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I am trying to install a new faucet with a soap dispenser. I removed my old facuet; however, where the soap dispenser is supposed to go, this is here:

sink attachment

It has pipes that go to the sink erator under the sink. What is this? Can I safely remove it and the pipes from it and put the soap dispenser there?

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This is an air gap fitting for your dishwasher drain. You still need it. Its job is to ensure that waste water in your drain cannot backup into your dishwasher. Since the dishwasher isn't really water tight above a certain level, this eliminates the risk of raw sewage from ending up on your floor via the dishwasher. The air gap needs to be above the flood level of the sink and should be pointed into the sink in case the air gap clogs when the dishwasher is draining.

For your soap dispenser, you'll either need to move the air gap to another side of the sink or move the soap dispenser, but you can not get rid of the air gap or try to hide it under the sink.

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  • It's not to stop the sewage going on the floor. It's to stop the situation that after the dishwasher runs, the sewage backs up temporarily, contaminating the clean dishes, before draining away again. You then come home from work, unload the apparently "clean" dishes and get the whole family sick when you eat off them.
    – Lev Bishop
    Commented Oct 11, 2012 at 2:35
  • @LevBishop It solves that problem, too. For the sewage on the floor problem, imagine a clog in the garbage disposal that results in water draining down the dishwasher line instead of the drain. The dishwasher would fill up while you think your plunging a clog, possibly to the top or at least the vent at the top of the dishwasher. When you open the door, waste water that was in direct contact with the dishes would end up all over your floor.
    – BMitch
    Commented Oct 11, 2012 at 10:56

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