A week ago I had to replace the food disposal unit under the sink. The dish washer has a hose going to it.
The dish washer was run while the food disposal was messed up. I think I got a clog as a result.
I took off a filter that is in the inside but dont see any lodged. But then, the filter has big gaps where food could pass through.
I pulled out the dishwasher from the counter and turned off the breaker. Using a flashlight I see what appears to be a pump of some sort.
Can I mess up anything by pulling the dish washer all the way out? Would something come undone? I never messed with this stuff before, and cant afford a plummer right now.
There's always a danger that something could become "undone," either wiring or hoses. If you had to yank hard to get the washer out, the risk is increased. Simply check to make sure nothing was disconnected before you put the washer back in. What are the symptoms and what brand of dishwasher? Disconnect the drain hose, and try taking an object that will fit into the hose to ream it out. A coat hanger would be a good start. Bend the leading end 90 degrees to make a small "barb". If you encounter resistance or lots of crud on the hanger, it could be clogged, if not check the disposal end inlet. Don't force the hanger hard beyond the end of the hose because you could damage the impeller. Frank
Please don't take this the wrong way, if the dishwasher drain runs into the side of the disposal, there's an good chance you forgot to knock out the plug that new disposals have that blocks that port.
Remove the hose from the disposal and take a look. If you can't see into the disposal, the plug is there. Take a hammer and big screwdriver and knock it out.
I won't ask, but I have a plumber friend who replaced his disposal and forgot the plug. Imagine his embarrasment when he had to ask me, just the salesman, what I thought was wrong. And to the OP, don't forget to remove the plug from the disposal after knocking it loose.
Well, yes. The drain is connected via a hose, but how is the water supply connected? IIRC mine uses something that could break or kink.
When my dw wouldn't drain, I didn't have to pullit out at all. Does yours have a panel under the door. If so it probably comes off by loosening the two screws that hold it on. Or you may have to remove them. That gives you 6 inches of opening.
I was able to disconnect the drain hose from the drain outlet on the DW and show that water did come out (somehow I removed only a little (I probably siphoned or bailed out the dw before doing this) and I probably had a broiler pan to collect whatever water did come out.
And I probably blew into the hose to convince myself it wasn't clogged.
I read what they said about the knockout and of course you should ceck this first, at least by looking at the installatoin directions again. (which might be wrong) but how I finally fixed mine:
My Kenmore uses an anti-siphon think that looks like a chrome cylinder to the right of the water faucet. Pull off the cover and unscrew something, and inside I found a chicken bone, the fibula I think, the thin little bone that runs along side the drumstck bone. I don't know why, but after I removed it, everythign worked fine.
Thanks for all the wonderful advise and suggestions. I did not read the manual fully on the disposal unit. I will check it out tonight. I hope that is it, and that I did not screw anything up by pulling out the washer 12 inches or so from the counter.
I'll follow up with good or bad news Saturday or Sunday.
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