Questions about garbage disposers

[thomasortega]

Guys, I just installed a brand new garbage disposer and I have some questions:

Many years ago, I bought an InSinkErator disposer. It was the entry model I don't remember very well but it had a very weak motor and we never put hard things like chicken bones in it because we were afraid to damage it.
Here in Brail, almost nobody even knows what is a garbage disposer. Today it wasn't different.

The model I bought is InSinkErator Evolution Series Excel. According to the seller, it's the TOL insinkerator model available on market.

After lots of googling, i've found myself with even more questions.

Some websites and youtube videos say that it's ok to put small chicken bones in a disposer, but never big bones like T-bones or ribs. Others say that all kinds of bones can be put in it, except the very big bones.

What about corn husks? can I?
Let's say i broke a glass in the sink. Of course I'll try to remove most of the debris but, can small pieces or glass be disposed? I've never done that but I just saw a video where a guy disposed two long neck bottles. (I would never do that anyway)
What about soft foods like pasta or bread? My previous disposer was too small and too weak. Do the 1HP motor and the fancy grinding ring make a big difference?

ISE claims that this model can dispose many other things that cheaper models can't. they say this unit is tested with bigger bones and even hard seeds. The seller said that it can eliminate even an oyster shell sometimes. Is that really true or it's just marketing?

What can I dispose now that I couldn't dispose with my previous disposer?
With this disposer, will I finally get rid of the organic wastebasket I have in my kitchen?

The only improvements i noticed up to now (12 hours after installation) is that the sink doesn't vibrate anymore and it's really more silent than others. They say it's 60% quieter... It's really quiet but I didn't notice the 60%.. maybe 40, being generous. It has some kind of suspension system between the sink and the disposer and the disposer and the pipes.

Also, it came with a pneumatic switch. I know it makes the disposer much safer but, I didn't want to drill my cupboard because it's made of marble and I was afraid of breaking it. Is there any problem if I still using the old switch instead of the pneumatic one?

 

[arbilab]

There is muito contention about what can be put in a disposer. Some claim to accept anything. Others say nothing fibrous, not even paper.

Some have experienced clogs from rice. I have experienced clogs from potato peels.

Things I wouldn't put in a disposer, even if the salesman said it was OK:
Bones
Corn husks or cobs
Banana peels
Potato peels
Glass; even though it would shatter into very small pieces it would not readily transit the trap because unlike most food wastes glass is not the least bit buoyant.

BUT, I have never had a TOL disposer. For half of the 80s I didn't have a disposer at all, and I scarcely missed it.

 

[dustin92]

Ours clogs easily with a few pieces of lettuce.

 

[foxchapel]

The less you put down a garbage disposer, no matter which brand or quality level, the better off your sewer lines will be.

 

[tolivac]

Things to throw into the disposer---If your plumbing is clogging after the disposer tried to shred such things as potato peels and lettuce-the disposer is most likely old-cutters have eroded allowing such things to pass unshredded.chicken bones are OK-they help keep the disposer clean."Soft" disposer diets cause the shredder elements and inside the hopper to be covered with messy-possibly smelly-slime.
No paper items or glass--the disposer isn't a wastebasket,trash can or compactor.As one entry above states-shredded glass doesn't float and will clog the plumbing.The glass will erode the disposers shredders.shredded paper pulp can solidify later in your plumbing and cause a clog.And if you have a septic tank-defienate no-no.Disposers can grind many things-but can your plumbing or sewage comapny accept it--NO.Limit it to food waste.Another way to get rid of disposer slime from soft diets-is grind the stale ice cubes from your fridge.Just use plenty of water to flush the crushed ice down-or it will temporarily freeze in your plumbing.

 

[mattl]

Along with a good disposer, the cheap ones are crap, the second most significant issue is your plumbing. Too many twists and turns will cause issues as will old lines with crud built up in them.

Being that I can, I plumbed in my disposer with as few elbows as possible, some prefer the disposer to have its own trap, I didn't see the advantage nor did I have the space. I have a very good maytag tol model from many years ago. I've replaced the shredder ring a few times, but I put just about everything down it except big bones. It's rare to get a clog, only if I feed too much too fast do I have an issue.

