It was one of my first Do It Yourself projects years ago and I thought I replaced the old food disposer perfectly. I turned it on and it ran well. Every thing was just fine until the next morning when my wife turned on the dishwasher and soon afterward screamed from the kitchen that there's a big leak!
Sure enough, when I got there there was water gushing out of the vacuum gap by the sink, which, of course, was facing away from the sink so water was going everywhere. What a mess! She just looked at me and said. "Fix it." (she didn't have to say the last part, "You Idiot"!)
I was guilty, as so many people are, of not reading the directions carefully. I was unaware that the units are sold with a plug in the opening where you attach the drain from the dishwasher. That's because they sometimes run without a dishwasher hooked up. Good thing to know....I know I won't ever forget it!
When I recently encountered a vacant home with a newly upgraded kitchen, and a dishwasher which would not drain, I knew exactly what had happened. In this case, as on most of the new dishwasher models, there is no vacuum break required next to the sink. Never the less, with the disposal plug still intact, there is no where for the water to go.
On another inspection the same day, I encountered a similar issue with a range fan where the directional plug had not been removed. These fans will discharge either up and forward, straight up, or straight back. They sometimes have a cylinder that you turn to direct air to a vent. In this case, the fan had plugs that you knocked out so that the air discharged in the proper direction. All the plugs were in place and the air had no where to go.
Unfortunately, I have found range fans that do not vent on houses where they have been malfunctioning for years. I have also found them in new houses and in newly renovated kitchens. People hear the fan and assume that it is sending air where it should be going. You have to look closely at it.
Also, quite often I find kitchens where the range backs up to an exterior wall and a fan vented to the exterior would not only be logical, and easy, but very inexpensive. There is one major new community near Manassas (I'll not name it) where the builder opted for internally vented range fans even though almost every house could easily have an externally vented range fan. (You need to know how a builder thinks... when you have a 1000 units and you spend an extra $100. to vent to the exterior, that is $100,000 you can save. Things like this add up.
Click here to see what people are saying about me. Agents and homebuyers listen up. When you are looking at a beautifully done kitchen in a new house, or a renovated kitchen in an older house, and the house is vacant, remember that no one has been living there to discover any mistakes made by the installers. Expect suprises if you do not have a home inspector go through first.
In my case, since my house is my learning lab, I have made just about any mistake you can think of. I know first hand what to look for.
Its a good idea to have me inspect your clients prospective house. You never know what I will find.
Sincerely,
Home Status Inspection Company, LLC
Copyright April 2008 All Rights Reserved
email: homestatus@verizon.net phone: 703-670-5071-Scheduling 703-283-6375 - Cell web: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=ljv5qlcab.0.0.6otgrtbab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2FHomeStatusInspection.com
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Good post. I recommend home inspections to my buyers. It is definitely better to be safe than sorry... :)