How to Fix Backflow into Your Dishwasher | inexpensive fix to your dishwasher not draining 

Yes I’m having the same exact issue! How did you end up fixing it?

​@@XxJoejohnsonxXugh they never come back to report!

😆 I'm laughing because it's so true. That's why I usually just say thank you and try it at some unplanned time

So how’d it go?

Hi! If I want to permanently remove the dishwasher, do I need to seal where the hose would attach to the disposal?

Glad I could help!

@@TheGrumpyPlumber this quick tip is still paying dividends! It didn't look like I had enough line to bend it upward, but a few tugs and I was able to get another foot or so; enough for a good upward loop! God bless your grumpy plumbing heart, Good Sir! Mike

There’s nothing grumpy about him. 🤔🤣😂

@@dakmycat3688 Thanks and I just wanted to let him know that I did what he said, by placing the draining hose higher and it worked!👋 I also called a plumber and I had a handyman try to fix it first and neither of them knew how to fix it but I fixed it myself with the help from this video! So, Thanks, again!✌️

I started the video as a child. Now I'm a MAN! THANK YOU SIR!

Teresa Fortner Ballentine, have you checked the water connection in the front under the dishwasher? If so, and it’s not leaking from there, it’s time to buy a new dishwasher.

RodeoRamsey, my recommendation is to clean off your dishes before putting in dishwasher. If you have a loop in the drain line, you shouldn’t get food particles back through the drain.

Jim Powers, so you took the dishwasher hose and raised it way above the inlet connection of the garbage disposal? If you did that, I think the problem is with your dishwasher not draining properly. If the dishwasher is over 5-6 years old, I would put the cost of a service call toward a new dishwasher.

Mark Lalumia, you might have a crack in the connection coming out of the disposal. If so, you’ll have to replace the disposal.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber thanks for the fast reply. I'll have to really examine it closely...it is a pretty old insinkerator so totally possible.

You only use a corrugated drain pipe at the last resort. When you buy a new garbage disposal a 90degree drain elbow comes with it. The only time you use the elbow is when you have a single compartment sink. If you have a two compartment sink, they make a disposal kit that comes with a 12” pipe with a flange on one end and a baffle tee. The trap will go on the bottom of the baffle tee that is connected to the basket strainer. That’s the proper way to do it. Some states or cities require a trap for the disposal and a trap for the basket strainer. I always use a disposal kit on a double sink.

When I buy a garbage disposal, I only purchase InSinkErator brand. If I bought one that wasn’t draining properly and installed the drain correctly , I would take it back and get another one.

Victor, your inspector probably doesn’t know there is a built in air gap in the dishwasher. And they don’t want to update the code.

My theory is that the plumber did something wrong. They probably didn’t connect the disposal correctly.

M P, p-traps on plumbing fixtures only plug on TV. Those drain cleaners you see advertised on TV don’t do anything. Get a reputable drain cleaning company and have them remove the drains under the sink. Clean the drain where it goes through the wall. If it drains slowly now, they should be able to open it up. P.S. if they walk in and ask you to sign a service contract, ask them to leave.

NO FREE RIDES!!! Get a 4” long 7/8” inside diameter hose. Get a 3/4” copper cap and 2 stainless steel hose clamps that will fit over the disposal connection and 3/4” copper cap which you will insert in the hose and clamp them. The hose clamp should be around 1 1/4” in diameter.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber great .. thanks

Rebecca, Cervantes, check to see if the dishwasher hose is higher than the garbage disposal connection. What I mean by that is, you want the hose to come out of the disposal and go up to the bottom of the countertop inside the cabinet and then down to the floor and then into the dishwasher cabinet. That stops the dirty water from the kitchen sink from running back into the dishwasher.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber if it’s too short am I able to buy an extension of that hose ?

Rebecca Cervantes, yes, you can buy a 5/8” inside diameter rubber hose and some stainless steel clamps ( one for each end). Also check if there is extra hose under the dishwasher. Pull on the hose from the inside of the kitchen cabinet. If there is extra hose there, it should come out. If there is a check valve at the garbage disposal and where the dishwasher hose connects, you don’t have to remove it. Just tie the hose as high as you can up near the bottom of the kitchen countertop.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber you are a life saver thank you so much !

Take the drain hose and run it up as high as you can underneath the sink and then connect it to the garbage disposal. Water can’t run back into the dishwasher with this method. Do not use a check valve as they plug.

