How Do You Turn A Dishwasher Air-Gap Device Into A Water-Gap Device?

So, how do you turn a dishwasher air-gap device into a water-gap device?

Remember the old air-gap devices?  Those little domes on the edge of the kitchen sink which AIR is supposed to come out of when the dishwasher drains?  If it clogged water would spray instead.

Now dishwashers are mostly drained directly into the disposal, which is alright if the drain hose loops over the disposal so you don't get goop back washing into the dishwasher.

People sometimes call me to ask why there is rice on their plates after the dishwasher finishes.  Ummmm...

However, arriving at an empty house, with a "new" kitchen, we admired the new sink.

Its a beauty!

I turned the dishwasher on first.  And began with the rest of the kitchen.

Typically I do the kitchen last, but it was new so we wanted to see what it had in store.  The buyers were very interested in the new appliances.

Not long after we heard spraying under the kitchen sink.  I thought I knew what it meant, and quickly turned off the dishwasher.

Looking underneath we found what I suspected might be the problem.

That is the air-gap device that stuck up and into the dome over the previous kitchen sink!

They had it tucked tightly up in to the gap behind the sink!

That's why I didn't see it first glance.

Conspicuously missing is the disposal.

The way they had this set up, when the dishwasher drained it sprayed through the air gap AND into the drain.

Now it's a water-gap device!

Fortunately we caught it before too much water sprayed!

Had we gone somewhere else there would have been other damage.

Cute!  But incorrect.

They didn't know how to drill a hole through the new sink, so they didn't!

My recommendation:  new is good.  New and done right is better!  Try everything in a new kitchen!  You might be sprayed with information!