It was one of my first Do It Yourself (DIY) projects years ago and I thought I replaced the old food disposer perfectly. I turned it on and it ran well. Every thing was just fine until the next morning when my wife turned on the dishwasher and soon afterward screamed from the kitchen that there’s a big leak!
Sure enough, when I got there there was water gushing out of the vacuum gap by the sink, which, of course, was facing away from the sink so water was going everywhere. What a mess! She just looked at me and said. “Fix it.” (she didn’t have to say the last part, “You Idiot”!)
I was guilty, as so many people are, of not reading the directions carefully. I was unaware that the units are sold with a plug in the opening where you attach the drain from the dishwasher. That’s because they sometimes run without a dishwasher hooked up. Good thing to know….I know I won’t ever forget it!
When I recently encountered a vacant home with a newly upgraded kitchen, and a dishwasher which would not drain, I knew exactly what had happened. In this case, as on most of the new dishwasher models, there is no vacuum break required next to the sink because the vacuum break was built into the dishwasher. Never the less, with the plug still intact in the new disposer, there is no where for the water to go. It amazes me that installers, who should know better, don’t bother to check to see if everything works properly before they leave.
On another inspection that same day, I encountered a similar issue with a range fan where the directional plug had not been removed. These fans will discharge either up and forward, straight up, or straight back. They sometimes have a cylinder that you turn to direct air to a vent. In this case, the fan had plugs that you knocked out so that the air discharged in the proper direction. All the plugs were in place and the air had no where to go.
I have found range fans like this that do not vent at all on houses where they have been malfunctioning for many years. I have also found them in new houses and in newly renovated kitchens. People hear the fan and assume that it is sending air where it should be going. You have to check the air flow.
Agents and home buyers listen up. When you are looking at a beautifully done kitchen in a new house, or a renovated kitchen in an older house, and the house is vacant, remember that no one has been living there to discover mistakes made by the installers. Expect surprises if you do not have a home inspector go through first.
In my case, because my house has been my learning lab for all these years, I have made just about any mistake you can think of. I know first hand what to look for.
And I enjoy looking because you never know what you will find.
Sincerely,
Home Status Inspection Company
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