It's Washington code to have an airgap installed on a dishwasher. It's purpose is to prevent dirty water from backflowing into the dishwasher. It must be installed a minimum 1" above flood level, which is the top of the sink. It's discharge has to be before the p-trap.
Pretty basic stuff.
The residential airgap has been redundant for decades.
Dishwashers come with a looped drain in the back of the unit, one. Two, the dishwasher pump--the one that forces the water out--has an internal check valve preventing water to go back into the machine. derp...
Now, why am I ranting? Lookie here:
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| Bellingham dishwasher air gap |
This air gap is installed under the sink, then covered by insulation! The reason it was installed under the sink is the beautiful countertop only has one hole for the faucet.
That's the third one in two weeks! Guys, air gaps leak eventually and if you put them under the sink it will damage the cabinet, wall, and floor.
Insurance won't cover the damage because of glaring code violation.
By the way, the insulation was a first for me. The owner said it's a "Canadian thing" and shall remain. And so it does.
