Garbage disposals are designed and built to deal with small amounts of vegetables, food from plates, and scraps that are left in the bottom of the sink.
Choosing a Garbage Disposal
Start by asking yourself what you plan to use the garbage disposal for and how often you plan to use it. If it’s going to be used every day, you should buy a good garbage disposal that has high horsepower, stainless steel construction, and a long warranty.
Galvanized steel will corrode quickly from cleaners and dish soaps that go down the drain. Corrosion simply won’t occur if the disposal is made from stainless steel.
Garbage disposals are made with 1/3 horsepower, 1/2 horsepower, 3/4 horsepower, and 1 horsepower in a residential line. You want to make sure that you have enough power to grind material very finely so it can go down the drain without any problems. If the garbage disposal is only going to be used once or twice a week, 3/4 horsepower or 1/2 horsepower might be enough. If you’re going to use your garbage disposal multiple times a day you want nothing less than a 1 horsepower.
The warranty on garbage disposals vary depending on the horsepower, construction, and brand.
Garbage Disposal Do’s & Don’ts
Do
Knock the rust and residue off the blades by running ice cubes through your garbage disposal.
Use a bacterial agent called Bio Smart about once a month to stop odors, scum, and grease buildup.
Run your garbage disposal with cold water. It solidifies the grease so your disposal can get rid of it more effectively.
Check the warranty before you buy.
Don’t’s
Your garbage disposal is not a trash can; it’s for biodegradable food scraps only. Nonfood items can damage both blades and the motor.
Be selective:
Remember, your garbage disposal is designed to handle the scraps rinsed from plates and cooking utensils or escapes when you’re draining a pot.
Dumping all the potato peelings from the family dinner down the garbage disposal is a bad idea.
Dumping left over starchy foods such as rice, potatoes or pasta will build up a sticky paste that can clog up your drain.
Celery, corn husks, and other fibrous vegetables can get tangled and jam the motor of your garbage disposal
Disposing bones from meat and splintery bones like chicken bones is a definite no.
Don’t pour grease, oil or fat into your garbage disposal or drain. Grease will slowly accumulate and impede your garbage disposal’s grinding ability, as well as clog drains.
If you suspect your garbage disposal has had its last meal, contact us. We’ll check to see if it’s just jammed or plugged and make sure that there isn’t a bigger problem looming.
Ready for a new garbage disposal? True to Wisler Plumbing and Air’s guiding principles, we’ve handpicked a line that you’ll be happy with - due in part to the power of the warranties behind them.