 

[thomasortega]

Well guys, with my previous disposer i never had a clog AFTER it. it means that my pipes are ok, right?

The only time I remember I shredded glass was maybe more than a decade ago, when I broke a glass in the sink and one of the pieces (not big) fell in the disposer. I just thought "well, it's so small that won't do anything" and that's what happened.

Potato peels tended to clog my previous disposer. Not exactly a clog... I just had to let it running and wait for a few seconds. sooner or later, the water continued flowing.

I hadn't tried it yet with a significant amount of waste. only the scraps of two dishes (if put together, it wouldn't fill a cup) and a slice of dry bread. Vanished in less than 3 seconds.

To clean my previous disposer, i used to turn it on without opening the tap and put some ice cubes and a dishwasher tablet and then feed it with more ice cubes until it clogs, turn off. then wait a few minutes and run it again with water to melt the ice. After done, turn off the disposer, put the drain plug, fill the sink with water, turn the disposer on and pull the plug to rinse away any residues. Is it ok?

Also, every time I make pasta, i use the disposer's sink to drain the boiling water. (with the disposer off).

Also, the contractor said that my pipes are very well cared. It's normal to find some buildup in the pipes but after checking, the only thing found is that the pipes (which are white) are black inside. Both sinks drain fast. maybe one of the reasons is that the pipe is 40mm from the drain/disposer up to the wall, then continues 48mm diagonally for about 1 meter until reach the building's master pipe in the wall next to the stove, which is a huge 250mm pipe. This master pipe is only for the kitchens and go straight from the 17th floor to the -2 floor where is one of the parking lots. The engineer that designed my building said that every 10 meters there are two curves (two L joints put together) only to create a brief obstacle to reduce the impact of a free fall. also, the master pipe was built like a pyramid. the higher floors are 100mm and goes getting wider after every 5 floors. what reach the underground are three 250mm pipes. We never experienced a single clog in my building and it was built in 1997.

 

[thomasortega]

Thanks to all!

 

[laundromat]

awr

Working in restaurants and appliance stores,I always put all the garbage down the shoot.Bones of all kinds, cores from fruits and vegetables, and whatever was on the dirty items going through the dishwashers.  I would always show my appliance customers the closed hole whre they needed to punch out to connect the dishwasher drain hose. I would also show that to my dishwasher customers. That was because I had an early insodent where a customer replaced both units and brought back 3 of the same model dishwashers claiming they weren't draining the water. We finally sent a tech and she saw the customer just connected the drain hose without opening up the connection to the disposer.

 

All disposers from1/2 HP to2HP should be able to easily grind up any bones from pork to beef. I just purchased a 1HP Insinkerator and installed it for a friend here and we had spare ribs that night. I put them in 2 at a time and it ate them as though they were candy. The best thing I can't seam to emphisize enough is you have to let a disposer run!7

 

!! Don't just turn ig on a few seconds. The fats and bones as well as the ground up foods must openly flow completely oug of the drain. If not, thy harden and cause serious backup. The way I do it is turn it on, drop s

down the 

 

[laundromat]

food pieces to be trashed and let it stay on at least three minutes after the food is gone. Then, I pour a few drops of Dawn down after switching to hot water to keep any grease or fat to harden and cause backup. Customrs who came in saying theirs was blocked would be sent home to pour boiling hot water and Dawn down to clear the clog and would become permanent fixtures at my store.

 

[volsboy1]

I throw everything down my disposers because that is what it says it can grind this is from my 1971 Waste king SS 8000.

The Waste King disposers that are out today can't hold a candle to the old ones very few disposer's can.It tells you paper,plastic forks,any and all bones, cigarette butts,corn husks,anything that can go down the hole it can grind.I have about 30 or so disposers

from the 50s and up.They don't make things like they used to that is for sure.My sink will clog if I use a cheap disposer like a

Badger or Kenmore but, I have never had a clog with my Old 1972 Maytag or Wastekings ever.Wasteking priced themselves out

of the market.My 1971 Wasteking SS8000 had a priced tag on its box 299.00 bucks in 1971 dollars its a huge machine like my old Maytags.I have a I.S.E. Excel its a great machine and I have never had mine clog up or jam right now I am using a 1972 I.S.E. 77

and I love it it is fast as hell and nothing stops it.Here is a pic of my 1986 Waste king SS5000 grind chamber I love how it has blades in it...

