jakeseacrest
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Does anyone else throw the paper coffee filters down the garbage disposal? I hear conflicting stories from friends, but I have been doing this recently. Am I killing my plumbing?
Coffee Filters
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selectomatic
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I doubt that your plumbing is affected.
I used to put coffee filters in the disposal when I lived in the city, but I was told that you should definitely not do it if you have a septic system.
-kevin
I used to put coffee filters in the disposal when I lived in the city, but I was told that you should definitely not do it if you have a septic system.
-kevin
Yes
Throw the filters down all the time. Never a problem here
Throw the filters down all the time. Never a problem here
I have read that coffee grounds and egg shells are no-no's for the disposal. I can confirm that egg shells are bad - they just seem to form a kind of cement in the drain. But can't really say that coffee grounds are all that bad, because I've never sent them through the disposer. Usually I just chuck the filter plus grounds in the wet trash. Then I feel guilty because they really should go into the compost bin (worms love them). If you have a garden, you can also dig them into the soil.
selectomatic
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Eggshells?
Wow. I've been putting about a half-dozen to a dozen eggshells a week through my disposal for the last 17-3/4 years, and I've never had a problem with that.
-kevin
Wow. I've been putting about a half-dozen to a dozen eggshells a week through my disposal for the last 17-3/4 years, and I've never had a problem with that.
-kevin
jakeseacrest
Well-known member
I do eggshells all the time. As a rule, the only things that don't get ground up are beef and pork bones. Corn cobs just make a racket and don't seem to grind. Maybe it's just me?
laundromat
Well-known member
I throw everything down.That's what they're for.I do bones of any kind ,coffee grounds,coffee filters,used steel wool pads,old spunges,celery stalks,and egg shells.If something left over spoils,it goes straight down the disposer.One thanksgiving after stripping all the meat off the left over turkey,all the bones got ground in my disposer.I have a top of the line KitchenAid 1 horsepower/reversing motor continuous feed model and it takes no time at all to grind things up.I sware it must have been one like Jeffery Dommer had!LOL.To sharpen it,I'll grind a beer bottle or dump all the ice maker cubes down without water.
Egg shell blues
Maybe it's the 66 year old plumbing in this place. The kitchen sink is at the far end of a 20 foot or so run of what looks like 2" cast iron pipe. Along the way, it's joined by the drains from the washer, shower stall, bathroom sink, and bathtub. I've noticed that if I put egg shells down the disposer, the drain clogs in the vicinity of the bathtub, which sends effluent back up into the shower stall. So I don't do it if I can help it. I do send bones, meat scraps, and all sorts of veggies down there, no problem. Did have a problem with half gallon of sauerkraut - that came up in the shower stall - in a sort of geyser when the washer drained around the same time. If I have a lot of wet garbage, and the collection day is a ways off, I'll put it in the compost pile, where it can do some good for the soil.
Maybe it's the 66 year old plumbing in this place. The kitchen sink is at the far end of a 20 foot or so run of what looks like 2" cast iron pipe. Along the way, it's joined by the drains from the washer, shower stall, bathroom sink, and bathtub. I've noticed that if I put egg shells down the disposer, the drain clogs in the vicinity of the bathtub, which sends effluent back up into the shower stall. So I don't do it if I can help it. I do send bones, meat scraps, and all sorts of veggies down there, no problem. Did have a problem with half gallon of sauerkraut - that came up in the shower stall - in a sort of geyser when the washer drained around the same time. If I have a lot of wet garbage, and the collection day is a ways off, I'll put it in the compost pile, where it can do some good for the soil.
NEVER,EVER grind glass in any Disposer!-You will quickly ruin the shredders and since ground glass doesn't float will cause a big messy backup in your plumbing.I knew of someone that ran a bottle thru his machine to "sharpen the blades" and it ruined the water seal and caused a messy clog.He had to replace his disposer and have the plumbing roto routed.I would also hold off on steel wool,and sponges-these could also cause clogs-put them in the trash instead.Some folks need a trash compactor than a disposer.Bottles,sponges,steel wool-good food for a compactor than a disposer.Celery peices unless cut short can also cause clogs unless your disposer has undercutters to chop the celery threads.And no-I wouldn't shred coffee filters in the disposder either-paper can cause clogs in plumbing as well.And it could fill your septic tank quickly.I have a septic tank-so papery items go to the trash-eventually to go to the dumps Marathon compactor.to clean disposer shredders-ice cubes are good as well as chicken bones.
