Fixing dishwasher drain ("sweating" drain hose)

Users who are viewing this thread

AdrianMariano

New Member
Messages
79
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Massachusetts
My dishwasher drain has a translucent ribbed hose in the basement that connects to a black hose that goes up into the kitchen to the disposal. The black hose was in the house when I bought it and likely dates to the mid 90's. I noticed recently that it is covered with oil on the outside. It appears that oil is passing through the hose. It seems like the oily section of the hose is the part where I would expect water to be standing in it.

In pondering what to do about this I realized that my first question is whether I should drain the dishwasher into the utility sink that is right below rather than taking it back up to the garbage disposal. The laundry already drains into this utility sink and it does seem sort of silly to send the water up just so it can come back down.

My second question whether I do the above, or whether I keep things as it is would be: what sort of hose should I use to replace the black one that is oozing oil? If I am going to go to the utility sink I could just use rigid PVC if that's the right choice.

I've included a couple pics showing the drainage connections close up and showing the relation to the utility sink. If you look closely you can see how the black pipe looks wet---it's greasy, not just water.


dishwash1.jpgdishwash3.jpg
 

Jacobsond

DIY Junior Member
Messages
105
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Location
Fairmount, North Dakota
Website
www.nielsenelectric.com
You have a garbage disposal you can hook it up to and you have to decide to whether to have a Mickey Mouse setup into a utility sink or hook it to the garbage disposal? I vote garbage disposal. I wouldn't want that nasty water going into my utility sink.
 

AdrianMariano

New Member
Messages
79
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Massachusetts
That's interesting. The utility sink is pretty gross the way things are now. I have the impression from my wife that stuff draining from the kitchen actually backs up out into the utility sink a lot of the time. The kitchen drains into the same pipe as the utility sink and I guess that pipe can't keep up. (It's 60 year old steel pipe which runs horizontally under the slab of the basement, and I have seen elsewhere in my house how badly constricted this steel pipe tends to be.)
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,599
Reaction score
1,037
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
IF the drain were working properly, it would NOT back up into the sink. The hose should also NOT "leak" oil. IF you drain the DW into the utility sink, be prepared to have dirty dishes because the water may leak out as fast it tries to fill.
 

AdrianMariano

New Member
Messages
79
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Massachusetts
If it's a bad idea to drain into the utility sink then I won't do it. That's why I ask these questions. I'm curious, though: wouldn't the dishwasher have a valve? Does it really rely on the drain path to not drain in order to stay full? Seems like a bad design.

What kind of hose would you recommend to replace the "leaking" black hose?

It would be nice if the drainage worked better. I replaced no more than four feet of horizontally running steel pipe that drained my bathroom sink. Before I did this the bathroom sink tap ran faster than the sink drained and the sink would fill up with water. Now the drain keeps up with the tap without any issues. The kitchen drain has to go through probably 30 feet of that constricted horizontal steel pipe, so the drainage is not very good. I don't know if anything can be done about this. I think roto-rooter was out a few years ago and tried to open it up some, but the pipe is buried in concrete so it's pretty hard to replace that. The stuff I replaced was mostly exposed in the basement ceiling.
 

Cacher_Chick

Test, Don't Guess!
Messages
5,458
Reaction score
213
Points
63
Location
Land of Cheese
Any drains under slab should be at least 2" cast iron pipe, and can be cleared, at least to some extent, with a drain machine. If the pipe is in severely bad condition, it will be leaking and should be replaced.
No drain, with the exception of a tub and/or shower should have a trap under the floor.

Dishwasher drain hose can be purchased at any plumbing supply.
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,599
Reaction score
1,037
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
quote; I'm curious, though: wouldn't the dishwasher have a valve? Does it really rely on the drain path to not drain in order to stay full?
Some do, but since the normal drain system ALWAYS goes upwards, it does not have to be a very good one. Sometimes it just relies on the direction the pump is turning. In the old days, when DW's had gravity drains, they did have a solenoid valve to retain the water.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
That rubber hose could be slowly decomposing. Being around a laundry sink could mean exposure to chlorine from bleach, and that, over time, can degrade lots of plastics and rubber components.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks