hooking up plumbing for a dishwasher

[Kskier]

i instaling an under-the-counter dishwasher for someone, and the dishwasher is not right next to the sink. she is currently using a portable one. my question's are, if i run a drain line down to tie into either the main stack coming down from upstairs bathroom, or the drain line coming down from kithchen sink(which i am leaning towards, because it has a separate vent), do i need to put a p-trap in, do i need to put an air gap in, does it have to be hardpiped in, or can i use some flexible hose and connect it with a waste tee, and a rubber coupler?.................thanks

 

[Jimbo]

No to most of what you said.


A dishwasher must be connected above a trap. Under some codes, it must be connected to an air gap. An air gap must be above the countertop. Even if your code does not require an air gap, the dishwasher drain hose must be high-looped up to the underside of the countertop, then down into a drain tee or disposal. Otherwise, you will have dirty water backing up into the DW. Your best bet would be to extend the drain hose across through cabinets to get to the sink. If the DW is not on the same side of the kitchen, that is different. You may have to create a trapped standpipe of some sort.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Kskier]

thanks for your reply. do you mean by trapped standpipe, creating a new drain down thru floor, with a trap in it? and if that is what you meant, do i still have to loop drain hose from dw to below the counter?

 

[Larry4]

Dishwasher

I Just ran into a problem with the dishwasher to far away from the sink. I simply ran the drain down below and installed a trapped standpipe. I used a large reducer to make a big receptor at the top of the standpipe. I had to maintain an air gap for the code officer. It worked great and was fast.

Lar

 

[hj]

dw

If you run the hose down below the floor and connect it there somehow, (it does have to have an air gap to prevent sewage backup into the dw and any open standpipe could overflow and flood the basement), the dw's water will just drain out when it tries to fill.

 

[Herk]

You're doing this for someone else? And you have no idea what you're doing? This is just so wrong . . .

 

[Kskier]

Well, herk,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you do not ask ,,,,,you will never learn,,,,,,,,,I do know what I am doing,,,,,,,,,,but not everything,,,,,,,,,,,that is why I am here to see what is involved before I accept the job! I am a home handyman, which means there are alot of things I have to research before attemping them!

 

[hj]

?

And this helps him connect his dishwasher somehow?

 

[Patrick88]

Well, without adding any outside electrical source, you could simply use an ohmeter. Ground the pipe at one end. Then go to the other end with a meter and find which pipe is grounded. The problem here could be that ALL the pipes may be grounded, in which case the electrical tracer would not work either.

OOPs wrong page I was checking that one too.

 

[Herk]

I am a home handyman, which means there are alot of things I have to research before attemping them!

I'm sure. So I'm guessing that it's legal in your state to contract and do plumbing without a license.

Maybe you can guess why it was required for me to have a journeyman on the job at all times for a minimum of five years while doing my apprenticeship. But I'm sure you can get a sufficient education in plumbing while experimenting on your customers and surfing the internet.

 

[WestcoastPlumber]

I'm sure. So I'm guessing that it's legal in your state to contract and do plumbing without a license.

Maybe you can guess why it was required for me to have a journeyman on the job at all times for a minimum of five years while doing my apprenticeship. But I'm sure you can get a sufficient education in plumbing while experimenting on your customers and surfing the internet.

Ouch, that stings

I am tired of other trades coming into the plumbing trade. Just cause you snake a drain once, clear a toilet, or dig a trench for a plumbing contractor to replace a sewer, DOES NOT MEAN YOUR A PLUMBER

I just lost a c/o install to the gardner

If you gonna do plumbing, get a license to do plumbing, if you gonna do electrical, get a license to do electrical, if your gonna paint, change doors, clean windows, cut grass, replace sprinkler heads, change light balbs, then get a handymans license.

Leave plumbing and electrical alone. Oh yeah, for the wood butchers, don't frame anything more then a dog house.

 

[BAPlumber]

Ouch, that stings

I am tired of other trades coming into the plumbing trade. Just cause you snake a drain once, clear a toilet, or dig a trench for a plumbing contractor to replace a sewer, DOES NOT MEAN YOUR A PLUMBER

I just lost a c/o install to the gardner

If you gonna do plumbing, get a license to do plumbing, if you gonna do electrical, get a license to do electrical, if your gonna paint, change doors, clean windows, cut grass, replace sprinkler heads, change light balbs, then get a handymans license.

Leave plumbing and electrical alone. Oh yeah, for the wood butchers, don't frame anything more then a dog house.

Amen, brother

 

[Mike Swearingen]

kskier,
In most places, code also requires a dw to have a dedicated electrical circuit.
The plumbing requirements have already been described, which includes a mandatory air gap in many places.
I'm not a pro plumber or a pro electrician. I've just been DIYing both for my family, myself and few select friends more than 50 years, but I've never charged anyone if I did either for them.
You should restrict your handyman work to things that don't require a license, since you're violating the law and possibly (a) endangering people or their property, (b) voiding their fire insurance in the case of electrical code violations that cause a fire, and (c) doing work that requires a permit and inspections that will come back to bite them whenever they try to sell their home.
I stay out of doing any licensed plumbing or electrical work for money, and I hope that they all stay out of licensed real estate work (around my market area anyway). LOL
Mike

 

[Herk]

Ouch, that stings

It was meant to. Sometimes you gotta grab 'em and shake 'em before they get the idea.

I know that codes and laws are different everywhere. I know that in CA licenses are not needed for small jobs and I think that's a serious mistake that can only lead to billions in damages. I see too much scab work here in spite of the law. And here, a homeowner can do their own plumbing but you cannot do plumbing for someone else. I'm actually a little vague on the new "specialty licenses," but I'm sure that those with the licenses think they can do anything they want to.

But I feel that if you're working for others, you should have a good working knowledge of your trade first. You can't get that puttering around or asking questions on the internet. In my experience, amateurs do far more damage than good, and to charge for that is criminal.