Replies

1. 
   NickNukeEm | Jul 28, 2003 09:26pm | #1

   I'm not a plumber, but I've installed countless dishwashers.  You will get two different answers on this one.  My code-check booklet for plumbing says an air gap is required (or integral backflow device.)

   That being said, however, the last time I saw one installed was in my townhouse in Hawaii, 25 years ago.  Take the disharge hose and mount it high under the sink, well above the level of your sink drain.  Thread the hose thru an opening at the top of the dishwasher cabinet; that should be high enough. 

   Our resident plumber is in Alaska at the moment, but plenty of others have an opinion on the subject as well.

   Try searching under 'air gap' and see what comes up.

   I never met a tool I didn't like!
1. 
   buildboy | Jul 29, 2003 03:26am | #4

   Thanks for the advise. I hadn't thought about running the hose high. Good ol' fashion common sence rules again!

2. 
   geob21 | Jul 28, 2003 11:36pm | #2

   An air gap stops water from draining out the D/W if the sink drain becomes clogged after the disposal. If you choose not to have one above the counter run the discharge hose up to the underside of the counter top.  Water then would have to reach a depth in the sink equal to the bottom of the counter top before draining to the dishwasher.  I do not know the code in your area but for complete saftey use an air gap.

   ________________________________________________________________

   If you were arrested for being a quality builder would there be enough evidence to convict you?
3. 
   CapnMac | Jul 29, 2003 01:19am | #3

   If an air gap is required, the hole is not a big deal (neither is adding the hole for the soap dispenser, for that matter).

   You only need a uni bit, or a metal-cutting hole saw of the right diameter.  If you are making only the one hole, go with the hole saw, as it has a pilot bit.  Go ahead and use the center punch to keep the bit from walking about on metal sinks.  (Note, too, that acrylic sinks can also be bored, just need to used a lower speed.)

   The soap dispensers are neat, especially in a "visible" sink location (no soap bottle on the counter; the scrub brush, sponge, etc. will be, unless you put in a tip-out tray/drawer on the dummy drawer head under the sink--no joy for apron-front sinks).

   One thing to note, dishwashing soap is very nice in the dispenser.  Liquid hand soap can be less so, especially if the tricycle motors leave any on the "clean" plates (all hands will be thinner, afterwards; but having counted all of the bathroom tiles 2-3 times will likely beget a bathroom renovation . . . )

   If one discovers a need for both kinds of soap, using a different "color" dispenser will make life a bit more satisfactory.

1. 
   buildboy | Jul 29, 2003 03:31am | #5

   Sink is cast iron so I don't think I'll be drillin', although it would be an excuse for another tool to add to the collection - but thats in another discussion group. Hey, btw, I was with you all the way until that "counting all the tiles thing" Ya lost me there.

1. 
   CapnMac | Jul 29, 2003 07:13am | #7

   "counting all the tiles thing" Ya lost me there.

   Ah, perhaps you have not been on a campout where someone, for whatever reason, used soap on the pots and/or pans.  Lubricating the digestive tract with soap is an unpleasant experience.  One to be avoided whenever possible.  Liquid soap is not quite so bad as bar soap, but still bad (oh, to have such helpfull nephews in the kitchen . . . )

   Cast iron sink?  Oh, you gotta get a new tool for that!  Or, a new sink!  Soapstone, perhaps <g> . . . (yeah, I know, not helping)

   You can set the air gap fixture in the countertop, if needs must. Soap dispenser, too, for that matter--just a little less elegant.  Air gap can "hide" behind the dw on the counter--the limitation is the hose.  Some jurisdictions require the fixture, most of the time keeping the hose up high is sufficient.

1. 
   bobtim | Jul 29, 2003 07:33am | #8

   So what you really need, is to free up one of the holes in the sink for the airgap.  Just install a faucet that the spigot pulls out on its own hose and becomes the sprayer( instead of the seperate sprayer thingee) . Theres your extra opening .

   A good plumbing supply house will usually be aware of the codes and sell or at least recommend the correct stuff. The big boxes are another story.

4. 
   steve | Jul 29, 2003 03:55am | #6

   an "air gap" is not required in ontario but the dishwasher discharge hose must be run as high as posible under the c'top and into the sink drain before the trap, NOT into the garburator

   drill a 2 inch hole into the bottom of the sink cabinet just above the floor of the cabinet and feed the drain and hotwater through there, then loop the drain hose as high as posible before tying it into the drain assembly above the trap

   do not feed the dw drain into a garburator, ive seen several garburators corroded beyond repair by DW soap which is very corrosive

   caulking is not a piece of trim