[maggs13wg]

I assume that it doesn't pump waterall over the counter top and your concern is, "What in hell is this thing?" That "thing" is called a air gap and it prevents dirty water from back siphoning into your dishwasher.
With an air gap (which must be mounted on or above the sink top):...... The water will not siphon back into the dishwasher.

if the dishwasher drains completely, then the pump and seals run dry for a couple minutes at the start and end of each cycle and wear faster. A little head pressure on the drain line also keeps water from draining or being pumped out when it's not supposed to be.

Looping the drain hose 20"+ above the bottom of the dishwasher will likely prevent inadvertant draining during the wash cycles even without an air gap. however , without an air gap too much water could be siphoned out of the dishwasher at the end of a drain cycle. I think this is unlikely since siphoning with a 5/8" dia hose will will still leave a little water in the dishwasher.

Hope this answers your question. If not click on back with more details. regards. TOM

Forget all this non-sense guys I've been having the same problem for weeks and I have been reading all this stuff on this site all for nothing.If your dishwasher has worked fine in the past and suddenly it overflows,this is what I did just take the hose going from the air gap to the garbage disposal off clean out all the build up in it by running water through it and put it back on and that's it worked like a charm for me hope this helps stop all the confusion!

[Milo Dolezal]

Thanks! You were right about the clog... the air gap and 7/8" hose were gunked up with a slimy, black sludge (not food), plus there was a small kink in the hose near the Disposal (closing the hose to about 50% capacity), so I unkinked it. I used a wire baby bottle brush to clean out what gunk I could in the air gap and hose and now it works GREAT, just like before. THANKS MUCH EVERY ONE! :D

Glad you were able to fix it yourself. Since you've gone so far and removed the 7/8" hose - you could replace it with new piece. That's what we do. But there is nothing wrong with your approach. Good luck. Milo

[speedball1]

You guys have piggybacked on a 4 year old thread so I brought it up current.

Forget all this non-sense guys

Thanks for calling my posts "non-sense" Sure makes me want to answer more questions.

just take the hose going from the air gap to the garbage disposal off clean out all the build up in it by running water through it and put it back on

What worked for you may not work for the guy with a clear hose but a misadjusted counter top air gap.
If that works for you, fine and dandy, but don't tout it as a "fix all " for Air-Gap problems. I'm glad you found your problem but starting a post with;

Forget all this non-sense guys

might not go over so well with the other experts that were under the impression that their answers and solutions weren't "non-sense" at all and really helped the person asking. Regards, Tom