Put the dishwasher air gap, pass inspection and take it back out. Use the hole for a soap dispenser. I wouldn't want to do without a garbage disposal. If your only objection is the hole in the counter for the air switch, you could do a standard wall switch or use a batch feed garbage disposal which doesn't require a switch at all.

I'm in oregon and have a lot of rural relatives. No one on septic has a disposal. I grew up without one. I thought you shouldn't.

We're on sewer, but I'm not planning a disposal. We had one in the old house, but not in the temp housing during construction and I didnt miss it.

The disposal switch can be on the wall or under the sink out of sight, it does not have to be on the countertop. It's just not that big a deal to have the air gap. I have never seen anything flow out of the air gap as in the photo you posted. I definitely prefer a garbage disposal. I don't deliberately put anything down the sink but the gd helps when something slips through. I really hate having the little strainers over the drains, cleaning them is just kind of gross even if you do pop them into the dishwasher every night.

As far as I know (and I am NOT the expert), that thing is called an air gap, and it required for the dishwasher, not the disposal.

I was informed by my city inspectors that an air gap is always required unless you have a type of dishwasher with a built-in air gap. Bosch and Miele both do, and I've never heard of another brand that does.

DEFINITELY check with your specific inspector about what he/she is willing to accept.

For a different reason (electrical snafu), we also pondered how much we really needed the garbage disposal and opted not to get one to make our lives easier in that moment. Our theory was that we compost so much now that we never really run the garbage disposal anyway.

It's not the end of the world not to have one, but it has already inspired me to make a firm decision that in our next house, we're definitely having a garbage disposal in every sink in the kitchen.

Despite our scraping/composting, little bits of stuff do still end up in the sink strainer, and dumping them is one more step in clean up the kitchen that I didn't use to have to do, and my husband thinks it's so yucky to deal with the squishy wet food bits that he never does it and thinks I haven't noticed that he's letting me deal with it all the time, and the sink drain has all these parts now that individually accumulate scum and need scrubbing --the inside and outside of the strainer, the thing the strainer sits on, etc. I never used to have to deal with any of that, and cumulatively, it's distinctly more bother and kinda gross. Again, not the end of the world, but I will make a point to avoid this in the future.

DH wanted to do away with the disposal (mostly for your argument), but really I hate cleaning out the strainer - drives me nuts - and I'm more often the one that ends up doing it. I'm so glad that we have it as it makes cleaning the sink much easier - those things collect so much gunk on them (and I've lived a lot of places without a disposal). We are in CA too and swapped it out for a soap dispenser, which I'm also glad I have since it's actually a lot easier to keep clean than a bottle on the counter. The airswitch is not that noticeable either, and doesn't really seem to collect dirt. If you really don't mind the cleaning out a sink strainer it wouldn't be a mistake though, and then you won't have to worry about it breaking inopportunely.

Right - and what Jillius said. We have a Bosch, but most states don't require an airgap regardless of DW type - you just do a high loop. Where I am it doesn't matter what DW you use you still need the air gap (I think only a few places make the reasonable exception for a Bosch or Miele).

The airgap is connected to the dishwasher, not the garbage disposal. My understanding is that in California even though the dishwasher may have an air gap in it, the inspectors don't believe it and you still have to have a standard air gap. You will need to find out what your local rules are.

I vote for the disposal. The air gap is not hard to clean around, and you can hide the disposal switch in the ways mentioned above. I currently live in a big house owned by my university and I share it with 9-10 other women, mostly young graduate students. We do not have a garbage disposal and it is GROSS in our kitchen. The girls do not ever, as far as I can tell, clean out the strainers. The maintenance guys have had to come over several times since I've lived here--which is only since October--to snake out the drain because they let so much food waste go down the sink. I've complained, and the kitchen gets sort of cleaned up, but then in two days it's disgusting again. So I've resorted to an illegal mini fridge, an illegal hot plate, and I've always had the illegal coffee pot, in my room, because I'm not cleaning up after them before I can safely prepare any food. I'm not saying you would be like that! I'm just saying it's the first time I've not had a garbage disposal and I'll never live without one again. Even if you're really clean, a strainer is just another thing to clean up, and it is gross, even if you clean it all the time. Keep your air gap, if you take it out, you'll have to put it back if you ever sell, and besides, there's a good reason it's the code. While I think you might very well regret not getting a disposal, I doubt you'll ever regret getting one. Just my two cents. :-)

