your garbage disposal may be preventing water from draining correctly. The reason this occurs is that it covers up the hole where you connect to the dishwasher and sink, so if left in place, it can cause problems with either one not working or everything getting wetter than needed, especially after installing a brand new unit that has just been installed recently which seems like an obvious culprit but still worth checking out I think 😉
3. Clogged Sink
A clog in your sink may be stopping the water from draining out of your dishwasher. In three methods, you may attempt to fix this problem:
- Run Garbage Disposal: Before turning on your dishwasher, you must run the garbage disposal for a couple of seconds to ensure that no food or trash is obstructing the water from draining properly.
- Sink Cleaners: Purchase and use brand-name sink cleaners to assist break down any clogs or bacteria buildup in your sink drain.
- Sink Snake: If your garbage disposal or sink cleaners aren’t powerful enough, you may try removing the drain using a sink snake from your local hardware store.
If none of these solutions work, you should contact a local plumber for assistance.
4. Blocked Air Gap
Finally, if your kitchen sink has an air gap, the air gap may be clogged, preventing your dishwasher from draining and resulting in a full sink of water. The air gap is located at the top of the sink next to your faucet as a backflow prevention device for your dishwasher.
If water is coming out of your air gap device, there’s probably a clog in the machine that requires attention. First, remove the top cover and then unscrew or unsnap the inner protective cap to inspect inside your air gap device for debris and clear it if necessary.
From there, the debris might be visible and simple to remove on some occasions, while a more significant obstruction may necessitate the use of a twelve-inch brush that you can get at any local home improvement or hardware store. Clear any debris from your air gap device with the bottle brush.
Do not treat your garbage disposal and sink like a trash can for general kitchen plumbing and appliances. Knowing not to put down the drain (bones, rice, pasta, potato peals, etc.) will help you avoid clogs.
I hope this blog post will now solve all your issues related to dishwasher backing up into the sink, while I would like to hear your thoughts and questions in the comment section below. Also check out if need some tips to unclog your dishwasher
