Trash compactor owners...

[askolover]

Just curious how many compactor owners we have on here, what brand you have, and are you happy with it? I've had a Kenmore (WP built) one for the past 16 years that has been great and is still great. I just wanted a black one now and found a barely used Kitchenaid model on CL for $50 so I couldn't resist it...picked it up yesterday morning on my way from work and just finished swapping them out. Works great too.

I've seen Broan models online that have larger motors and refrigerator-type door seals on them, but are they really any better? Mine pack very well. I'm just curious about how the other models perform.

 

[gansky1]

I have a Hobart KitchenAid from the mid 80's that Steve Bisso and I found at a thrift store here. It was a free-standing model and never used. Still had the books and sample of bags in it. I use it for recycling cans, plastic, etc. in the garage. It's great when you have a lot of cans and it's always a hit at parties and with the nieces and nephews who love to hear the crushing sounds.

 

[yogitunes]

I have a 1988 Kenmore......freestanding/undercounter model.....I use it for regular trash as always, with exception to items that get recycled....

mine has an extra pack cycle/button......it leaves the rammer in the down position to really pack down the load....allows about 25% more to be added

the knob is also a safety key that can be removed for child safety.....

has an air freshener that squirts into the bag every time it is opened....

my panels can be changed, there are 4 color choices underneath...

you can use plastic or paper compacting bags, the paper ones are preferred...

 

[chachp]

I have a Kitchen Aid

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Mine is probably a mid-90s model.  I use it for all or recyclables.  Mine also has the function to pack down and hold for a while and I use that all the time.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I use the plastic bags in mine.  Never tried the paper ones but I guess they would work OK for me given we never put anything wet in it. </span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Can't imagine life without it.  We seem to go through so much that is recyclable so this makes it more manageable.  We get about two weeks out of one bag.</span>

 

[neptuneguy27]

Mid 90's Whirlpool

I have one from the mid-90's. It gets used for all waste with the exception of food waste and cardboard; food stuff goes down the In-Sink-Erator and cardboard gets recycled. After having these two appliances for so long, I honestly cannot imagine not having a compactor or disposal in the kitchen.

 

[jakeseacrest]

I have a Kenmore from 2003. All food waste goes down the disposal and I rinse any food related containers so odor is a non issue. My town just started mandatory recycling so I can go almost 3 weeks without changing the bag. I use the Extra Pak button frequently also. If my compactor dies I will replace it.

Best investment I ever made

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have owned three different ones

Screw drives
1 was a GE from the 70s, very reliable, no problems we left it behind when we sold a house. Poor decision leaving it they don't make them like that anymore.

2. Whirlpool. Did not compact like the GE did, but did a good job. At three years of age the screw snapped on the right side and went through the side of the cabinet.

3. Broan: This is a Scissor drive, very powerful almost twice that of the Whirlpool 5,000 lbs. 12:1 compaction vs 8:1. Very unreliable electronics. Lower limit switch failed (still under warranty) stripped out the drive mechanism. A year later the upper limit switch failed and the drive mechanism ran off the tract and then entire thing dropped into the ben. It is still sitting there unused.

I miss the T/C but won't put out the money again for the limited reliability.

 

[yogitunes]

that's a big factor right now is price.....they have gone up big time compared to when I got mine...

if the chance hits, grab one, even for a spare.....

this one is nice, give or take, 100.00 isn't that bad for one in decent condition...

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/app/5225693900.html

 

[yogitunes]

never seen one with a touch pad design.....

http://lancaster.craigslist.org/app/5205789902.html

 

[Marky_Mark]

It's really got me thinking by reading this because I used to be cabin crew and all our long haul aircraft had trash compactors.  They were fantastic and we would have been lost without them.  We would have run out of space in no time.

 

Having said that, I've never had one at home.  In fact I've never seen one and I don't know anyone who's got one.  A food waste disposer is a MUST for me.  Plus disposals are pretty inexpensive, small, easy to install, easily purchased online and in stores, fantastic!  I'd be lost without it!  And as well as the likes of Insinkerator and Waste King, there is also an independent British company who have been making disposal units in the UK for 50 years and they buy over 90% of their raw materials from British businesses.  Unfortunately that makes them much more expensive than ISE.  However compactors are soooo expensive here in Europe by brands like Broan and Kitchenaid.

 

You don't have to empty them as often, which helps.  But what about keeping them clean?  What exactly do you find advantageous in a domestic setting?  Is it because you live somewhere where the outdoor bin is not easily accessible or too small for your needs?  Outdoor bins on an aircraft are obviously a non-starter!

