Everything You Need to Know About Garbage Disposal

The great architect John W. Hammes has been invented garbage disposal in 1927. Since then it is working as the workhorse of our kitchen.

With the increase of consciousness about hygiene people are becoming more interested to install a garbage disposal in their kitchen. If a device becomes an inevitable part of our life it also becomes necessary to understand that device – its anatomy, functionality, repairing process, a common problem, etc.

You will get overall information about garbage disposal unit from this article. To make your journey with your garbage disposal unit happier this article will help you.

Anatomy of a Garbage Disposal Unit

To understand the subsequent section properly you should have a clear idea about the anatomy of your garbage disposal unit.

Your garbage disposal unit consists of the stopper, hopper (upper and lower), shredder ring, impeller, flywheel, waste line, dishwasher connector, and knockout. Each section plays a specific function and together they do the work of waste management.

For example-

• The stopper lets the waste item enter into the unit.
• The first hopper located under the sink sends the food waste into the shredder of the disposal.
• The shredder ring breaks the waste items and converts these into small pieces for easier processing.
• The impeller has a significant influence to control the pressure of the fluid and it also has the influence to break the food substance into little tiny pieces along with the shredder ring.
• Flywheel has a significant effect to maintain constant power output. It helps to send the broken tiny pieces of waste item into the lower hopper chamber.
• The tiny pieces of a food item are disposed of through the waste line connector.

You will understand the anatomy more clearly from the picture below:

How to Buy a Garbage Disposal?

If you are thinking about purchasing a garbage disposal unit do not go to the market or search online just after thinking about purchasing it. If you do so, you may just come back after being overwhelmed by the varieties of the unit or may end up the shopping with a wrong purchase.

Do a little research about the features, prices, brands of garbage disposal unit and note down your requirement, budget and preferred brand.

After doing this homework, go to market (online/offline) and pick up the product that matches your requirement.

How to Install a Garbage Disposal Unit?

Installing a garbage disposal unit is easier. It does not take much time if you have a little plumbing and electrical wiring skill. 

If you already have a disposal unit in your kitchen, at first you have to uninstall that unit so that you can install the new one. Screwdriver, electrical cord, plumber’s putty, hammer, etc. are some tools that you need to install a garbage disposal unit.

Garbage disposal hardly creates any problem if you use it maintaining the Do’s and Don’ts of using a garbage disposal.  Do you know the Do’s and Don’ts of using a garbage disposal? Well, if you don’t know where I am giving you a brief but effective suggestion about the Do’s and Don’ts of using a garbage disposal.

Dos of Using a Garbage Disposal Unit

• Garbage disposal itself is a cleaning device but sometimes it also needs to be cleaned too. To clean your garbage disposal use dishwasher along with cold water, I repeat cold water.
• If the garbage disposal unit stinks use some citrus fruit like lemon to remove that stink.  Before throwing the citrus fruit into the garbage disposal unit do not forget to cut these fruits into small pieces; otherwise, instead of making things easier, they will create extra difficulties.
• If the stink is very strong that citrus fruits cannot eliminate that using baking soda or cleaning chemical like borax. If you use baking soda you should wait at least several hours to set the soda inside the unit and then you can clean the entire unit using water.

If you use borax you also have to wait for an hour to let it set in. Then use warm water to clean the unit.

• It is a good practice to break the large waste items into small pieces before throwing them into the unit.
• Throw some ice cubes occasionally inside the garbage disposal unit for better cleaning.

Don’ts of Using a Garbage Disposal Unit

• Do not keep the garbage disposal idle for a long time. If you do not run your garbage disposal unit for a long time, the unit may freeze up, rust, or corrode and if there is any leftover food inside the garbage disposal unit it can harden, leading to odors and clogs.
• Do not throw glass, plastic, metal or paper into the garbage disposal since are very hard to break and dispose of and so, they can jam or break the blade of your garbage disposal.
• Do not let grease or oil in the garbage disposal since grease or oil may solidify inside and clog the drain.
• Do not throw big bones, seeds or peels since big bones, seeds or peels can damage the blades, jam the disposal, or become lodged in the drain pipe.
• Do not throw egg shells as eggshells may clog the pipe by sticking to it and it may also create stinks.

If you use your garbage disposal unit by maintaining the do’s and don’ts of using it, it will give you better service for a long time. On the other hand, if you face or notice any problem in your garbage disposal do not worry because where there is a problem there is a solution.

Garbage Disposal Unit Problem and Solution

Your garbage disposal unit may stop running and cause the following problem-

• Not turning on
• Hamming
• Clogging
• Leaking
• Not grinding
• Slow Draining

If you face any of these problems please do not get panicked. These are the common problems that almost all garbage disposal users need to face at least once in life.

To solve the problem of a garbage disposal unit you have to learn how to troubleshoot so that you can detect the source of the problem and then take necessary actions to solve the problems.

Garbage Disposal Unit Accessories

To improve the performance of your garbage disposal unit, to extend its life and to class up to your kitchen, some garbage disposal accessories are needed to be installed with the unit or you should keep these accessories in your collection so that you can use these at the time of necessity.

Wrap Up

If you treat your garbage disposal unit well it will treat you well. And to get better service from your garbage disposal unit you should have a clear idea about its anatomy, its behavior (mechanism of working), necessary accessories that needed to be installed, common problems and the troubleshooting methods.

To be acquainted with your garbage disposal unit well within a short time going through this article once is enough. We have covered all the necessary information that you should know about your garbage disposal unit in this article.