Dishwasher backing-up

Recently a customer noticed water underneath their dishwasher and could not understand what has caused the dishwasher to fail.

The culprit was a common drain for all units becoming blocked. There were 6 units feeding into one grease trap.

Unfortunately the units affected were on the ground floor. Occupants noticed their sinks filling up with foul smelling dirty water.

Dishwashers have outlets often connected to kitchen drains. How your dishwasher pump reacts to water coming in instead of leaving as it should, determines whether you have dishwasher repairs or even replacement. The pump in dishwashers is usually not designed to prevent water coming back in. In a situation where water is forced back in to the dishwasher the pump may eventually fail.

Know your plumbing - preventative maintenance

Your dishwasher can be damaged by circumstances beyond your control. If you live in a unit complex common drains can back-up, causing water to flow backwards into your sink and into your dishwasher.

Emergency plumbers can (and do) charge $400 per hour to investigate an emergency water leak on weekends.

Be aware of what pipes do what in your home or unit. If you notice a gurgling sound in the pipes, or water flowing slowly, investigate the cause before it turns into an untimely expensive emergency.