# Garbage Disposal Replacement Causes Flooding



## robwilliams (May 6, 2011)

I received a call yesterday, third call like this since January. Customer says, every time they operate the dishwasher, it floods under the sink. I proceed to ask him a few questions, like, does it flood every time, when did this start, etc.. He told me he had 3 companies come out and tell him the dishwasher needs replacing, the drain needs replacing and one company told him the garbage disposal needed replacing. He told me, the garbage disposal has already been replaced recently. He said that is what started the flooding problem. BINGO! I told him, I know exactly what the problem is. I ask him, who installed the disposal, was it a Plumber? He said no, it was a Handyman. I said well, I can send my son out, but it will cost you a minimum $145.00 service call fee. I also told him, this fee is minimum, even if we fix it in 5 minutes. He said ok, but, he asked if I was sure we could fix it. He said he has spent a fortune already. After laughing under my breath, because we all know, the idiot Hanyman forgot to remove the factor plug in the disposal when he hooked up the dishwasher drain hose, I told him yeah, I guarantee we can fix it, in about 5 minutes. He said, ok, come on out. I love it when the Handyman Hack does this. It is easy money for us.:thumbup:


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Sounds like the same guy fro home depot... and how the dishwasher drain connected? Laying on floor?


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

How bout the morons who can't hook up a dishwasher because the supply line is the wrong size ,,, PLEASE !! :-/


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

robwilliams said:


> I received a call yesterday, third call like this since January. Customer says, every time they operate the dishwasher, it floods under the sink. I proceed to ask him a few questions, like, does it flood every time, when did this start, etc.. He told me he had 3 companies come out and tell him the dishwasher needs replacing, the drain needs replacing and one company told him the garbage disposal needed replacing. He told me, the garbage disposal has already been replaced recently. He said that is what started the flooding problem. BINGO! I told him, I know exactly what the problem is. I ask him, who installed the disposal, was it a Plumber? He said no, it was a Handyman. I said well, I can send my son out, but it will cost you a minimum $145.00 service call fee. I also told him, this fee is minimum, even if we fix it in 5 minutes. He said ok, but, he asked if I was sure we could fix it. He said he has spent a fortune already. After laughing under my breath, because we all know, the idiot Hanyman forgot to remove the factor plug in the disposal when he hooked up the dishwasher drain hose, I told him yeah, I guarantee we can fix it, in about 5 minutes. He said, ok, come on out. I love it when the Handyman Hack does this. It is easy money for us.:thumbup:


 






So the other companies were trying to screw this guy over good...wow that's really bad. I hear stories like this all the time.


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## robwilliams (May 6, 2011)

Yeah, and the real sad thing is, this guy that called us, now he knows, either the other companies were trying to screw him or they actually didn't know about the factory knock-out plug in the disposal (which I find hard to believe). How many homeowners believe this song and dance from these other companies and actually spend their hard earned money to get this situation corrected.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

robwilliams said:


> Yeah, and the real sad thing is, this guy that called us, now he knows, either the other companies were trying to screw him or they actually didn't know about the factory knock-out plug in the disposal (which I find hard to believe). How many homeowners believe this song and dance from these other companies and actually spend their hard earned money to get this situation corrected.


I would say most customers will believe just about anything you tell them.
"Ethics" is doing the right thing when NO One is looking.


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## pilot light (Apr 21, 2012)

Ya I had the same issue with a 3 inch Watts vr 10 prv yesterday! Others had said it needed to be totally replaced and then just opened the bypass. I took it apart looked at the pitot sensing tubes which were plugged cleaned her up took and an hour and some elbow grease problem solved!:thumbup:


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## smellslike$tome (Jun 16, 2008)

Why was it flooding underneath the sink? If the plug was not removed then the dishwasher simply would not drain and they would have dirty water standing in the dishwasher, ... unless it was leaking at the connection to the disposal.

I've had this call before and felt the same quiet satisfaction in exposing someone else's ignorance but I would not have immediately suspected an in place knock out plug if the complaint was a leak under the ks :blink:.


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## Bellboy (Jan 21, 2012)

I got a call on a dishwasher leak once looked everywhere and couldn't find one. So finally I ask the guy what detergent he was using and he showed me a bottle of dawn soap.