Hmm.. my GC said that the air gap was for the disposal, but if we have to have one anyway for the DW, then I'll get the disposal because why not? He's also saying that the disposals are mostly buttons these days so they don't get left on. He's also telling us that it counts as an "appliance" so it would be on us to buy anyway (which, whatever. Splitting hairs at this point, but our budget is just that tight).

I had never though of putting the strainer in the DW (it's been about 7 years since the last time I had a DW to put one in), but that's smart! I think if I did that, I wouldn't mind it at all. I've been cleaning the strainer out by hand for a couple years in the bus anyway!

Sweetsarahbeth, the air gap can be connected to the drain below the sink or to the garbage disposal. Connecting it to the disposal, in my opinion, is better because there's less chance of clogging. And it's not just a law in California, I've never lived anywhere that it isn't required, although I've only lived in the three states on the west coast. If it isn't required somewhere, it should be.

The air gap is for the dishwasher. It is unnecessary for most dishwashers now. But CA hasn't acknowledged this yet. Everyone I know puts one in, passes inspection and then yanks it back out and puts the soap dispenser in its place.

People like the the new air switches. But you don't have to do it that way. You can just use a regular switch if you want. Or go with a batch feed disposal. I like batch feed. No switch. Your gc should be able do any of those.

I'm sorry, practigal, but I respectfully disagree. The air gap is not connected to the dishwasher. It can be connected to the drain below the basket, or to the garbage disposal. :-)

Newer dishwashers do not need the air gap. They have a high loop system instead. Works fine. Air gap is totally unnecessary. CA is behind the times on this one.

OK, sorry to mass post, but I just found this out; if your plumber installs a "high loop" under the sink, that can act as an air gap because it's higher than the dishwasher drain...the gravity thing, remember? So if they do that, they're saying an additional air gap, the "ugly" one on your sink, is unnecessary, and that's why people remove them. But I'd make sure your dishwasher is plumbed like this before pulling the air gap out.

Yep, crl, I stand corrected. :-)

For those of you who prefer a garbage disposal because you hate to clean out the drain basket thing, do you not mind scrubbing the garbage disposal rubber gasket? I hated cleaning that nasty gasket out.

Our garbage disposal was from a 2007 renovation. Do new disposals not have that gasket that you pop out with folds and crevices that collect disposal goo? I don't mind wiping out the drain basket (we had a double basin back then, so one side had to be wiped out anyway), but that gasket was yuck.

I'd much rather clean around the button on the counter than having to clean the food gunk out of the strainer. In NY I don't have a disposal and I hate not having one. In my new kitchen in FL, I'm having a prep sink and a clean up sink and both sinks will have a disposal.

I know what you're talking about benjesbride. It's like a rubber thingy that's cut up like pizza slices and is supposed to prevent things that shouldn't go into the disposal, like spoons, from going in there. For some reason, that is less gross for me than the sink strainer. Lol, I have no idea why. Probably just because I'm so irritated with my housemates and their disgusting sink strainers. When i wash my dishes, I actually use my own sink stopper because I know it's clean, lol! Also, where I live, I'm not allowed to have any outside compost because they attract rats, so given the choice of my food stuff going in the trash can or the disposal, I'd rather have the disposal.

I don't have a disposal on my secondary sink and I regret it EVERY time it starts draining slowly. We don't always have the strainer in and even though that sink is used primarily to get water and wash hands, stuff ends up in it.

I'm planning on redoing that sink to a larger one and installing a disposal. Nothing like a quick flip of the switch and suddenly it drains immediately.

Debbie- if I shared a sink with a bunch of people like you do I'd want a disposal in that house for sure.

