Has your garbage disposal ever become clogged? If you answered yes, then you’re not alone. Learn how to treat your disposal with a little TLC and I promise it will love you for it!
Knowing these disposal basics will keep you from replacing your garbage disposal before it’s due.
Garbage Disposal Plumbing and Operation
Knowledge is power– understanding how your garbage disposal works is the key to treating it right. Basically, your disposal is like one of those small counter top food choppers except the blades in your garbage disposal are smaller and not as sharp. Also, your garbage disposal has a slot inside of the blade chamber where all the liquid and chopped up food goes through and ends up exiting the disposal and is plumbed into the sewer waste pipe under your kitchen sink.
Too Much of a Food Thing
There are certain types of food waste that your garbage disposal has a hard time processing. What ends up happening is that the disposal and pipes become clogged because the food ends up too compacted to flow freely. Stringy, granular or any type of food that ends up in small uniform pieces is especially hard for the disposal to deal with. So, knowing this would you fill up your food chopper with rice and expect much to happen? The rice might become a little mashed up, but not too much else – a perfect food to clog up your pipes and ruin your evening. As an added bonus, this usually happens when you’re putting large amounts of the same food down the disposal, like when you’re busy cleaning up after dinner while hosting a large get-together! Before I forget, if you have a dishwasher, its drain flows through your disposal’s outlet drain, so you won’t be able to run it until your disposal is unclogged and working.
Which Foods to Avoid
Here’s a list of foods to avoid. Remember, small amounts of most foods are okay- don’t forget to run lots of water at the same time, but disposing of large amounts of these particular items and you’re asking for trouble.
- Rice
- Potato Peels
- Pasta
- Celery (or other stringy vegetables)
- Coffee Grounds
- Bones
- Fruit Pits
- Egg Shells
- Grease
An Ounce of Prevention
To keep your disposal in tip-top shape, do this once a month: Cut up one whole lemon or other citrus into chunks (quarters are fine) and feed them one at a time into the running disposal with lots of water. Not only will this keep the blades and pipes clean, but will also help keep it smelling fresh.
Garbage Disposal Service and Installation
Hopefully this info will help you keep the garbage disposal demons away. If you still find yourself with a clogged disposal, or one that’s old and in need of replacing, I’m here to help. Call me today or request a free quote if you need your disposal unclogged or a new one installed.