Garbage Disposals

  • 3 min read

A garbage disposal can be a key element in any modern kitchen. A garbage disposal installed by your highly trained Allied plumber is an environmentally responsible answer to the harmful methane gas caused by food waste.

How Do They Work?

Garbage disposal units are fitted discreetly under your sink. They make short work of food waste by grinding it into tiny particles. These particles are kept out of landfills by being flushed away down a standard kitchen drain into the Wenatchee waste treatment system or your septic tank.

Food scraps range from 10% to 20% of household waste and can cause no end of problems for the environment. Food waste is mostly liquid, so burning it requires a lot of energy; furthermore, food waste buried in landfills contributes to the production of methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas that is extremely damaging to the planet.

Two Types of Garbage Disposal Units

Continuous Feed
Models that feed in waste after being started. They are more common and usually more affordable than batch feed models.

Batch feed
Models that work by accepting waste into the unit before it has been started. They are covered during use which makes them quieter than continuous feed models. Batch feed models are also safer since the top is covered during use. These benefits are, however, often somewhat reflected in the price.

Garbage Disposal Do’s:

  • Keep your unit clean with dish soap and always use cold water
  • Run your garbage disposal regularly to prevent rust
  • Grind food waste with the cold water faucet on
  • Cut large items into smaller pieces – particularly egg shells and other hard materials

Garbage Disposal Don’ts:

  • Do not grind glass, plastic, metal, or paper – It is a myth that glass will sharpen the blades
  • Do not grind lemon or lime wedges or halves – It might make it smell nice for a while, but it ruins the blades quickly.
  • Do not pour grease, or oil into your garbage disposal unit – This clogs the drains as it emulsifies when it hits the cooler pipes below.
  • Never use hot water when grinding food waste- These ruins the engine in the garbage disposal
  • Don’t grind large animal bones

Keeping Your Garbage Disposal Running

A cheap but effective solution to help keep your garbage disposal unit running trouble-free is to use ice as a cleaner. Ice sharpens the blades and breaks up any grease that may have built up. Ice reaches areas no other cleaner can and scours the whole device clean. Once or twice a month should be enough.

Call Allied Plumbing and Pumps at 509-662-6622 for installation or repair of any garbage disposal unit. The technology has come a long way since the 70s – we’d love to show you how far.

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