I had a garbage disposal in my old kitchen, and never used it since I composted. Well, I *almost* never used it. Sometimes, if their were tiny scraps that I deemed to much of a PIA to pick out of the sink and transfer into the compost, I'd wash those down the drain. The disposal also regularly smelled bad, and the many things I tried - disposal smell solutions - only worked some. It smelled.

Edited to add: re: smell - I tried everything I found online to mitigate the smell: ice cubes, lemon rinds, whole lemons, baking soda, baking powder, bleach, hydrogen peroxide... sometimes it would help some, but never entirely and never for more than a day or so. I was told that I needed to use the disposal more than a few times a week, or it would continue to smell. It just wasn't worth it to me. And I'm a vegetarian, so it wasn't even a meat smell.Just not worth it to me.

I also have a small kitchen, and the trash is under one side of the sink. I would not have wanted to give up the other side of the sink for the disposal. In my new kitchen, I do not have a disposal and I don't miss having one. I do have to occasionally remind myself not to wash the bread crumbs, etc. down the drain.

IMHO you will regret not having a disposal. I have one sink with and one without, and I much prefer the disposal! My plumber advised running ice cubes through it once in a while (breaks up into little scrubbing bits and cleans it nicely). Rubber gasket pops out for easy cleaning, and the air switch is much easier to wipe over than cleaning drips along the counter toward a wall switch.

old kitchen did not have one, HATED the strainer. i do compost but i couldn't wait to put GD in new kitchen!!! just having it for all the bits and pieces is so worth it to me., cleaning that strainer was so gross and tiresome., would not be w/o one again!!

forgot to mention, for the poster up-thread who said their GD smells., try putting lemon rinds in it. i use lemons a lot and grind up the ends all the time and i never have a smell.,... also put ice cubes down it to clean it out...

I am the proud owner of my first waste disposer. ( UK, so not 'garbage' for me!). I absolutely LOVE it. I would lose other things if I ever did a kitchen again but not my disposer. We have a batch feed model. Friends of ours ( the only other people I know with one) have a continuous feed one and have the switch on the worktop next to the tap. They also have the rubber flange bit in the plug hole. It is always flappy and slimy. Hate it. So glad I chose the batch feed. Much safer too as you have to put the 'plug' thingy into the hole and twist before the disposer comes on. That means there is no way anything can fall down the hole once the disposer is on as the plug hole is blocked. So it's not possible to get your hand etc in the grinding area unlike with a continuous feed one which is on after you press the button but nothing covers the plug hole completely ( only the rubber flange for safety.

Debbie, our state doesn't require an air gap although your particular municipality might. I know they aren't required in my area. When I first saw folks talking about air gap devices on here, I didn't even know what they are. Over the decades, like anyone else, I've been in many homes and I have only seen one once in a mobile home. I remember wanting to ask what it was but feeling that it would be rude so I didn't. Heck, I was a Realtor for about three years and never heard anything about them then either.

We put in a GD in our previous home when we remodeled the kitchen in '04. I had never had one before and haven't since we moved here in '11. I really haven't missed it probably because we really didn't use it much. We compost and scrape the dishes. Since I don't rinse the dishes before putting them in the DW, we actually have very few scraps in our sink. I just use the sprayer to to move what little is in the sink down the drain and I've never had a clog or slow drainage. Once in a blue moon, something yucky gets in the strainer but a quick rinse with the sprayer cleans it out and sends the yucky down the drain.

I'm still debating on whether or not to add one to this kitchen. I could go either way and be happy with either decision. YMMV.

I want to clear up some things on this thread.

Air gap - there have been many threads about this on the GW. New dishwashers today all come with the "high loop" pre-installed. You don't need an air gap if you have a high loop for your dishwasher. However, there are I believe just 3 or 4 states that have Codes still requiring an air gap - California, Oregon, parts of Texas, and I believe Maine.

As has been mentioned, most people install the air gap to pass inspection, and then replace it with a soap dispenser (so long as they have a high loop hose from their dishwasher).

It is very important to buy a good quality disposal. It must be 3/4 hp or 1 hp. Anything with lower hp than that will not be powerful enough to grind finely, and will not have stainless steel innards. Those underpowered ones are the ones that might have odors that CarrieB mentioned because the food is not ground well. If you get a 3/4 hp or 1 hp model, you will not have odors from your disposal.

