Air Gap Leaks in the Sink

Air Gap

• The air gap in your kitchen is a chrome cap or pipe protruding up from the sink or the countertop immediately beside the sink. This small bit of metal covers two pipes. One pipe connects to the drain hose of your dishwasher. The other pipe connects to a hose that fits to the drain on your garbage disposal. The air gap prevents dirty water from siphoning back into your dishwasher when either the garbage disposal or the dishwasher drains.

Leak

• When your air gap leaks into the sink, water seeps out from under the chrome cover and runs down into your kitchen sink. The leak will occur when you run your garbage disposal or dishwasher and stops whenever those appliances aren’t in use. The leak is caused by a blockage within one of the air gap hoses. Food debris like fruit seeds can lodge inside the hose connected to either the dishwasher or the garbage disposal.

Solutions

• Getting rid of the blockage will stop the air gap from leaking into your sink. Remove the chrome cap either by pulling it off or unscrewing it. Use a paper towel to dry off and clean up the visible portions of the air gap. If you can’t see any obstruction at the top, then disconnect the air gap hoses one at a time from the disposal and the dishwasher. Use a pipe cleaner to clean inside of them.

Considerations

• Building codes in some areas require the use of an air gap if you have a dishwasher. Without the air gap, the dishwasher can siphon dirty water from the drain hoses back into its interior. This can contaminate clean dishes and put your family at risk for food borne illnesses. Your air gap won’t always leak when there is a blockage in one of its hoses. It might cause your dishwasher to drain slowly instead.