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## Doubletap (May 5, 2010)

Twice I have seen licensed plumbers install disposals and miss one of the three tabs that hold the disposal on. When you do this it causes a smaller leak. One would only leak when you pulled the plug on a full sink.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

smellslike$tome said:


> Why was it flooding underneath the sink? If the plug was not removed then the dishwasher simply would not drain and they would have dirty water standing in the dishwasher, ... unless it was leaking at the connection to the disposal.
> 
> I've had this call before and felt the same quiet satisfaction in exposing someone else's ignorance but I would not have immediately suspected an in place knock out plug if the complaint was a leak under the ks :blink:.



I was wondering the same thing. But I guess the dw connector was leaking.


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## user8031 (Dec 14, 2011)

I repaired a leaky disposal few days ago. Actually everything was fine EXCEPT the handy hack who installed it did not have the snap ring completely on.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

If there is an air gap it will leak if the knock out plug is still there. Air gap is required by code here. Or discharge into a receptor


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

AlbacoreShuffle said:


> I would say most customers will believe just about anything you tell them.
> "Ethics" is doing the right thing when NO One is looking.


Where it goes wrong is that ethics don't pay the bills near as well as slightly unethical.

The totally unethical never survived and in this age of online reviews, they don't last long at all.

I'm extremely ethical and my entire career I've watched less ethical companies succeed and I've been screwed over just as bad.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Plumber said:


> Where it goes wrong is that ethics don't pay the bills near as well as slightly unethical.
> 
> The totally unethical never survived and in this age of online reviews, they don't last long at all.
> 
> I'm extremely ethical and my entire career I've watched less ethical companies succeed and I've been screwed over just as bad.


Good sleep is priceless.


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## PlumberJake (Nov 15, 2010)

Plumber said:


> Where it goes wrong is that ethics don't pay the bills near as well as slightly unethical.
> 
> The totally unethical never survived and in this age of online reviews, they don't last long at all.
> 
> I'm extremely ethical and my entire career I've watched less ethical companies succeed and I've been screwed over just as bad.


You reminded me of a scripture. Psalm 73

3 For I became envious of the boasters,
[When] I would see the very peace of wicked people.

4 For they have no deathly pangs;
And their paunch is fat.


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## TopDog (Jun 12, 2010)

robwilliams said:


> Yeah, and the real sad thing is, this guy that called us, now he knows, either the other companies were trying to screw him or they actually didn't know about the factory knock-out plug in the disposal (which I find hard to believe). How many homeowners believe this song and dance from these other companies and actually spend their hard earned money to get this situation corrected.


So he used a handyman to install the garbage disposal and then called three plumbing companies to find his leak? Sounds like a homeowner install to me.

Three weeks ago, went out to a property to fix a leak in a copper line. When a contractor was removing siding, he pulled a nail out of a copper line. Made the repair from the outside and left. 

Week later, get a call to investigate source of water behind refrigerator and mold on the wall for a Property Mgmt. Co. in the same unit. Found leak to be from dishwasher connection. Tenant says Sears installed the dishwasher several months back and then he pulls out a braided stainless supply that they left behind. Didn't make sense they would re-use his old lines and leave the new connector behind. Advise him to call Sears because there is damage.

Gave report to Property Manager and she tells me he said the mold and water damage was related to the nail in the copper pipe. :no: The tenant had called us a week before to investigate moisture and mold, but had to wait for their 'gov't handout.' So the call was scheduled for the end of the month.

Go back to the community a week later and homeowner wants the stainless steel supply put on. Asked about Sears - he doesn't want to deal with it. Told him we weren't gonna touch it. Good luck.

The mold had been there - yet he wanted to blame it on a leak that happened after the fact. The dishwasher was in fact leaking and had been for some time - yet he didn't want to call Sears. The guy was caught in several lies. Felt good to walk away from that one.

I'm cynical. Only listen to half of what the customer says anymore.


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## MTDUNN (Oct 9, 2011)

TopDog said:


> I'm cynical. Only listen to half of what the customer says anymore.


