Garbage Disposal Rules You Must Know

A garbage disposal is one of the most useful gadgets in your kitchen. It sits under the sink and shreds food waste so it can pass through the plumbing. However, you just can’t put anything and everything in the disposal.

Following are some important rules to live by when it comes to your garbage disposal:

If it’s hard…keep it out of the disposal.
The manual that comes with the disposal will specify what hard items cannot be put in the disposal. Pay attention to the list because you want to keep your disposal sharp and efficient. Never put bones, pits or shells from shellfish through the disposal.

Fiber is good for your digestive system…bad for the disposal.
Certain vegetable fibers will certainly jam your disposal and can cause drain blockages.

The following should not be put through the disposal:

Banana peels

Celery

Coffee grinds

Corn Cobs

Onion skins

Don’t shove…the smaller the better.

Rather than shove an item into the disposal, take the time and cut into small pieces. This is especially true when disposing of melon or grapefruit rinds.

Common sense will make a world of difference
If it’s not food, it doesn’t belong to the disposal.
If the disposal is running…the cold water should be running also.
And…keep the water running a full minute after you are sure the food waste has been eliminated. Never use hot water.

Clean means efficient.
A dirty disposal can cause an unpleasant odor. To prevent this, WHEN DISPOSAL IS OFF clean the inner side of the rubber lining in the center of the sink opening. A paper towel wiping on a regular basis will do the trick.
With the cold water running and the disposal on, toss in some ice cubes. The cubes will dislodge any debris on the edges.
Once in a while put in some citrus rinds. Be sure to cut them into very small pieces. The zest from the fruit will give off a nice odor.

Hands off!!!
Never, under any circumstances, put your hands in the disposal when it is running.

There’s a jam!
First turn off the power. Take a look under sink. In the center of the motor, on the bottom of the unit there is a space where you can use an Allen wrench and manually turn the motor.

Do this a few times, remove the wrench and try on the power again. If this doesn’t work, you can press the rest button/circuit breaker on the bottom of the unit.
If the unit still is not working, call Gaspar’s Plumbing  experienced, licensed plumber to come and take a look.

(818) 883-1072 or (805) 285-3018

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