What items can I put in my garbage disposal

Garbage disposal do's and don'ts

Garbage disposals are common appliances in many of our homes, and more individuals are considering getting one for their household. One great thing about garbage disposals is that they have helped keep food waste out of landfills. A fully functional garbage disposal can be a great add-on in any kitchen.

However, when it begins to malfunction, it causes a lot of stress for homeowners and disrupts their routine cooking procedures. This can happen when homeowners don't get to know the type of items they can put in their garbage disposal.

How does a garbage disposal work?

Before now, there had been lots of misconceptions about garbage disposal. One major misconception was that it damages sewer systems and water supplies. More awareness and enlightenment have proven otherwise, and more people now believe they should have one in their kitchens.

This device has blades that it uses to cut up food waste, forcing the chopped mass into a drain with a heavy rush of water flow. They have electric motors that use a 120-volt box and are usually beneath the kitchen sink. As a safety measure, the device is mounted at some distance away from the power supply.

The chopping blades within the grinding chamber and an impeller arm force liquid and particles down the kitchen drain. If a dishwasher is installed in the home, this same water is made to run through the garbage disposal. This ensures that all large scraps of food you washed off dishes are fully ground up before they make it to the drain pipes.

Items that can go down a garbage disposal

Only a handful of materials can be forced down a garbage disposal. Unfortunately, not many know this or are simply unaware of what types of items can be flushed down their garbage disposals. Knowing what can and cannot go down your garbage disposal is essential. The following are some of the things that are safe to put down a garbage disposal:

Cold water

Before you start using a garbage disposal, make sure to run cold water through it for at least 20 seconds. You should also repeat this after grinding up food waste. The food will all go down the drain, and there shouldn't be any caking in the grinding chamber. It shouldn't make your kitchen stink, either.

Soft foods and liquids

There is nothing wrong with putting liquids and soft foods in your garbage disposal. Generally speaking, these items can easily flow through with enough water without causing any damage to the device.

Chopped food

When food is chopped up into little pieces, it can flow with water down a drain. The texture allows food to get mashed up and washed away.

Ice cubes

Ice cubes can't harm your garbage disposal; when they are made from lemon juice and vinegar and dropped down the disposal, they can help to prevent or rid the drain of unwanted odours. So, if you would like to freshen up the disposal unit, this is a good trick you can use.

Items you can't put down a garbage disposal

Garbage disposals are very sensitive. If you put anything but scraps of food down it, the impellers can jam up and make it completely unusable. Below are some items that you should never put down there.

Dishes and silverware

Allowing dishes to pile up in the kitchen sink predisposes the garbage disposal to damage. A fork or spoon that is left in a pile can slip through into the garbage disposal. Therefore, you should do all you can to avoid silverware or other non-food items falling into the unit.

Grease

Never pour grease down the sink, regardless of what you've observed or what you've heard others say. When the grease cools, it will solidify and clog the pipes. Clogs will be created as a result of this, and other drainage problems will occur.

Fibrous foods

Different food items like onion skins, celery, potato peelings, and artichokes are not suitable for garbage disposals because of their fibrous nature. They can cause a clog in the device and jam its blade.

Uncooked pasta and rice

When uncooked rice and pasta are dipped into water, they quickly expand. When these food items find their way into your garbage drain trap, they swell and will block the flow of water in the drain leading to backups.

Coffee grounds

You need to be careful with coffee grounds because they can easily get caught in the garbage disposal's drain trap. When this happens, a drain backup usually follows.

Fruit pits

Some fruit pits are too hard for the garbage disposal to handle correctly. Apple cores and some other types of seeds fall into this category. You should do everything you can to prevent them from finding their way into the device.

Eggshells

Eggs are taken in most homes as a cheap source of protein. One thing to remember when tackling boiled eggs is that the thin membrane that lines the shell can wrap itself around the device's blades in its grinding chamber.

Bones

Bones are not easily disposed of, even in industrial disposals. Make sure you never let bones get into your disposal by always throwing them in the garbage.

Identify when a garbage disposal needs repairs

If you're dealing with a garbage disposal that's experiencing problems and there's nothing wrong on the surface, then the signs of an issue include:

Poor performance

If it looks like your garbage disposal isn't performing as well as it once did, it might be time to call a professional. The majority of loads processed by the unit should be processed relatively quickly. The blades may need sharpening or replacement if it seems to take longer or require more effort than usual.

Strange noise from the device

If you hear any strange or abnormal noises from the device, carefully inspect the disposal for a lost spoon or fork if it's making a loud noise. To prevent further harm to the appliance and the plumbing in the house, contact a professional as soon as you can if you are unable to locate the source of the sound.

Frequent backups and clogs

If you find it difficult to pinpoint the location of a clog or your garbage disposal makes strange noises, seek professional assistance.

When the device will not turn on

If you experience issues with the garbage disposal not turning on or randomly turning off while using it, you may want to check the circuit connected to it. A faulty motor may be responsible for unexplained power loss, and you will have to call a plumber if this is the case.

Is troubleshooting garbage disposal necessary?

