Your Garbage Disposal Isn’t a Trash Can!
- Darrell Jones
- Nov 21, 2017
- 3 min read
Within a Tallahassee kitchen, garbage disposals can be incredibly useful but they do need to be used properly to ensure that it stays efficient for as long as possible. During this holiday season, keep in mind it is not the best practice to throw anything down this appliance. We get the most residential plumbing calls during the holidays for clogged and broken garbage disposals. Having been in business for so many years we thought it would be nice to compile a number of tips that you can follow to keep your garbage disposal running for years to come.
[if !supportLists]First and foremost, you should never use kitchen faucet and turn it directly to hot water while the disposal is running. Cold water is best and will actually help it to run without causing it to overheat. When using hot water, the fat and similar by products will melt down before solidifying later in the process, which will block and clog your drains.
Furthermore, you should always look to feed the food in little by little as opposed to throwing it all down at the same time. Once the food has been broken down, turn it off but keep the tap running to ensure that all of the food has been flushed out of the system. Remember most residential disposals are not like commercial grade disposals. If you would like a commercial system let us know.
Bones
In truth, there is often debate between service plumbers, regarding bones and what you should do with them but there is no universal answer since some units can handle them and others can’t. If you have any doubts whatsoever, avoid putting bones in the garbage disposal because they can cause significant damage. With the newer models, you will find that small bones are fine but it is always worth checking the user guide beforehand.
Fats, Oils, & Grease
With these three components, they always present a risk because they can come in multiple forms depending on their temperature. When hot, they will pass through the disposal with no problems at all but, when they cool, they will soon solidify. As they go from hot to cold, they will sludge and stick to the sides of the chamber and pipes. As you can imagine, this can do serious damage so it is always best just to avoid throwing these into the garbage disposal altogether. Put them into the fridge to cool and throw it into the trash.
Be Careful
Often, people tend to get carried away with a new garbage disposal but you have to remember that they are not made to handle absolutely everything. For example, the following should not be put into the unit; banana peels, bones, shellfish, shells, shrimp, popcorn kernels, potato peelings, artichokes, grease, uncooked rice & pasta, eggshells, fruit pits, celery, cake frosting or buttercream, fruit cores and corncobs. Furthermore, no trash should ever go down there. Keep in mind drain cleaners should ever enter the pipe and do more harm than good.
Run it Regularly
Our customers note odor issues and this normally comes when the system doesn’t
run enough. By running it regularly, you can prevent this and just ensure that everything is still working, as it should be. Local plumbers will also place a whole lemon in quarters down the disposal to freshen it up.
Maintenance
With these tips, you will be in a great position during Thanksgiving and so will your garbage disposal. But, there is one final tip and that is to have a professional such as Capital Plumbing Contractors, come in and check on it regularly. Remember, your system is not invincible so it will succumb to wear & tear.
Now would be the perfect time to have your garbage disposal checked so you aren't going to run into any troubles when stress is already at a high level! Call or contact Capital Plumbing Contractors at (850) 576-8420 for any questions, comments or concerns. We offer 24-hour plumbing service during the holidays to Tallahassee and all of Leon County.
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