Totally agree. Ask your 4 or 5 troubleshooting questions get the address and dispatch.


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## TopDog (Jun 12, 2010)

MTDUNN said:


> Totally agree. Ask your 4 or 5 troubleshooting questions get the address and dispatch.


Bad information wastes a lot of time when troubleshooting. How hard is it? If you flushed something you weren't supposed to, just say it. If it starting leaking after you put in a new part, just say it. If you changed the T-stat settings, admit it. 

Mr. Jones, have you touched anything in the tank since we left?

Customers are like little kids "it wasn't me."


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## salhb (May 11, 2012)

RW Plumbing said:


> If there is an air gap it will leak if the knock out plug is still there. Air gap is required by code here. Or discharge into a receptor


yeah but he is saying it was leaking under the dishwasher, if the airgap was leaking it would be leaking on top of the sink if the disposal plug was not removed...


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

salhb said:


> yeah but he is saying it was leaking under the dishwasher, if the airgap was leaking it would be leaking on top of the sink if the disposal plug was not removed...


Its simple. Dishwasher drain pump is on a timer. Dishwasher discharges for X amount of time, DW don't know drain is clogged, & now tub is full to bottom of door, now next cycle starts to pour in more water.:boat: Water will go everywhere. Same thing will happen if drain screen gets blocked in bottom of DW. Had a lady last month that had a bunch of those 11/2" round diameter, caps from baby bottles, had fallen in tub of DW and blocked most of drain screen. This was a "While your here job".


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## BigDave (Mar 24, 2012)

Most dishwashers have a float switch to regulate the level of water
in the tub, right? I was "training" with a new company a few years back
and went out for a few days with their "top producer". Customer had run
the machine and the water came out on the floor. Plumber I was with that
day opened the door of machine and a knife was sitting on top of the float,
causing the machine to overfill...
He sold her a new dishwasher...:glare:

I just shake my head and continue to sleep like a baby...


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## MTDUNN (Oct 9, 2011)

TopDog said:


> Bad information wastes a lot of time when troubleshooting. How hard is it? If you flushed something you weren't supposed to, just say it. If it starting leaking after you put in a new part, just say it. If you changed the T-stat settings, admit it.
> 
> Mr. Jones, have you touched anything in the tank since we left?
> 
> Customers are like little kids "it wasn't me."


I had a mother of a 3 year old try to tell me the ball I retrieved from the new toilet I installed a few weeks prior must have been in there from the factory. 3 year old said ,"you found my ball". Mom slaps 3 year old. That will be $120.00 please.


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## CentralPlumbing (Jan 22, 2009)

I had this exact same problem except the handy man that installed the disposal sugested she should replaced her sink with one with a bigger lip to catch the water spilling out of the air gap every time the dishwsher drained.


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## piper1 (Dec 16, 2011)

Don The Plumber said:


> Its simple. Dishwasher drain pump is on a timer. Dishwasher discharges for X amount of time, DW don't know drain is clogged, & now tub is full to bottom of door, now next cycle starts to pour in more water.:boat: Water will go everywhere. Same thing will happen if drain screen gets blocked in bottom of DW. Had a lady last month that had a bunch of those 11/2" round diameter, caps from baby bottles, had fallen in tub of DW and blocked most of drain screen. This was a "While your here job".


while your here:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Doubletap said:


> Twice I have seen licensed plumbers install disposals and miss one of the three tabs that hold the disposal on. When you do this it causes a smaller leak. One would only leak when you pulled the plug on a full sink.


 
Find this every now and then... I'm already there to replace the disposal as they think it's leaking. 


Had a customer that installed a disposal almost 3 years prior. 


Said water was shooting out of the Air Gap. 


I do a quick test with a coat hanger, hit a rock hard stop at the disposal. 

I put my finger inside the disposal, confirm the stoppage.... 

Forgot the knockout plug when they installed it 3 years prior.


They thought it was normal to have water blasting out of the vent holes in the cover, and it was only when it shot over the sink onto the floor did they address the issue.


So all that time, even though it didn't blow through the air gap prior, they accepted that situation once the husband installed the new disposal. 


You could tell he was highly embarrassed.


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