How To Extend the Life of a Garbage Disposal - Wisler Plumbing & Air

Is it a good idea to have a garbage disposal in your home, especially if you have a septic system? It’s not necessarily a bad idea, but just like everything else, garbage disposals should be used in moderation. They serve a specific purpose and they aren’t an appliance that’s meant for you to use by disposing anything and everything. If you use it indiscriminately, you’ll probably end up with problems.

What should you use garbage disposals for? They were designed and built to deal with small amounts of vegetables, food from plates, and scraps that are left in the bottom of the sink. It wouldn’t be a good idea to peel a whole bag of potatoes and shove all the peels down the garbage disposal at once. It’s also not good to put celery or eggshells down the garbage disposal. Attempting to dispose of any type of splintery bones from meat (like chicken bones) can potentially cause problems with the system’s blades.

You can also do a little bit of maintenance to keep your garbage disposal clean and fresh. If you put down some ice cubes, it can actually knock the rust or residue off of the blades that grind the food. If you notice a smell, you can sometimes try putting a lemon peel down the disposal to freshen it up. We also have a bacterial agent product called BioSmart. It would be a good idea to use it about once a month to get rid of smells, scum, and grease that tends to build up gradually.

You should also try to protect your garbage disposal if you think you might have dropped a knife or other metal object down there by accident. Just be careful before turning it on, because those objects could damage the blades. If the blades of the garbage disposal become dull, they won’t be able to chop up the food as finely and send it down the drain. (The larger chunks of food going down the drain could cause issues.) If you think your garbage disposal isn’t chopping up food finely enough to go down the drain, that’s usually a sign that it’s time to get it replaced.

If you have any questions about how to take care of your garbage disposal, or if you notice that it’s time to get a new one, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382.