Garbage Disposer Advice Needed

[retro-man]

I also have an ISE Evolution Series installed a couple of years ago replacing a GE builders grade crap. The GE rusted out and ceased up. Had another one downstairs in the other kitchen and that one did the same just before the one upstairs did the same. Have another GE in the condo at the beach and that one is getting loud. I actually bought another one of them and its sitting in the closet ready to get changed out. The reason I bought another one is that it will just be removal and replacement. No need to change drainage at all. That one does not get as much usage so it will last a bit longer. Love the ISE though, quiet strong and non clogging.

Jon

 

[vacerator]

I have a Sears

Kenmore disposer from 1996. Made by Insinkerator 3/4 h.p. with stainless steel grind chamber, parts and reversing motor. Quiet enough.
Worth the extra money. I re installed it after our 2011 kitchen remodel.
No egg shells, potato skins, stringy anything. Not good for the plumbing, and it's not a commercial garbell grinder.
Another disposer enemy is aquarium sediemnt small stones.

 

[panthera]

Two misconceptions

Which are good for my business, but bad for customers:

1) You're wasting water! The millisecond the disposal is done grinding, turn that water off! Oh, my paws and whiskers! You're wasting water!

2) A disposal which isn't in use doesn't wear out.

 

A cheap Badger will last and work very well for a very long time if you flush it thoroughly with plenty of water. Says so in the instructions. Even if you don't use it every day, you need to flush it to stop the rust from building up.

 

Misconception #2:

Stainless Steel and Plastique are truly non-corroding in this environment. Yee-Haw. Just, the seals and the drive components hooking the plate up to the motor? Surprise, dahlinks - they are NOT stainless steel! No, sir, they are not. That's why flushing is so important. But, heh, yeah: You're wasting water! They don't make that anymore! Denkt niemand an den Kindern!!!!

 

[passatdoc]

I had three Badgers in a row (home bought new in 1988 came with a Badger) and none lasted more than three years. BUT they cost under $50 back then, so every three years I'd pull out the old one and pop in a new one. On my fourth try, put in an ISE 333, which had a SS chamber/blades; I think this was their upscale model before the Evolution. Installed c. 2001, it lasted over a decade.

About four years ago, replaced the dead 333 with the Evolution (1 HP model). Works great. My father has the 3/4 Evolution Compact and it works great, installed eight years ago. He bought his from Lowes and used their contracted installer.

 

[appnut]

I've had my GE 1 hp continuous feed since February 1994 with hardly a hiccup.  Has clogged the pipe that goes across to the pipe that leads out to the sewer drain probably less than 10 times in all that time.  I throw just about everything at it (not beef bones.  It's on my left sink bowl and dishwasher drains in the right hand sink drain.  Many times after intense grinding, I'll fill the sink up[ with about 3 to 4 inches of cold water and drain the sink and run the disposer to flush out good.  This one has lasted 23 years and 10 months compared to the ISE builder model, which lasted  9.5 months at most.  I was without a disposer for a month or two.  But had to get a new one as I was having all my family for an extended weekend for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. 

 

I have no doubt the GE that's sold today is nowhere near the quality of what I got almost 24 years ago.  I guess the Evolution XTR would be the appropriate replacement.  I doubt Waste King can hold a candle to it either. 

 

[panthera]

One thing of which to be wary

Not only Evergrind but several other cheap Chinese knock-offs have had safety recalls for various problems (I still refuse to use the word 'issues' for a problem, what a silly thing. Don't much care for 'impact' as a verb, either).

The whole 'using the garbage disposal' to actually, you know, get rid of garbage (including bones) or not divides many a household. After my dear husband's friends threw all the wet garbage in the trash compactor and the damned bag split all across the floor on me, I threw a temper tantrum of truly epic proportions. These are the dear souls who don't run the dishwasher if it's only twice as full as a Bob-load (you could still put a plastic toothpick in there, somewhere, they're sure. The ones who never use paper towels but only cloth (including the towels one of them just used to wash the dog's face. Not that I don't love the dog, but, ewww - in the kitchen???) And who, never, ever put anything down the garbage disposal and freak like mad when I put anything more sturdy than a tomato peel down it.