 

[kb0nes]

Just looked on the local Minneapolis craigslist.

A guy is listing a "like new" used Kenmore for a mere $518! Seems like an odd asking price, wonder if that was the original retail?

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/app/5239461911.html

 

[iheartmaytag]

The black Whirlpool with the touch pads is the model that I had when the drive screw broke and went through the side of the cabinet.

I don't think it is a flaw in the machine, I just think they don't build them like they use to .

Example: the GE bought in 1974 weighted easily 200lbs. It took two people and a dolly to move the thing.

The whirlpool and the Broan I moved by myself very light weight. Just not as hefty as the older machines as he have discovered across the appliance lines.

And Yes, the cost has like tripled for compactors in the last five years or so.
[this post was last edited: 9/28/2015-13:56]

 

[tolivac]

Since home compactors are now so expensive-just let the trash truck and the compactor at the dump do the trash packing.These have hydraulic packing systems-far better and more powerful than screw or jack systems in home units-the mechanical mechanisms are less expensive than hydraulic.You can get small hydraulic compactors but they cost a few thousand each-marketed to restaurants and ships.I take a load of waste to the dump near me each week.There is commercial truck pickup out here-its expensive-about $350-400 per year.In town the trash pickup is included on your yearly home tax.They now use New Way auto sideloaders on Peterbuilt chassis.Beautiful trucks!Out my way one trash company uses an Ez-Pak RL on an International chassis-another pretty truck-and Davids Trash keeps it clean.Sometimes the driver does a pack cycle for me!Love the popping of bags and crunch of cans and bottles.Another company uses a new Wayne Curbtender RL,and another has a Pak-Mor RL on and older International chassis.The Pak-Mor packed an exercise ball one morning--the BOOM was something to behold!!!The dump has a stationary Baker hydraulic compactor-15Hp motor.Does a good job.The body is taken by Roll-Off trucks and they haul the body and empty it at the landfill.Another Roll-Off brings an empty container.

 

[askolover]

A pic of my Kitchenaid

Here's my "new" KA unit...it has the extra pac feature and also a fan with charcoal filter. I opened it up for a look inside and it truly is barely used. We don't put any wet or smelly trash in it either...wet stuff like tea bags, meat wrappers, cat food cans, etc all goes out to the curb...but we have so much paper trash the waste baskets can't keep up...16 years ago I got tired of having so much paper trash I went and got the white Kenmore(WP) at Sears...it was new, but needed some kind of repair and was fixed and offered for sale at lower price AND it was a floor model. It also had the air freshener dispenser when you close the bin, I think I filled it once or twice. It still works, just wanted black and for $50 couldn't resist. I could have changed the KM over to black, but the plastic control panel is NLA and I haven't seen one on ebay. By the time I found one, and a black pedal and rubber toekick it would have cost more than $50. I May keep the KM for spare. They are unbelievably heavy! We used to use the plastic genuine WP bags...then I tried some of the brown paper ones from Walmart and we like them better. They are lined with plastic too, but they seem to hold up better and are much cheaper than the WP bags are. One bag will last about a month! God forbid a piece of paper accidentally gets thrown away...it's hard separating all that compacted paper and cardboard! We crush our aluminum cans manually outside and recycle them. Also have a 3/4hp Kenmore(Insinkerator) disposal.  I'm so glad we didn't get bitten by the stainless steel bug!

[this post was last edited: 9/29/2015-01:30]

 

[twintubdexter]

The house came with Jennair built-ins and a compactor was one of them. Why anyone would want a compactor in this neighborhood is beyond me. All three trash receptacles, garbage, recyclables and yard waste are huge. The compactor would easily fit in one with plenty of room to spare.  I removed the compactor and slid in a nifty little U- Line wine fridge and put the compactor in the garage. I toss aluminum cans in there. The recycling place in the parking lot where I grocery shop usually has a few destitute-looking people in line with a bag of plastic or glass bottles. When you hand them this heavy bag of compacted aluminum they are very grateful. 

 

[volsboy1]

I have a 1979 Kitchenaid by Hobart.. I know it has around 3000 pounds of crush force. It runs perfect love the door at the top to toss something in..

The only thing I don't love about my Kitchenaid is how heavy it is...Damn I can't move it at all ..

I do love old Broan's with the 5000 crush force but Broan wanted folks to buy more bags so they screwed it up and made it less powerful...