VERIFIED
The drain you share
In multi-unit buildings, particularly older ones in San Francisco and Oakland, your sink may connect to a stack that serves several floors. When that stack runs slowly, the dishwasher is one of the first things to notice, because it pushes out water in a rush. That is the setting in which E19 deserves a plumbing question before a part question. A drain that is slow upstream of the machine can leave the same standing water as a weak pump, so the two are separated first.
What the code is, honestly
There is no confirmed meaning for E19 that applies to every Bertazzoni dishwasher. Rather than make one up, this page covers how to separate the machine from the pipes.
A simple separation test
- Fill one side of the sink with a few inches of water and release it. A slow, gurgling drain suggests the line.
- Run the disposal with water for a moment and listen for a hum without grinding, which can mean it is jammed.
- If the dishwasher drain hose has a high loop under the counter, confirm it has not slipped down.
- Check whether neighbors have had drain complaints.
The disposal knockout
When a garbage disposal is installed, a small plug inside its dishwasher inlet has to be knocked out. If that was missed, the dishwasher water has nowhere to go. It is a classic mistake after a new installation, and easy to confirm for a plumber. The visible sign is water standing in the tub after the cycle, soon after a new disposal went in.
If sink and disposal are fine
When both drain well and E19 repeats at the same stage, the machine side comes into focus: the drain pump, its wiring and the signal that reports water level. The water-level signal tells the control the tub has emptied, so it is measured apart from the pump itself. A technician measures those with the unit open. Do not pull the dishwasher out to look at the hoses yourself, since it may stress the lines.
Tell the technician about any recent plumbing, so that the diagnosis considers it. You get a written estimate afterward, and no part is replaced without your approval.
A note on soap and grease
Heavy grease from pans clings to drain walls and builds up over months. Wiping greasy pans with paper before washing keeps both the sink and the dishwasher line healthier.
What to have ready
Note the building type, whether you share a stack with other units, and when the sink last needed clearing. If you have rented, the property manager may be able to tell you about recent drain work in the building, and that background can shorten the visit.
Do not use drain chemicals through the sink on the assumption they will help the dishwasher side. They rarely reach the right point and can be hard on seals.
Frequently asked questions
Both usually share a drain connection, so a slow sink can cause a slow dishwasher drain.
If the cause is the line or disposal, yes. If the line is clear, the machine needs diagnosis.
It is a frequent miss on new disposals, and worth asking about if the code started after one.
Model compatibility: Bertazzoni reuses codes across series and model years, so E19 may mean something different on another appliance or generation. Confirm this against your model’s documentation and record your full model number before acting.