Many people like the "batch feed" style because you do not need a switch at all. It is operated by pushing the cover in to turn on, and pulling the cover off to turn off. That is also a safety feature as the disposal cannot be run without the cover on. A batch feed also does not have the rubber flange that people dislike (mentioned in this thread) and which can get slimy. Of course, there's always pros and cons. People don't like a batch feed because you must feed the waste in batches, rather than continuously. Also, some people prefer to flip a switch than to fiddle with the cover. There is no right or wrong choice; batch feed vs. continuous feed is personal preference.

I had a batch feed that recently died after 12 years of hard use (its warranty was for 10 years). I just replaced it with the same one (a Waste King 9900TC). Before it was replaced, I lived without a disposal for about 10 days. I couldn't wait to get it back! I never realized how much my garbage would stink when I didn't have the disposal to dispose of things like coffee grinds and peels. (I live in a city, and do not compost.)

I wouldn't be without a garbage disposal. It's not like I put much down it, but it's the little bits of gunk, like oatmeal scrapings, that I don't want to deal with. I have an air switch on my counter, to the left of my faucet.

I'm in California and have an air gap. I've always had one. When my kitchen was remodeled I kept an older DW and when I got a new one I just left it. I don't have a soap dispenser, instant hot water or separate sprayer. It's of no consequence to me.

I'm in California and do NOT have an airgap. We explained to the inspector that the Miele DW was installed correctly and did not need the airgap. He passed us with no trouble. Obviously it helped that the contractor who was there for inspector (not the one who had done the job, but a friend, it's a long story) had bailed the inspector out of jail many years ago. But he did say that it was up to his judgement on things like that.

With my new gd, the black flange covering the gd opening (you know the part that gets yucky, slimey and smells) can be removed and washed or replaced. It is now really easy to keep the gd clean and no smell issue. On my old gd you could not remove it and it was impossible to fully clean. I would prefer to never go back to the sink strainer....

The air gap is a tube between the gd and dw, it is connected to both appliances and is required in some states and by some dw (read your dw owners manual), the high loop installation is acceptable in some locales and by some dw too. You only need an air gap if you have a dw. If you only have a gd, no dw, you will not need an air gap.

I don't have one in my house and am okay with it. I grew up without one so it's what I learned. My ex grew up with one and was never able to figure out how to exist without it.

I don't know if I'll get one when I remodel. My new sink will be structurally sound enough to take the vibration but I don't think my drain line beyond the kitchen can handle it.

Same as Linelle. California, air gap, didn't remove it, not a big deal. And I have never actually cleaned the rubber flange thingy in the disposal either. And it doesn't smell. Much ado about nothing. I'd never not have a disposal.

Won't have one. The only times I have ever needed a plumbing repair involved garbage disposals (on holiday weekends.) They jam, they smell, you have more food particles remaining in them to molder than you'd ever have in a strainer. My septic system doesn't need the added fiber. I compost. And -- that black gasket is yucky! I guess I'm a little opinionated!

(My plumber cousin thinks they are they best appliances around - they really bump up his income!)

Loonelakelaborcamp - I am sorry, but there is misinformation in your post. As I mentioned earlier, problems like what you listed occur with lower-end disposals that are not at least 3/4 hp or 1 hp. If you have a better-quality disposal that is 3/4 hp or 1 hp, you will not have clogs or smells, moldering food, or jams. I have lived with disposals in various homes for 40 years, and never experienced what you described. I use my disposal heavily, and have never had a clog or smell.

You get what you pay for. People don't want to spend more for a disposal, so they buy a cheap one that has poor power, poor grinding ability, and does not have stainless steel parts. Then they have to pay a plumber hundreds. I am scratching my head over why people won't spend just a bit more for a better disposal. It's not that big of a price difference.