Charlie Horse, plumbing inspectors get a commission for making sure there are air gaps. Just kidding. Nowadays, good dishwashers have a built in trap so you don’t need an air gap. Good quality manufacturers don’t want you to use an air gap. A lot of times, air gaps are there but not hooked up. Definitely do not use a check valve in the drain for the dishwasher. I have a CA plumbing license.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber Now that I think of it, it wasn't plumbers who told me this, but the contractors who installed our granite countertops. Without telling me, they drilled a hole for the "required" air gap. I wasn't sure about the code (and I'm still not) but I knew it wasn't necessary so I replaced it with an air switch for the disposal. It kinda pissed me off when they cut the hole without checking with me, but ah... "code". As a customer, I couldn't argue with code, cuz... it's CODE.

George Longyear, you want that drain hose to be touching the bottom of the countertop under the sink if at all possible. You shouldn’t get water back from the garbage disposal if the drain is as high as you can get it, at least five inches from the bottom of the sink bowl. You can put a swing check valve at the inlet where the dishwasher connects to the garbage disposal or put an air gap in your countertop and connect the dishwasher line to that. But if that hose is high enough, you shouldn’t have that problem unless you really fill your sink up with water.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thanks for the quick reply. Yes the discharge hose is at the top of the cabinet at the counter top, but we still get backup, Thanks for responding

George Longyear, are you sure it’s not the dishwasher pump not pumping out the water completely?

@@TheGrumpyPlumber After we run the dishwasher the drain is dry. We only use the dishwasher on occasion, so when we do go to use it, there is water in the drain that smells

George Longyear, add a check valve at the disposal drain inlet.

Did you clean out your trap and drain?

Why use an air gap? It’s just as easy to take the drain hose on the dishwasher and take it up to the top of the cabinet side of the dishwasher and down to the garage disposal. Or, if you bring it in through the bottom side of the cabinet, take it up as high as you can and then bring it down to the garbage disposal or branch tail piece. Your better dishwashers like Bosch or Miele don’t require an air gap but I always run the drain up high. To answer your question, I don’t know why they use 7/8 on the inlet side and 5/8 on the outlet side. I do know that they are nothing but a pain in the you know what. Most plumbers will install them and remove them and install some other fixture in their place. You put a loop in the drain to keep the water from running back into the dishwasher.

You want to secure the drain hose to either the bottom of the counter top or the back wall of the cabinet as high as possible. The high you get the hose, the less chance of water draining back into the dishwasher.

You usually have about 6-8 feet of drain hose on a dishwasher. It’s easy to make a loop by pulling the hose up to the bottom of the countertop and then down to the garage disposal drain.

If you don’t have much hose, then add 7/8” ID hose.

@samafsahi, is there a baffle tee that connects the sink drain to the garbage disposal drain? If you don’t have this tee, that causes the backup in the sink when the disposal is running. That is an easy fix, less than $10.00. If your kitchen sink drain is draining slow, that could cause a backup. I think it’s the baffle tee.

Plumber keep saying it’s fine but water backs in dishwasher and runs to dinning room.What else can I do?

Betty, make the hose longer so you can raise to the bottom of the countertop and then into the garbage disposal or the drain. ( You can add at least three feet to the hose and that should work).

A garbage disposal can be on a wall switch or an air switch. When it’s on an air switch, it’s plugged into a box that turns on when you push the button.

ahhotep8, tie about 2 ft. of the hose as high up as you can get it under the countertop.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber Will do ASAP! Thank you!!

Dave, I believe the maximum length of a drain hose on the dishwasher is 8 feet. I think the manufacturer provides 4 or 5 ft. of hose. Buy 5/8 inside diameter hose and at each end insert a 1/2x3” long piece of copper on both ends so when it’s clamped, it won’t crush the hose. At the garbage disposal end, buy a dishwasher connector. It comes with three different sizes of hose connections and you can cut it to the size you need. Good luck. Thanks for the question.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thanks for your help!

I could really use help connecting two dishwashers up to my garbage disposal. I’ve had problems with them not draining and can’t seem to find anyone or any video to help me connect them. I have high loops on both sides. I connected the two hoses to the garbage disposal with a T. Any help would be appreciated, or if I could contact you personally, I’d be so grateful. I will look to see if you have an email listed.

Modern Pioneer, for each dishwasher drain line, you need to put in a 3/4” swing check valve just before the tee and then directly into the garbage disposal. Do not use an air gap. That should work as I have done this several times.

@@TheGrumpyPlumber Thank you so much!!! You’re awesome to reply so quickly! My husband was on the right track but now we should be good to go! Yaaay!