Why Is Your Garbage Disposal Backing Up Into Your Dishwasher?
- What’s causing my garbage disposal to back up?
- Can this appliance be repaired?
- Could I fix it myself?
- Will I have to replace the entire unit?
One thing’s for sure: You should address this issue right away. After all, garbage disposal waste can be full of harmful microbes. Therefore, if it keeps backing up, it could endanger your whole household.
Why Do Garbage Disposals Back Up?
Garbage disposals are complex machines; as such, they can malfunction in numerous ways. And here are a few of the most common problems:
1. One or More Garbage Disposal Parts That Stop Working
Maybe your garbage disposal backs up because one of its mechanical parts is broken or worn-out — the motor, for example.
Also, in some cases, these devices malfunction when people put too much food waste in them all at once. That overload could force dirty water backwards and into a dishwasher.
2. A Kitchen Clog
Blockages are common within garbage disposals and kitchen plumbing systems. For example, bits of food can stick to garbage disposal interiors. After a while, those food clogs can keep water from flowing through. Thus, a backflow could occur.
Kitchen drains often get clogged, too. Grease, hair, soap, and other everyday materials can collect inside them, leading to stoppages. Clogs are especially common within the P-trap, the curved part of the pipe beneath your kitchen sink.
Using a flashlight, you may be able to peek inside your plumbing fixtures and spot a clog. Then you might rely on one of these solutions to eliminate it:
- Pull out the clog with pliers or tongs
- Suction out the clog with a sink plunger
- Push the blockage all the way down using a drain snake
- Vacuum out the clog with a shop vac
You might also disintegrate your clog with a drain cleaner. These products are available at hardware and home improvement stores. Just be aware that over-the-counter drain cleaners sometimes contain harsh chemicals.
As an alternative, you could make your own drain cleaner, one that’s nontoxic. Just mix vinegar and baking soda together in equal measure. Next, pour that mixture down your drain. Finally, 15 to 30 minutes later, run hot tap water for 60 seconds or longer.
3. A High Drain Hose Loop
Your dishwasher connects to your kitchen’s plumbing system via a drain hose. And that hose forms a loop through which water can exit the dishwasher and travel to the sink drain.
In some cases, however, a drain hose loop is positioned too high up. As a result, dirty water runs backward when it reaches the sink drain, and it flows into the dishwasher once again.
Fortunately, this issue is simple to fix. You’d just have to reposition your drain hose loop downward. (You’ll find this loop inside your sink cabinet, underneath a counter.)
Should You Fix Your Garbage Disposal Yourself?
None of the DIY methods mentioned above are guaranteed to work. A drain cleaning solution, for example, might not be strong enough to break down a stubborn clog.
Indeed, many plumbing problems are more complicated than they appear. They might have more than one root cause, and those causes can be hard for amateurs to identify. And even the simplest plumbing repairs can require some degree of knowledge and experience.
Not to mention, homeowners sometimes make things worse when they attempt plumbing repairs. For example, using a drain snake incorrectly could:
- Dent or scratch a pipe
- Damage a pipe’s joints, weakening it in the process
- Push a clog farther into a pipe, making the blockage even harder to eliminate
- Cause someone to puncture or otherwise injure their hand
As a precaution, if you’re going to work on your garbage disposal, unplug it before you begin. Turning off the circuit breaker would be a good idea as well.
Plus, while attempting any such repairs, you might want to wear sanitation gloves.
Getting Professional Help From Miami Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
Whenever plumbing problems arise, the wisest course of action is usually to call a plumber immediately. If you try to handle the job yourself, you could easily aggravate the issue. Then you’d surely pay much more than you would’ve paid a plumber earlier on.
Also, professional work provides peace of mind. And it lets you avoid the stress, the mess, and the hard labor that so often come with DIY plumbing.
For Miami homeowners, Miami Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is an excellent choice for any plumbing assignment.
Our staff members are highly trained and experienced, fully licensed and insured, and dedicated to the industry’s best customer service practices. Beyond that, we’re always efficient and punctual. As we like to tell our customers: “If there’s any delay, it’s YOU we pay!”
Is your garbage disposal backing up as we speak? If so, please give us a call as soon as you can. Once a Miami Benjamin Franklin plumber shows up at your door, your backups will disappear, your sinks and drains will be unobstructed, and your garbage disposal will work like a dream.