Troubleshooting some common garbage disposal problems might save you hundreds of dollars that you would otherwise spend on service calls or a new unit for your kitchen. Most disposal problems can be linked to jams, and as such, this problem is not difficult to fix. When a backup gets ignored, the motor of the device can get burnt out quickly.

Selecting and installing a garbage disposal

You can make selecting a new garbage disposal as simple or detailed as you want. You can visit an appliance store for a standard model or go straight to your local home centre to get what suits your needs. Another thing you can do is conduct some research to learn more about the latest additional features that are available on some disposals.

Some of these features include extra insulation that helps to reduce noise, and beautiful stainless steel grinding chambers, all of which can help you out in the decision-making process.

Installing a garbage disposal is not a difficult thing to do at all, but it requires the installer to have some basic knowledge of electrical and plumbing wiring. Many homeowners have displayed absolute confidence in installing their new disposal units themselves within a few hours.

Process of uninstalling your garbage disposal

Disconnect the wires to the disposal as soon as possible after you have switched off the electricity supply. You first need to release the motor unit from the disposal, which will make it easier to remove afterwards. When you take this component apart, it will make removing others much more accessible.

It's difficult to anticipate what garbage disposals will look like for any given household, so when you're researching this topic, it's essential to take careful notes about the power supply, outlets, etc., including the general layout of the countertop and sink.

By knowing the details, you will be able to pick the correct garbage disposal that will work well in your kitchen. You'll also be able to plan for installation and repairs more effectively.

Avoid clogging or blocking a garbage disposal

No one wants to have a blocked or clogged garbage disposal on their hands because this will disturb many things for the day in the kitchen. Avoiding this situation is better than attending to it. That being said, you can take some simple steps to help prevent it from happening.

• You should try to dispose of whole oranges or lemons in your garbage disposal as this will give it a fresh scent.
• Run only cold water and never warm water when putting any food in your garbage disposal.
• To keep the garbage disposal blades sharpened, you can use egg shells or bits of chicken bones in the device occasionally.

Never put your fingers, hands, or any other body parts into this garbage disposal. There is a risk of getting injured if you are not careful and take care to follow all the manufacturer's instructions. Many people have tried to do this without any knowledge or training, but they have actually sustained some severe injuries as a result.

Unclogging a blocked garbage disposal

Just like any other tool in the house, a garbage disposal is not invincible and can become clogged frequently, which can pose a tough challenge for you when using your kitchen sink. The cause of a blocked or clogged garbage disposal can often be from one item, many items at once, many items over time, or non-food items.

Even when you think you have been very careful, you may still find out that your garbage disposal is clogged. You can either find a solution to it first or call the plumber immediately. The following are steps you can take on your own if you would instead want to check things yourself first.

Inspect the device manually

The first thing you should do is take a peek at the inside of the disposal unit to check if there is a visible cause of the clog. Apply a flashlight and tongs or pliers and see if they can help you get a hold of the clog culprit.

To do this, insert the pliers into the unit and pull out the loose item. Go over this process many times until you remove every item of the mass of gunk that may have accumulated in the disposal.

Use soda and vinegar

A good way of taking care of clogged garbage disposal drain is with the use of baking soda and vinegar. The combination brings about a fizzy foam that cuts through the food clogs while cleaning the unit at the same time. Going down this route can unclog fat, grease, and oil and also deodourises foul-smelling garbage in the process.

You can start the process by pouring the baking soda into the disposal, followed by the vinegar. After 20 minutes, the fizz should have broken down the clog. The last thing to do is to use hot water to wash away the mixture along with the food waste down the pipe.

Use plungers

A plunger uses water pressure to force stubborn clogs down the pipe drain. The clog will lose its hold and move down the drain when plunging up and down with force.

Use a wooden handle or hex wrench

Some garbage disposals have hexagonal holes at their bottom centre, and if such is the type you have, you can apply an L-shaped hexagonal device which is popularly known as the hex wrench. In some places, it is also called an Allen wrench. In the same vein, it is attached along with the garbage disposal at the time of purchase.

The manual that comes with the disposal should tell you where the hexagonal device is and how you should use it. You will then need to move the hex wrench clockwise and anticlockwise about four or five times until you have the blades spin in both directions freely. Once the blades can spin free in either direction, the clog has been set loose.

You can then proceed to remove the clogged pieces with the aid of a pair of pliers or tongs. If your garbage disposal is without a hexagonal hole, you can still get the same result with the assistance of a wooden handle. If you want to use this method, you should start by inserting the wooden handle right inside the garbage disposal from the sink drain.

Make sure the handle is placed either on top or next to the blade and gradually move it back and forth and wait for the blades to move freely in both directions. Get hold of your pliers or tongs to remove any gunk that comes loose from the drain.

Hiring a plumber is your best bet

A plumber that has clog removal experience will be able to ascertain if it is necessary to have the garbage disposal uninstalled to remove clogs. Where uninstallation is done, it would not be difficult for a professional plumber to get it reinstalled. On top of all these, professional plumbers will discharge their duties to do what is best for the sewer lines, which you may be limited in knowledge about.