Instead of a disposer-how bout a sideload trash truck for your waste needs-no worry about bottles,sponges,even water heaters and washers-this hungry "beast" loves it all-thought you disposer would like this-check out some of these film clips.
jakeseacrest
Well-known member
I have put entire turkey and chicken bones through the disposer with no problems either. I always cut up celery into smaller pieces before grinding. My disposer is an ISE 777ss and it definately works like a champ. My kitchen sink plumbing is about a foot away from the main pipe for my house so maybe that helps.
Turkey and chicken bones are GOOD for disposers-they help clean the shredders-and the peices will float down your plumbing.The chicken and turkey bones are esp good for disposers that usually get a "soft" diet-IE no bones at all-the bones will clear away the "slime" from such disposall diets-the slime causes odors and corrosion of disposer parts.Good your kitchen drain line is close to the home drain line-how far is the house drain to the main line in the street?This is especially important.Large amount of fibrous waste and non floating waste will clog these.If the home line is short-no problem.Just aviod the glass in the disposer!And on coffee filters-these are made of long fiber filter paper-like vacuum cleaner bags-the long fibers could cause clogs or make "bulk" that will quickly fill septic tanks(as I have)Disposers may not cut up the long fibers from the filters since they are thinner than food waste fibers.They could pass thru the disposer shredders without much cutting.
red_october
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Paper should be fine...
Before she got a paper shredder, my mother used the disposer as one. Any important papers that had to be discarded got put down the disposer (with water of course!). It never harmed it at all, even though she bought cheap-o "Master Mechanic" disposers. Fortunately she had me pick out the latest one and I bought her a propper In-Sink-Erator that laughs at chicken bones, etc. -I'm of the theory that says you can't have enough disposer, and that it should be able to effortlessly pass anything you throw at it.
If you find your drain clogging up for whatever reason, boil a big ol' pot of water on the stove and dump it down the drain while it's still boiling hot. Works as well as chemicals and is considerably safer.
Before she got a paper shredder, my mother used the disposer as one. Any important papers that had to be discarded got put down the disposer (with water of course!). It never harmed it at all, even though she bought cheap-o "Master Mechanic" disposers. Fortunately she had me pick out the latest one and I bought her a propper In-Sink-Erator that laughs at chicken bones, etc. -I'm of the theory that says you can't have enough disposer, and that it should be able to effortlessly pass anything you throw at it.
If you find your drain clogging up for whatever reason, boil a big ol' pot of water on the stove and dump it down the drain while it's still boiling hot. Works as well as chemicals and is considerably safer.
NO HARD PAPER-yes the disposer is strong enough to shred it-but again the problem of clogs-I have had to deal with fiber-paper clogs-you have to snake or roto rout them out-the paper fibers rejoin together and make a paper "ball" in the plumbing.also the paper is a problem if you have a septic tank-hard paper doesn't decompose in a septic tank.I only put Potty roll as the paper item in my drain system.Other papers --no.also your sewage company make get after you if they trace lots of fibrous waste to your home.For office paper-best to get a regular paper shredder-crosscut ones are fine.You can get such a shredder for less than a disposer.Or--do as my dad does-BURN the "red bag" paper waste-the Pentagon does it too.If you have a woodstove-this works well.
lederstiefel1
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Paper and stuff
Here in Germany we have to seperate all rubbish for many years now to recycle as much as possible!
We have an extra bin each for PAPER, bins on parking plots for green, brown and white GLASS, special collecting bags for PLASTIC & METAL, often an extra for BIO-WASTE (such as vegetables and coffee filters, fruit and stuff - which I personally find very unhygenic though!) and one for the REST-WASTE (porcelain, bones, fabrics, tissues, baby's napkins, sweepings, ashes and hoover bags) also BATTERIES must be collected seperately and given back at the shops or at petrol-stations and CHEMICALS & PAINTS are to be collected twice a year with a special truck that comes arround to your quarter where you live, the same with GARDEN-WASTE (leaves, grass, etc.). Finally, BULKY ITEMS (refrigerators, washer, dryers, sofas, furnitures, etc.) have to be announced by telephone-call or post-card wich will be then collected by appointment as BULKY-TRASH.
