Garbage disposals provide convenient waste disposal in kitchens, but like any frequently used appliance, they can develop issues over time. Certain usage habits contribute to excessive wear, prompting earlier repairs. Adjusting practices helps minimize disposal problems to maximize service life. Here’s some tips from The Plumbers Guild on ways to minimize your need for garbage disposal repair.
Avoid Putting Certain Items Down the Disposal
Some assumptions about the suitable disposal of items wreak internal havoc. Seemingly harmless scraps like corn husks, celery strings, and potato peels compact to block drains. Likewise, coffee grounds, rice, and pasta absorb moisture then cement like concrete inside the grinding chamber. Grease also quickly builds up. These culprits jam mechanisms and strain motors. Running only appropriate food waste reduces jams.
Alternate Use With the Dishwasher
While handy for scraps when handwashing dishes, filling the disposal too often from daily dishwasher use bottlenecks drainage. Alternate running each appliance rather than doubling food waste sent to pipes. This balances grind demands to avoid overload from regular use together. Stagger usage without running simultaneously for better flow.
Flush With Lots of Cold Water
Always use very cold water when running the disposal and for several minutes afterward. Cold liquid keeps fats solidified and transfers particles downstream faster, while hot water liquefies grease that quickly coats internal components. The longer the flush afterward, the further waste travels to avoid settling in pipes near the grinder inlet.
Freshen With Ice and Citrus
For periodically deodorizing and sharpening the blades, drop ice cubes, lemon or orange rinds into the empty disposal before grinding. Ice scours the inside surface while providing moisture to flush particles. Citrus oils help clean and deodorize for fresher operation while aiding the grind process. They conveniently scent kitchen sinks in the process.
Check Bottleneck Points
If draining appliances like disposals suddenly seems slow, inspect downstream junctures like the trap and tailpiece connector. Built-up debris, fat or soap scum easily accumulates in these bottleneck points. Disconnect and scrub out the trap. Use a wire coat hanger to scrape and dislodge gunk completely. Removing every few months maintains flow.
Activate Regularly Even With Limited Use
It’s fine not utilizing your disposal daily or even weekly if minimizing waste. However, activate it regularly even without food waste just to keep parts turning freely. Spinning the turntable and blades periodically sans debris still exercises mechanisms to avoid seizing up from prolonged idle periods.
Get Professional Maintenance Annually
Preventative maintenance enhances longevity better than waiting for complete failure. Have a technician inspect components and test functionality about once a year. They’ll assess and address wear along with planning for eventual replacement according to observed condition. This helps prevent emergency weekend repairs from neglected problems.
Listen for Problems
Be attentive to sounds indicating potential issues like loud grinding that persists more than a few seconds after activating, reduced water flow noises or humming without turntable turning. Investigate banging, clicks or smoking smells immediately by unplugging until repairs. Sound anomalies generally mean problems needing prompt response before device failure happens.
Upgrade Older Disposals
Eventually, even well-maintained models wear internally beyond feasible repair from factors like abrasive materials, heavy use and material fatigue over their lifespan of roughly 10 to 15 years. Upgrading dated disposals utilizes improved energy efficiency, sound dampening, and grinding effectiveness of newer designs.
While you cannot prevent every issue with your garbage disposal, there are steps you can take to minimize damage. In turn, this can help to reduce the frequency in which you need repairs. Following the tips above can help you to accomplish this goal, as well as prolonging the lifespan of the kitchen appliance.
