Garbage Disposal Tips - Wisler Plumbing & Air

Garbage disposal aren’t really what they sound like they are. In reality, garbage disposals are supposed to catch the few items that might be left on your plates or pans. If you try to use a garbage disposal like a trash can, it’s simply not going to work very well.

The first problem happens if you try to put a lot of items down the disposal at once. It’s problematic because the garbage disposal simply can’t handle it—it’ll get bound up and either trip the reset button or completely stop up the drain. Even if the disposal does take the items, they’ll wash down the line and eventually cause a clog. To prevent this from happening, only use the disposal for remnants on plates or pans as you’re washing the dishes.

Next, stay away from large volumes of potato peels. They aren’t very fluffy and don’t grind up easily. Sometimes people peel a whole bag of potatoes in the sink and push the peels down the disposal expecting it to get chewed up. If you don’t have a very large garbage disposal, it won’t be able to handle the volume and texture of those peels.

Celery is another thing you should keep away from the disposal. It’s very stringy and strong, so if you try to put too much down the garbage disposal, the strings will wrap around the grinding blades and bind them up to the point that you’ll ave to take it loose and completely clean it out.

Another familiar food item that shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal is rice. Rice is capable of swelling, so it can be trouble if it’s put down the drain when it hasn’t swelled completely. When water hits it, it’ll swell and stop up the disposal or the drain itself.

Eggshells are another big no-no. They will get caught in the drain. They’re very thin and they don’t wash down.

Last is large volumes of grease. When people dump grease down the garbage disposal without running much water, it’ll sit and harden, eventually stopping up the drain.

The horsepower of your garbage disposal is also something important to consider. If you use the disposal a lot, you may want to make sure you get a 1 horsepower unit instead of a 1/2 horsepower unit.

The best thing to do is put a stopper on the drain and fill the sink with several inches of water before adding any solids. Then take the plug out and turn the garbage disposal on. All that water will help to wash the debris down as it gets ground up.

If you keep these common items away from your garbage disposal, it’s going to be in much better shape over the long run. Remember, use your garbage disposal as it’s meant to be used. It’s not a trash can. If you have any questions about keeping your garbage disposal working properly, or if you have any problems and want us to check it out, just contact us online, look us up on Facebook, or give us a call at (540) 483-9382.