Although not talked about much, a kitchen sink backing up when a dishwasher is running is a very common household problem that can usually be fixed with a simple plumbing repair.
The common causes of this problem include:
Obstructed Dishwasher
You’ll know that this is the case when you open your dishwasher door and see that there is water sitting at the bottom of the dishwasher. In this case, check the drain to see if there are food scraps or other debris blocking the drain. If there is no drain blockage check the drain hose to make sure there isn’t a kink in it.
Clogged Sink
Unclogging a sink is usually an easy fix to the problem. Safe drain cleaners or a drain snake may help you clear the drain. Call the professionals at Michael’s Plumbing to give you a hand.
Blocked Air Gap in the Sink
Not all sinks have this, but some do. If yours does, and the air gap is clogged, it will stop your dishwasher from draining properly, giving you a sink full of water. You can clean an air gap by removing the top cover, unscrewing the inner protective cap and checking to see if there is debris.
Jammed Garbage Disposal
The first thing you’ll want to check is that your drain cover is not plugging your drain. This is an easy mistake to make. Take the drain plug out and the problem should be solved. Usually, a simple thing like that isn’t the actual problem though. In older houses the dishwasher drain was connected to a small drain inlet on the garbage disposal. This way is great if there is no debris blocking it. If your garbage disposal is clogged in any way it can cause water to back up into your sink. How do you fix this? Clean your garbage disposal.
Call the professionals at Michael’s Plumbing and we can diagnose and fix any issue at hand.