There are simply just some small appliances within a home that help make life easier. One such item is a garbage disposal. It makes cleaning up and even cooking far easier as one can simply place items down the sink and into the disposal system to be ground up and washed down through the pipes. This is far better than having food sit in garbage cans for days or more and cause odors within the home.
However, garbage disposals need to be used in the proper manner so that they always work properly and are less likely to break down due to clogs or broken elements. Some of the key do’s and don’ts for using a garbage disposal will help you stave off costly repair work.
The Right Ways To Use a Garbage Disposal
The first thing to always start with is a clean disposal. One of the easiest and most effective ways is to place a few drops of dishwashing liquid down the drain and then turn on a slow and steady stream of warm water. Run the disposal for a good three to five minutes to clean out build up debris. This also helps keep the disposal in routine use as it is important to not let the disposal sit, unused for too long. Yet another good cleaning tip is to use orange or lemon peels cut in small pieces, and even ice cubes for keeping the disposal blades sharp and further helping to clean the inside of the system.
The next way to help ensure proper operation is to grind food placed in the disposal well. One of the top tips is to use a strong and cold stream of water for the entire time you are running the disposal. That blast of cold water helps break up and flush down the food particles and this helps prevent clogging and backups. One other trick is to never shove large chucks of food down into the system. One good way to determine the right size is to keep the opening of the system in mind. Food should fall down easily so cutting up items to fit down the hole helps in making sure pieces are not too large as big chunks and pieces of food may not get pulverized enough to flush through the pipes easily.
Things Not To Do
One of the biggest misconceptions about a garbage disposal is that it can act as a trash can, and it simply cannot. That means nothing should be put in the system unless it is a food item or one associated with food and is biodegradable. This is crucial to know and to practice as this is one of the leading causes of clogged systems. A good way to remember this is to only place things that can be eaten down the disposal.
However, there are exceptions to that rule and one is grease and oil. These can coagulate and clog pipes so it is always best not to place these down the disposal as well. The other food item not suitable for the disposal are foods that have stringy fibers such as celery, corn husks and silk and onions. These can cause tangles in the blades as the fibers get wound up tight and thus can render the disposal system inoperable.
Yet another tip is to never turn off the system when you can still hear food items being ground up and never switch to hot water as well. Stopping the process too soon allows big pieces to go through the drains which can cause clogs and hot water can make any foods with fat content more liquid and then when they cool down in the pipes they can cause clogs as well.
If you’re experiencing problems with your garbage disposal system, contact Calix Plumbing today to have an expert get you back up and running.