 

You know what? I throw everything in, banana peels, potato skins, bones (yes, dear pearl-clutchers, bones and not just chicken bones. Everything. It's what it's there for.

 

OK - end of rant, but, really - we've long since established that what kills these appliances is the mounting point between the plate and the motor (it's not stainless steel) and the various seals. Not what you use it for. Just be sure to flush with lots and lots of running water and everything will be fine.

 

[labboy]

We have an Evolution Excel and love it. Very quiet and takes anything you throw at it. We also like that you can remove the baffle (we got a spare) and run it through the dishwasher.

Bob

 

[sudsmaster]

The vintage Waste King (slow) that was in this house when I bought it must have been at least 15 years old. It was my first exposure to a garbage disposer, so I didn't know quite what to expect. But I was not happy that it managed to let mass quantities of sauerkraut through untouched, which then proceeded to clog the drain from kitchen to main sanitary line. Unfortunately there was a laundry closet and a shower/bath/sink along the way. So the shower stall would back up when the washer was run, due to the recurrent kitchen/Waste King clogs.

 

Eventually the Waste King kept jamming (had to be reset) so much it was useless to even try running it. It would jam if you looked at it sideways. The kicker was when it would jam on nothing more heinous than a rubber band. I got a 50 ft power auger and cleaned out the main kitchen/laundry/bath drain, and installed the aforementioned Titan. Guess what? No more  jams, no more clogs, no more shower stall flooding. Yay.

 

Now, I love vintage appliances as much as anyone here. But when they have lived out their useful lives, and perform a function that is vital to keeping the house in proper function, it's time to replace them, and usually that means a new and improved version. Nobody wants to commute in a Model-T, after all.

 

 

 

[iowabear]

Unused garbage disposals...

I have a Kenmore 2002 model similar to vacertor's.  Made by Insinkerator, 3/4 h.p. with stainless steel grind chamber, parts and reversing motor. No problems so far.

 

Had it installed when I bought this 1956 ranch, the house never had a GD or dishwasher befor<span style="font-family: Arial;">e. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name="startPOSTER_73646.20"></a></span></span>

 

All was good for a year or so until potato peels caused a clog.  After that I never used it for anything but the bits left over from rinsing dishes.  I still like having it for that reason and run it every day.  Don't know if I'm being overly cautious but once burned...

 

[spacedogb]

I have an ISE Evolution that I got NIB on Craigslist for $50. It’s been a great unit. Quiet and I can throw anything at it. It’s the $450 model at Lowe’s but not sure you want to spend that much.

 

[gusherb]

Endora

Whatever you put down there don't put tea leaves down there! Not even in the nice Evolution. You will need to cast one of your spells to clear that clog...

 

[mattl]

My Maytag is going on 25 years, still works fairly well.  I did replace the shredder ring once a number of years ago, not sure if they are still available, would like to find one at some point.

 

[tolivac]

If you are getting drain line clogs after using your disposer-TIME for a new one!The shredders are too worn and passing the waste without shredding it-hence the clogging.A properly operating disposer should not cause clogs no matter what food waste goes in it.Bones are actually good-they clear the "slime" from soft waste diets so the shredders don't corrode.Go ahead-feed the disposer bones-keeps the cutters clean and no slime to stink or cause corrosion.

 

[panthera]

Rex is absolutely right-

We have a three-stage disposal, so I don't worry about the stringy stuff, etc, but, yes - the ice cube trick works well and so (gasp!, the horror of it all!) so do bones.

Mainly, though - flush, flush, flush. If you're one of those people who can't stand the thought of letting the water run after the disposal is done grinding, then you simple may not use a garbage disposal. It's that simple. Back when dishwashers actually used water to clean, those 8-11 gallons were enough. Today, that trickle of 40ml just ain't gonna stop the slime buildup.