 

[tolivac]

1986 WK-from the hopper shot--beautiful unit-SS flywheel and hammers-cast shredder ring.And a rind flipper in the middle of the rotating shredder wheel.From what you throw down your disposer-can't do that at my place-have to "baby" the crappy plumbing and septic tank.Only food waste for mine-rest goes in the trash.After all-gotta save some for "Baker" the garbage compactor at the dump!

 

[foxchapel]

Customrs who came in saying theirs was blocked would be sen

I haven't heard to use Dawn, but was told that Borax/20-Mule Team Borax would cut a lot of the greasy build-up. Once a month, if I remember, I fill the sink with HOT water and borax, then let it drain thru the disposer. The plumber cleared stuff that looked like Crisco out of our main sewer line, and told me HOT water was important, and lots of it.

 

[launderess]

Disposers & Plumbing

For years NYC code forbade installation of garbarge disposers in multi-family apartment buildings out of concern over plumbing problems. Given the average age of housing stock here that was no small concern. The other worry was the sewer and sewage treatment systems that would have to cope with all that "enriched" waste water.

However a few years ago out of concerns over reducing the amount of garbage placed on streets, rodents and other reasons the total ban was lifted but think it only applies to new construction. The kicker is NYC code makes it mandatory that a licensed plumber install the the things. Given that groups hourly rates it is enough to make some think twice.

 

[volsboy1]

How would they know if you put one in yourself?It's like when Raleigh tried to ban disposers lol,I would just go over to the

next county, not that I would ever run out of them anyways LOL.. Here is a pic of a crap disposer this is a new Whirlpool/Badger 

 disposer you can see how big the hole are in that cheap shredder.If I used something like that my sink would be clogged the

first time I used it but there is not much difference between this one and a Kenmore Elite 1H.P. save for the bigger impellers

You still have that terrible grind ring in it.

 

[launderess]

How would they know if you put one in yourself?

If it was a private home unless there was some sort of major sewage backup traced to one's townhouse/brownstone then it's not likely the City would know.

OTOH if one lived in a multi-family apartment,co-op or condo buildng then that is a different story. Most all NYC leases forbid tenants from making alterations to the landlord's property which includes plumbing. It might be possible to smuggle in a disposer and have the work done on the sly, but if other residents start complaining of plumbing problems and it is traced back to your unit, the jig is up and one could be liable. Condo and Co-ops the same thing though there one is required to submitt paperwork and have approval before contracting work is done. Without same again one could be in huge trouble should something happen.

 

[arbilab]

Grind ring? The cheap Insinkerators--which makes many rebadges--don't even have one to speak of. There are no sharp edges even when they're brand new. I've had 3 of them (2 rented, one purchased) and they were all crap as far as grinding. The loudest possible growly induction motor and zero noise isolation.

The best disposers I had were old GEs with the universal motor. Whined like a vacuum cleaner but not as noisy as a growler. They actually had sharp parts of stainless steel. Of course, you can't buy those any more.

 

[tolivac]

If I had to live in NYC-would just use the old container on the Vita-Mix-works well!

 

[volsboy1]

Oh, your talking about one of these G.E. 8000 R.P.M. disposer's.They don't even have a grind ring on them disposer's..

They have a grinding pad which is just a sharp spike on the side.They did not need a grind ring on them the speed of them

would eat anything and very fast.I have a 3/4 H.P. one of those you can still get them on ebay you just have to keep a eye out

I see them about once a month.Here is a pic of them...These are not mine but a good friend Jeff, disposers..That is a strainer

that you see it did not grind.I took mine out one time and flipped it over and sharpened it and it did nothing but stop up..LOL