Clogged Kitchen Sink w/ Disposal

[vacerator]

Mark,

do your self a favor and replace it with a better ISE 1/2 h.p with stainless steel grind chamber, and reversing motor.
Ours has lasted over 22 years, and still fine.
I learned that potato peels, onions, and large amounts of anything are not a disposers friend, or the drains.
Once I was at work, and we were leaving the next morning early on vacation.
My hubby cleaned out the fridge, and tried grinding green onions, and they clogged the drain elbow in the basement under the laundry sink. He called a plumber, thinking I wouldn't have time to get to it before we left. The guy wanted to charge $250, just to unscrew the drain elbow and clean it out. I got him down to $200. Took him 10 minutes tops. Large plumbing company too. he said he didn't set the prices.

 

[iowabear]

Potato peels (and a lot of them as I remember) were the source of my clog as well.  I think we had used the garbage disposal for a couple of years without incident prior to that.

 

So I'm probably being paranoid not using now but my enclosed trash can in the garage is just steps from my sink.  It's not a problem to keep stinky things out of the kitchen.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I'm always

putting some Dawn down my disposer with on and running to keep it clean even though I rarely use it. As for smells when throwing food in the trash, that's not a problem because what I do is throw whatever I'm throwing in the trash in some type of bag, whether it be ziplock or a produce bag and just twist it shut before tossing it. My friend told me she puts eggs shells, coffee grounds, everything down her disposer.

Anyway, I really don't want a new one. I heard they can develop leaks but until that happens I guess I'll be sure to replace it with a better one.

 

[vacerator]

Well sure,

when you need to replace it I meant to say.

 

[helicaldrive]

Happiest day of my life

Was the day I had the plumber take out my garbage disposal. Can’t stand the things. They are unsanitary and they get smelly. The sewage backups they cause are a totally unnecessary pain. And they wreak havoc on your sewer line and the municipal sewers because so much fat and grease goes down the drain. NYC outlawed them for good reason.

Preventing smelly garbage and the mice it attracts is easy. Put a small garbage bag in a container the same way you line a wastebasket with a bag. Scrape food scraps into the bag. Close it. Store container and bag in the freezer until garbage day. It’s no more work than scraping food into the sink and cleaning up the mess that causes.

 

[ea56]

Helicaldrive

at last a kindred spirit!

A garbage disposal is not a time saver in my experience, and a waste of water. My kitchen sink is much cleaner without one too.
Eddie

 

[cuffs054]

Living in 100 yr old houses is not the place for a disposer! I don't have one here nor did I have one in the Manse, seem to be getting along OK.

 

[askolover]

When I was a kid, ours would clog the old metal pipes in the wall.  My mother and I would hold the sink stoppers in really tight and let the KDS17A go into drain cycle....worked EVERY time!  When I got older I replaced all those old rusty pipes with new PVC and added extra cleanout plugs.  Knock wood, it hasn't clogged since and it's been 25 years.  At that time I bought Mother a 1/2 hp ISE built model with stainless chamber and shredder.  Mine is a 3/4 ISE product with same stainless chamber and shredder.  I've had mine for 19 years and it's used pretty frequently.  But, I don't put extra grease down it.  Just what little bit that might be in the waste, which generally isn't much...especially while my doggie was alive because she got all the food scraps. 

 

[cuffs054]

Oh yes, all the plumbing needs to get changed in these houses (my plumber is on retainer!) but the real issue is with the antiquated sewer system. Just not worth the hassle.

 

[askolover]

We were pretty lucky, in 1992 my home town installed an entirely new sewer system with all PVC pipes throughout the city.  Prior to that everyone had septic tanks.

 

[mark_wpduet]

NYC

bans garbage disposals? That's interesting. I had no clue. As I think about it, all those huge buildings that people live in, the plumbing nightmares that could cause..

I forgot to mention one interesting thing I discovered YEARS ago under my kitchen sink. There was a small dripping intermittent leak. I couldn't figure out why it was leaking until I was messing around down there and realized that the rings that unscrew/screw that connect the pipes together were actually LOOSE and I'm wondering if it was caused by the vibration of the garbage disposal? I check them occasionally to make sure they're tight. When I first discovered them I couldn't believe how freaking loose they were.

 

[ea56]

Mark,

I’m pretty sure you are correct in your guess that the vibration of the GD has loosened the fittings of your drain pipes, because the same thing used to happen to my pipes too before I took out the GD. Since removing the GD I have never had to retighten these connections again.

If you really don’t use your GD much serioulsy consider just taking it out like I did. You won’t miss the GD or regret getting rid of it.
Eddie

 

[lotsosudz]

Said it before, and i'll say it again

If you have a decent disposal, put ice cubes, small chicken bones, egg shells, and small pieces of broken glass in, and you will have a disposal that will take anything. When we moved into this house we inherited an ancient Kenmore unit. It was dull and could not cut butter. I started my usual borage, of the above mentioned items, and 14 years later it is sharp, and quick. It was so bad initially, that our frugal land owner thought it should be replaced. I told him to hold off, and let me have a go of it. Like I said, its now omnivorous.
Hugs,
David

 

[tolivac]

NEVER,NEVER put glass in a disposer!!!!The unit can be damaged,the glass could get thrown out and up at you,and shredded glass does not "float" and could cause nasty clogs in the plumbing.The other items mentioned are fine-yes a disposer fed a "soft" diet will get its shredder elements covered in slime reducing their effectiveness.If the disposer is still under a warrantee the glass -"foreign object" by the disposer maker will void the units warrantee.

 

[mark_wpduet]

So ice

will not only clean it, but will sharpen it too???

 

[tolivac]

The ice CLEANS the disposer-it is "sharpened" by the ice removing slime and grime from the shredders.For REALLY bad disposers use a little scouring powder with the ice cubes.

 

[askolover]

I bought a toilet brush at walmart several years ago that will fit through the opening and down into the disposal.  Sprinkle some Comet or Ajax powder on it, stick it in and scrub it around with hot water running.  When I pull it out it inverts the rubber baffles and scrubs them too. 

 

[lotsosudz]

Just for general info

Glass beads are what the pros's use to sharpen them. Yes I would use extreme caution, and cover the opening with a cover that allowed water to flow by. Ice is probably safer for newbies. The rest of the regimen that I mentioned, really does work. And easy to do as well.

 

[ultralux88]

I put everything down the disposal, if it’s food waste it goes in there, peels, bones, rinds, cores, and even bones. I even put the leafy green pineapple top down it with the rest of the rind. Coffee filter with all the grounds in it? Absolutely! I have a Waste Maid 3/4 HP disposal, before that there was a 1/3HP badger that lasted 13 years and then leaked all over early this year. I put in a 1/2HP one that really left me wanting... the flywheel was starting to rust on the surface and it couldn’t grind up an apple core, I was heavily dissatisfied and thoroughly disgusted. I’ve always thought it disgusting to throw food in the trash, as it stinks, so now no food is allowed near the trash can, and I haven’t smelled that familiar food in the trash can stench since!

 

[tolivac]

Again,I WOULD NOT put glass down ANY disposer-the shredded glass can cause future clogs.DON'T DO IT!!!!!!Also the glass can wear the shredders rather than "sharpening" them.