Could your kitchen sink be missing an easy-to-install kitchen upgrade? Many are shocked to find out that a garbage disposal is part of modern day kitchen appliances. Besides its understood functionality, garbage disposals have other great benefits homeowners find to be useful. Stuck on rather or not you need a garbage disposal for your home? Here are a few questions to ask yourself before installing.
Do you have dishes in your sink or eat in frequently?
If you answered yes, you would definitely benefit from a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals make cleaning up a breeze with just the switch of a button or by choosing a continuous feed type of unit. Parents with larger families, or individuals with busy schedules, find garbage disposals convenient because it saves time from getting every piece of crumb or hard stuck on foods from surfaces.
Are you looking for an affordable sanitary option for your sink?
Allowing scraps of food to sit in the garbage can or sink for long periods of time will accumulate large amounts of bacteria. The fumes will also fill the air making your home air quality worse over time. Garbage disposals work as a dispenser to quickly get rid of food scraps and are an affordable way to provide an addition to your sink. It is still more sanitary than throwing garbage elsewhere and can easily be cleaned and deodorized with a homemade natural solution using vinegar, lemons and baking soda.
Do you care about helping the environment?
By getting a garbage disposal installed, you are also helping the environment. Getting a garbage disposal brings a conscious effort to your home while avoiding biohazardous waste and exposure to other harmful chemicals. This means less food waste on landfills and fewer greenhouse gases during garbage collections. Garbage disposals are also discrete, making this new addition a space saving alternative to traditional composting.
Are you ready to start saving money?
Who doesn’t want to start saving money on household maintenance? Garbage disposals help you save on your water bill, especially if you choose a high efficiency garbage disposal for installation. Another benefit is that you can reduce plumbing issues and costs that go into effect when food scraps get stuck down the kitchen pipes. The most common problem homeowners report is their kitchen sink getting clogged, which can eventually lead to a leaky mess that’s costly to fix. Avoid the hassle and choose garbage disposal installation today!
When a Garbage Disposal Might Not Be Right for You
Disposals are convenient, but they aren’t a perfect fit for every home. A few situations where you may want to think twice:
- Your home is on a septic system. The added solid waste means more frequent pumping and a heavier load on the leach field.
- Your existing drain line is undersized or already shows signs of slow drainage. A disposal can speed up clogs in older pipes.
- You compost. If you’re already redirecting food scraps to a backyard pile, a disposal duplicates the effort.
- Your kitchen rarely sees more than the occasional snack. Light use doesn’t really justify the install or the maintenance.
- Your local water rates are very high. Disposals do use water, and that cost adds up over time.
None of these are absolute reasons to skip the install. They’re just worth weighing before you commit to a purchase that ties into both your plumbing and your electrical.
Continuous Feed vs Batch Feed
Most disposals fall into one of two categories. Knowing the difference helps you pick the right unit for your kitchen:
Continuous feed units are the more common type. You flip a wall switch, the unit runs and you can keep dropping food in while it’s running. They’re convenient and work well for most households. The downside is that anything that falls into the sink while it’s running goes into the disposal too, including silverware that’s slipped out of a hand.
Batch feed units only operate when a special stopper is locked into place over the disposal opening. The stopper acts as the on switch. They’re safer if there are kids in the home and they prevent anything from being accidentally ground up. The trade-off is that you have to load the disposal in batches, which is slower for someone cooking a big meal.
What’s Safe to Put Down a Disposal
A disposal handles soft food waste well. Most other things either don’t break down enough or actively damage the unit. The do list:
- Vegetable peelings, soft to medium-firm
- Fruit scraps, including small pits if the unit is rated for them
- Cooked pasta and rice in small amounts
- Soft cooked meats in small amounts
- Citrus peels, which also help freshen the unit
- Ice cubes occasionally, which help knock buildup off the grinding chamber
The don’t list:
- Coffee grounds, which clump and stick
- Eggshells, which break into abrasive pieces that combine with grease
- Grease and cooking oil, which solidify in the line
- Bones, fruit pits and other hard items
- Fibrous vegetables like celery, asparagus, corn husks or onion skins
- Pasta and rice in large quantities, since they swell with water
- Anything non-food, including produce stickers, twist ties or paper
Keeping a Disposal Running for Years
A disposal that’s used the right way can run reliably for 8 to 12 years. A few habits stretch its life:
- Run cold water before, during and after every use, for about 30 seconds afterward
- Avoid hot water during disposal use. Hot water melts grease that then resolidifies further down the line
- Keep the unit running for several seconds after the noise of grinding stops
- Once a week, drop in a few ice cubes and a handful of citrus peels and run the unit
- Once a month, pour in a half cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar, let it foam and rinse with cold water
- Never reach into the disposal with your hand, even when it’s off. Use tongs or pliers if something needs to come out
What to Do When the Disposal Stops Working
Two failures are common, and both have simple first checks before you call for service:
The disposal hums but doesn’t grind. Something is jamming the blades. Turn off the switch, then use the hex key that came with the unit (or any matching Allen wrench) on the bottom center of the disposal. Work it back and forth to free the jam. Then push the reset button on the bottom of the unit and try again.
The disposal does nothing at all. The internal overload protection has tripped. Wait a few minutes for it to cool, then push the reset button on the bottom. If that doesn’t work, check the breaker for the disposal circuit and try again.
If neither of those gets the unit running, or the unit is leaking, smoking or making a grinding sound it didn’t make before, that’s the moment to call a plumber. Trying to repair an internal motor isn’t a DIY job, and a unit that’s truly failed is usually cheaper to replace than to repair anyway.
If your plumbing needs to be repaired, contact ASAP plumbing today at 228-865-2727 or visit www.plumbinggulfportms.com and request a free estimate! We can handle all your plumbing needs including installation, repair and full water heater replacement.