3 Facts About Garbage Disposals You Should Know

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3 Facts About Garbage Disposals You Should Know

13 April 2017
 Categories: , Blog


One upgrade you may be looking to add to your kitchen is a garbage disposal. If you're new to having a garbage disposal, here are some interesting facts about them that you should know.

Garbage Disposals Should Be Run Frequently

When you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen, you should make a point to use it regularly. If the appliance sits there without being used, the internal parts can potentially corrode, rust, or bind up because they are inactive. In addition, garbage disposals could have difficulty draining waste if the unit is not in motion. Even small pieces of food can become trapped, causing them to get stuck inside. That could lead to a bad odor or blockage because you have not been using the unit.

Give the garbage disposal a spin every once in a while, which can be done by throwing an orange peel inside it. The citrus helps keep the inside clean, leaving behind a nice smell as well.

Garbage Disposals Should Be Run With Cold Water

Logic may tell you that a garbage disposal should be run with hot water, but this is not true. Cold water is actually ideal, because it will harden things that are in the canister and make it easier to chop up the item. If you use very hot water, the food particles could be liquefied because of the heat, then solidify inside the drain.

This is why you will want to stick to cold water when trying to flush out the canister when chopping up food.

Garbage Disposals Like Small Pieces of Food

The garbage disposal may seem like a perfect candidate to grind up large pieces of food. While it is capable of handling large pieces on occasion, it actually works better when the food pieces are smaller. The items will bounce around in the canister and hit the blades at high speeds, rather than have the blades get stuck because an item is too big. This runs the risk of burning out the motor, causing damage to the unit.

If you are able to, chop larger food items into smaller pieces before they go down the drain. It will ensure that the motor stays healthy and you get more life out of the appliance.

For those that need help repairing a garbage disposal, know that you can always call a plumber to take care of it for you.