Secrets of a Garbage Disposal
Garbage Disposal Basics
Your garbage disposal is an incredible apparatus that stops your sink from being clogged up. Many don't understand the way that garbage disposals function. People will scrape every flake and bit of mashed potato leftover from dinner into the disposal without realizing that the point isn't to hasten the speed in which your food enters the public sewage system. The purpose of the garbage disposal is to remove those bits that stubbornly cling to the plate after you've already scraped them. It doesn't mean you can't use it to get rid of food, but it's critical not to overfill it or leave food in the unit without running it immediately. Add food slowly, allow the unit to run into the food is gone, and then turn it off before you turn off the water that way the ground food has the opportunity to clear out.
No blades
People are also surprised to find out that there aren't sharp blades in the garbage disposal. We assume that if we drunkenly put our hand down there while the disposal is on, it will consume our limb up to the elbow like a wood chipper, but that isn't exactly the truth. If you look at photos of garbage disposals, you'll see a couple of unusually shaped disks, called impellers that function through centrifugal force. They push the food against a grind shear ring that shreds it like a cheese grater. Of course, it would hurt and cut your hand up, but nobody is putting their hand in the disposal anyway, right?
Sadly, they won't grind up soft foods or stringy food. So, assuming you put in a stalk of celery, the hard part will go down, but the strings will wind around the disks and mess up your disposal. Disposals have the same issue with corn husks, onions, and artichokes.
No starch, please
The second thing your garbage disposal isn't made to do is handle starch products. Potatoes, bread, and pasta (cooked) are gummy and swell up in the water, which means when you put them down the sink, even if they manage to get past the disposal, they will clog the plumbing further down the line. It's also probably better to avoid using drain cleaner because it can damage the disposal.
There might come a time when the disposal ultimately gets clogged up with celery strings, onions, corn husks, and random fingers. Or, worse than that, a bottle cap or wedding ring will fall into the disposal by mistake.
The first thing to do is turn off the disposal immediately unless it has an automatic kill switch. If you have a plug-in disposal, unplug the motor underneath the sink. Otherwise, use a pair of needle-nose pliers, some tongs, or some other plucky tool, and attempt to get the offending item removed. If it's jammed and you have a hex wrench, insert it into the flywheel hole (middle) at the unit's bottom and turn it. You might also have to reset the unit using the little red reset button, on the bottom as well, but off to one side. Then reset the breaker if it has tripped in the breaker box and turn the unit back on.
*A garbage disposal cannot turn on by itself*
Now, for the things you should do:
Periodically run a tray of ice cubes through the disposal. Not to 'sharpen the blades,' but because the hard, sharp cubes will assist in dislodging old, soft pieces of food from the grinding chamber.
Clean both the rubber splash guard's top and underside by brushing it with an old toothbrush and some dish soap.
Some people occasionally put in pieces of orange or lemon rind to help deodorize the disposal. Vinegar will work too. Vinegar ice cubes might create a double whammy effect.
Some people also dump a cup of baking soda down the unit, let it stand for an hour or so, and then flush it down with hot water.
We hope that this has brought you some insight into the inner workings of your garbage disposal. If the problem isn't solved using these tips, then give us a call.
No Worries Rooter of Gilbert offers residential and commercial drain cleaning, leak detection and repair. We recommend Bio-Green drain care for customers who have slow drains caused by buildup in their pipes. Call us at (480) 405-4497.