The only things I shall use my "shredder" on in our next, new home (old kitchen sink has too small a drain for the disposer I bought from Ebay a few weeks ago...) will be items that will be to thick to go through a normal drain-pipe (left-overs from meals as vege-soup or moulded bread, foul meat and cheese, fish bones, etc.) but are not nice to be put into the garbage bucket either because they drip or smell or mould and stink.
We also have a paper-shredder at home for "top-secret papers" (bank papers and stuff) which will then, after shredding, go into the normal paper bin.
Ralf
Here in Germany we have to seperate all rubbish for many years now to recycle as much as possible!
We have an extra bin each for PAPER, bins on parking plots for green, brown and white GLASS, special collecting bags for PLASTIC & METAL, often an extra for BIO-WASTE (such as vegetables and coffee filters, fruit and stuff - which I personally find very unhygenic though!) and one for the REST-WASTE (porcelain, bones, fabrics, tissues, baby's napkins, sweepings, ashes and hoover bags) also BATTERIES must be collected seperately and given back at the shops or at petrol-stations and CHEMICALS & PAINTS are to be collected twice a year with a special truck that comes arround to your quarter where you live, the same with GARDEN-WASTE (leaves, grass, etc.). Finally, BULKY ITEMS (refrigerators, washer, dryers, sofas, furnitures, etc.) have to be announced by telephone-call or post-card wich will be then collected by appointment as BULKY-TRASH.
The only things I shall use my "shredder" on in our next, new home (old kitchen sink has too small a drain for the disposer I bought from Ebay a few weeks ago...) will be items that will be to thick to go through a normal drain-pipe (left-overs from meals as vege-soup or moulded bread, foul meat and cheese, fish bones, etc.) but are not nice to be put into the garbage bucket either because they drip or smell or mould and stink.
We also have a paper-shredder at home for "top-secret papers" (bank papers and stuff) which will then, after shredding, go into the normal paper bin.
Ralf
lederstiefel1
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Yes, it is said, that in Germany they try to forbid the USE of them, too. But EU-regulations have allowed the use of any item that is legal in any member-country of the European Community in all others, too. So they cannot charge you for that!
Switzerland authotities forbid the use as well, but the Swiss are no members of the EU yet!
Ralf
Switzerland authotities forbid the use as well, but the Swiss are no members of the EU yet!
Ralf
WOW, I would never dream of putting so much solid waste down my disposal, even though it's a Maytag that can supposedly grind nails. My mom's house is over 80 years old and never had a disposer until the 60's. Once my dad installed that thing, the problems with the sewer pipes never went away. I had to crawl under the house and snake out the line, dealing with the putrid smell and black muck that would get all over the place once the snake had done its job. We'd just leave the snake down there for next time since it would happen so often. The sink at the family room bar would get backed-up sewage bubbling out of it and that's when we knew we had problems.
My own home has a weird sewer system and the line from the kitchen sink actually runs toward the back of the house to meet up with the laundry line and makes two left turns before heading back towards the street. Various "rooter" company trucks tend to have a regular presence in my 'hood and I think it's due to a flawed design in the piping system on these 50's stamped-out homes. I've always been careful with what goes down the disposer but one night my partner decided to throw a bunch of pasta down that he had allowed to overcook and the sink immediately backed up.
I'd rather throw my chicken bones etc into the garbage than deal with another sewer back-up. The plumbers always find more wrong, and it ended up being a $300 job last time.
My own home has a weird sewer system and the line from the kitchen sink actually runs toward the back of the house to meet up with the laundry line and makes two left turns before heading back towards the street. Various "rooter" company trucks tend to have a regular presence in my 'hood and I think it's due to a flawed design in the piping system on these 50's stamped-out homes. I've always been careful with what goes down the disposer but one night my partner decided to throw a bunch of pasta down that he had allowed to overcook and the sink immediately backed up.
I'd rather throw my chicken bones etc into the garbage than deal with another sewer back-up. The plumbers always find more wrong, and it ended up being a $300 job last time.
selectomatic
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I guess I'm lucky there.
My kitchen sink is on the outside wall, and it's a straight shot to the septic holding tank 15' away.
Now, if only the water pipes didn't freeze in the winter . . .
-kevin
My kitchen sink is on the outside wall, and it's a straight shot to the septic holding tank 15' away.
Now, if only the water pipes didn't freeze in the winter . . .
-kevin