I would not be without a gd. I have no odor or slime on the gasket and have never had a repair or plumbing issue related to one. Some of your concern seems to be related to gunk gathering around the openings on your butcher block. I started out wanting as few holes as possible, but realized it was a huge trade off for me to lose the function. Mine is also in a wood counter and it is not difficult to clean and there is no gunk gathering. I'd rather do a quick wipe around the button rather than clean the nasties in the strainer. I do think you would be making a big mistake if you forego it. I look at my sink accessories as functional jewelry ;)

I have lived both with and without repeatedly; I remember having to be so careful not to get coffee grounds down the sink so as not to clog the pipes when doing the dishes as a child, and so loved our first gd. Maybe that is more of an issue for very old houses with old plumbing.

I do compost religiously (yes, even crumbs that I wipe off the counter go into the compost pail!) but having been without a gd for a year+ before the remodel, I elected to put a new one in. There were just enough times that I wished I had one in that year, although I strongly considered skipping it, that I bought a new one. That said, if for some reason I couldn't have one, it would not be a big deal to me -- a minor inconvenience.

Just to comment on the disposal - septic comment above, we have a septic and a disposal and have never had any issues. I appreciate the disposal and would not want to be without one.

ETA: I like your kitchen, especially the butcher block counters.

Thanks for all the detailed responses! I haven't picked my DW yet, so we'll talk to the inspector to see if he'll pass us workout an air gap if we get a proper one with the high loop.

Friedajune: do you have a particular unit you recommend? I really like the sound of the kind you were talking about with no flanges...

I am also on septic now and was informed by my town's DPW that only septic systems specifically sized larger can accommodate a garbage disposer. They looked up the house I was buying and my system cannot. I'm ok with that. I hate the idea of having a GD on a one-bowl sink as with any GD issue, the sink is out of commission. I have no problem cleaning the drain stainer - I use a very fine stainless steel mesh insert, and just tap it into the sink, wipe it up. Curious to me that so many seem to have such an aversion to this simple 2-second effort.

I also vote yes for the disposal:

- I hate cleaning the gunk out of the sink.

- No one else in my house seems to have any concept that food shouldn't be dumped in the sink, leading to more and more gunk cleaning.

- It's a way to avoid plumbing bills.

I rent a house every summer for 1 month that doesn't have a garbage disposal. I HATE it - grandsons just can't get all the cereal bits into the trash and they end up in the sink - also bits of corn.

At home, I have the kind of disposal where one must push down on a hard plastic plunger to make it go. I really like this as there is no way a hand can be in the disposal with it running. I've had it for 31 years and find it great, plus no switch anywhere - it's built into the disposal itself. I think they cost a bit more, but the electrical installation is less due to no switch.

In planning our remodel, my plan was to eliminate the garbage disposal. We looked at an open house to get ideas for the kitchen and the realtor told us about the remodel in the kitchen in the house that was for sale.

He said that there were two things that all of the prospective buyers complained about: 1) the pantry closet had been removed (every house here is built with one), and 2) there was no garbage disposal.

Since we might not be here for the long term, we will keep our disposal.

If you think you might put your house on the market in the near future, you might want to do what's common in your area.

Garbage disposals are not a good thing with a septic system.

Ergo if on a septic no garbage disposal

Guess what? Millions live without them in rural areas on septics.

I'm on a septic and have lived a few decades w/out one. But, a few yrs back I moved into a house with one - that didn't work. I didn't plan to - but ended up replacing it. I decided it'd be good to have if only to get those tiny, tiny scraps and things that end up in the sink down thru the drain (and not stuck in the pipe line). So, I only use it for those few things. if I have crumbs on a plate or cutting board I do brush those into the sink to go down. I might run it once a week. I'm glad I got it - and glad I seldom use it. it's there for the few times I do need it.

I've lived in three separate houses on septic. All had GDs and never a problem.

My house was built 22 years ago with a garbage disposal on a septic system and I've never once had a single problem.

I grew up in my parents house without a gd and I have always had a gd ever since I moved out. I can live with both but I prefer to have a gd so that I don't have to be always on the look out not to have stuff go down the drain with the possibility of clogging it. I am also in CA, I got passed inspection with the air gap installed and after inspection I took that out to put in the instant hot faucet I have planned to install. Good luck!