99% of the time, plumbing isn’t something homeowners think about. You expect there to be hot water when you hop in the shower. You expect the garbage disposal to chew up those leftover food scraps. You expect the drain lines to work correctly, removing waste from the house. And for the most part, each of these components generally follows through on its responsibilities. However, due to a number of different factors, there are going to be instances where something doesn’t work like it should and in these situations, it can quickly become a headache for homeowners.
For this week’s blog, we’re going to take a look at a plumbing component that can certainly be quite useful in the kitchen. While there are definitely people that utilize their garbage disposal more frequently than others, its duties in the kitchen are rather straightforward. It grinds up all of those small food particles and then sends them down the drain line. Simple enough, right? Well, the one key caveat to remember with disposals is that there are certain items they can and can’t handle. Even the garbage disposals that pack some series power with higher HP will eventually meet their match. Throughout this blog, we’re going to keep it rather cut and dry. We’ll talk about the items that we’re routinely seeing as the culprit behind clogged garbage disposals and hopefully provide you with a nice checklist so you know what to avoid throwing down the disposal.
Grease
We’ll start off with one that we’ve all likely heard on plenty of occasions. Grease is a definite no-no for your garbage disposal or drains in general. While grease may start off as a liquid, that is only a temporary state, as it will eventually solidify. And as you can probably guess, once the grease hardens, it can create some troubling situations for your plumbing system (whether that be in the pipes or even on your garbage disposal impellers).
Coffee Grounds
Next on our list is another item that may seem harmless on the surface, but can nonetheless still be troublesome for your disposal. The interesting thing about coffee grounds is that they probably won’t negatively affect your garbage disposal specifically, but the fact that they are more than capable of creating a clog further down your pipes is why they have a spot on this list! A better alternative is to simply toss the coffee grounds in the trash.
Fibrous Vegetables
Garbage disposals should do just fine chewing up some vegetables. However, there are a few fibrous vegetables that you’ll want to avoid when using the garbage disposal. Think of ones like celery, asparagus, cornhusks and any other veggies capable of getting tangled in the impellers. These can create a mess in no time and as such, are another perfect example of something to avoid tossing down the disposal!
Egg Shells
A common misconception about garbage disposals is the idea that they have blades. While they are tasked with grinding up food particles, this is completed with the help of its impellers, not blades. Furthermore, to add another layer to this garbage disposal myth, when people are under the assumption that they have blades, your next thought might revolve around deciding how to sharpen these (non-existent) blades. And when it comes to sharpening techniques, two items you’ll see tossed around are egg shells and ice. Ice cubes are perfectly fine to throw down the garbage disposal, as they can actually be effective as a cleaning agent, but not necessarily for sharpening purposes. On the other hand, when it comes to the egg shells, you’re probably going to be doing more harm than good. As you can likely picture in your head, the egg shell’s membrane has the potential to get all tangled up with the impellers. Another potential plumbing headache for homeowners! All in all, you can add egg shells to the list of items that are better off just tossed in the trash.
Pasta
If you Google “things to avoid putting through garbage disposal,” I’m going to guess that pasta will appear on at least a few of those lists. Simply put, as pasta gets wet, it expands in volume (even after being initially cooked). As such, it’s not hard to see how this could cause a number of problems, both in regards to the garbage disposal and the drain lines. Not to mention, are you familiar with the p-trap under your sink that’s connected to the garbage disposal? If not, take a quick peek under one of your sinks and look for a u-shaped pipe. This piece serves a number of purposes, including preventing sewer gasses from making their way into your home. Well…the reason why I’m bringing up traps on this particular point is because the expanded pasta I referenced above can create blockages in the trap. Just as we’ve mentioned with many of the items throughout this blog, this is another great example of something that can easily be thrown away. That is so much easier of a route in comparison to needing to hire a plumber to clear the clog!
Other No-No’s
We’ve tried to highlight some of the most common culprits behind clogged garbage disposals here. However, the truth is there are plenty of other things capable of wreaking havoc on one’s garbage disposal. Before we wrap up this blog post, here are a few more that are worth adding to your list of no-no’s: bones, onion skins, fruit pits, oil and rice. To add to it, make sure to avoid throwing anything that’s not actually food down the drain either. Even though it’s called a “garbage” disposal, it is ironically not meant to actually handle garbage.
Our Go-To Garbage Disposal
While the garbage disposal industry has expanded over the years, we’ve always had great luck with InSinkErator and continue to recommend them to our clients. Started back in 1938, InSinkErator has been at the forefront of innovation plenty of times. Without a doubt, they’re among the best of the best, and chances are you’ll see them installed in plenty of homes and commercial facilities around town. If you ever need help sizing a disposal to your home’s needs or simply advice on how to maintain the unit, we’re always here to help.
Garbage Disposal Services in Kansas City
Along with many other fixtures or appliances, garbage disposals are something most plumbers work on just about every week. While they aren’t always as urgent of a repair as some others (such as water heaters), there’s no denying that it can be an inconvenience when your garbage disposal is out of commission. Knowing this, all of our residential and commercial plumbing technicians are equipped with plenty of experience repairing and installing garbage disposal units.
As mentioned above, our go-to garbage disposal brand tends to be InSinkErator. They are certainly a household name in the industry and continuing to finetune their various product lines. Furthermore, with such a wide range of products available, homeowners will have no problem finding one that suits their individual needs. Whether that be a unit from their Standard Series, Power Series or even the Quiet Series, you have more than a few options at your disposal. If you live in or near the Kansas City area and are interested in learning more about our garbage disposal services, don’t hesitate to fill out the form linked HERE. We look forward to working with you!