So frustrating – the little silver hood next to the kitchen sink leaks suds and water onto the countertop when you run the dishwasher. It never did that before. Every time you run the dishwasher, you end up with a messy, sudsy puddle next to the sink.
That little hood covers the air gap. To see what’s under the hood, just pull it off. You’ll see a plastic casing with tubes. One tube is directed downward into a larger tube, and there is a gap (the air gap) between the tubes. Ah, so that’s where the sudsy water is coming from – but why?
The air gap is there to keep dirty drain water from backing up into the dishwasher. If the sink drain is plugged, the sink will overflow before water reaches the air gap.
When sudsy water leaks from the air gap, it means there’s a kink or blockage in the drain line from the air gap to the tailpiece of the sink or to the disposal. Gravity makes water flow down this tube, and any blockage will cause a leak above the sink at the air gap. Just straighten or replace this tube.