We need to return to batch mode systems. That would be the best answer.

 

[johnb300m]

Speaking of things we throw down our disposers. I'll throw down coffee grounds, tea leaves, garlic and onion husks. It all goes down (muahahahaha)
I do flush mine pretty well, though briefly, after.
And I will put chicken bones and ice down it periodically to scrub it out.
No other bones though. While I know it can handle it, I don't want to stand around while it chews up beef or pork bones, nor do I want to put it under THAT much stress.

As for stainless components....I know not all disposers have stainless flywheel brackets.
But I'm pretty sure the stainless series Evolution disposers have full stainless flywheel brackets. I could see it through the drain port at the store, under the wheel.

 

[kb0nes]

I'm with you John, all that stuff people tell me to "never" dump down there goes right down. I was told a while back that one egg shell will plug the drain, BS... Heard the same of coffee grounds etc. I don't generally grind up bones but if I had the patience I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue. I also avoid grape vines/stems as they seem to take a while to be rid of too.

If it is a continuous feed model it is vital to get one that has a removable rubber splash guard. I have an extra one and I toss them in the dishwasher every time I run it alternating from one to the other. Most disposer smells are rotting food on the bottom of the splash guard. The cheap builder models with the non-removable splash guards are a nightmare in this regard.

If I'm standing there I turn on the disposer when my dishwasher goes into drain during a wash cycle. That hot stream of detergent spraying into the grind chamber while it is running makes everything shiny in there in seconds!

 

[gusherb]

I don't blame the disposer for that tea leaf clog. Someone dumped at least a few pounds down there all at once and they bound to the grease accumulated in the drain line. They WERE shredded pretty well.

The removed section of pipe in the basement looked like this. That was with the tea leaves removed. All of that accumulation was with the habit of flushing the drain with lots of water over the years.

 

[neptunebob]

Panthera, what about when the dishwasher is connected to the disposer? That is, the dishwasher drains into the disposal and from the disposal down the drain? I would think that would help with cleaning the disposal or would the detergents be too strong?

Also, a tip for cleaning the rubber baffle if it does not remove: Take a paper towel, crinkle it up and get it all wet, then place some Dawn on it. Then take the PT and rub it, Dawn side up, on the underside of the rubber. It will make a grown man gag at first, but do it 2-3 times and it will smell much better. Do NOT put the paper towel down the disposal, put it in the trash. then run just a little bit of water, turn the disposal on, and run a little bit of Dawn to create a foam in there, I do that and my disposal smells better.

 

[panthera]

Bob,

That's a great idea for cleaning. Thanks!
I am sure the dishwasher helps, but nothing beats flushing thoroughly during and after the grinding process. It's the same principle as never using hot water on grease - it cools down too fast and stops up the pipes.
I run the water for a good minute after the grinding is done. The horrors of it all! But not a single jam, stinky or problem in years and years.

 

[sudsmaster]

Grease is the mortal enemy of drains. There are wonderful photos of "Fat Bergs" clogging the sewers of London, probably from people dumping their fish & chips fryers in the drains. Things have changed since the World Wars when housewives were encouraged to save all fats in the kitchen to donate to the war effort. I think the fat could be used in explosives. Maybe also burned as fuel in the naval steam engines of the day.

 

Best to keep an old can in the kitchen to receive any fats/oils instead of dumping down the drain. Then it can be used to make soap (if  you dare) or popped into the trash (hefty bagged) for pickup. If it's too runny, just pop it in the freezer overnight, it should stiffen up.

 

Some fats down the drain can be unavoidable, such as what accumulates on plates and bowls and even pots and pans. But gross amounts do not belong in the drain. Even if they are liquid in the kitchen, the cool temps in the sewer can solidify them.

 

And lest we Yanks get too smug about it, Baltimore has its very own huge fatberg now...