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Garbage Disposer Use

Last Updated on Saturday, 15 May 2010 09:04 Friday, 14 May 2010 21:27

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Articles - Plumbing Fixtures and Appliances

Garbage_Disposer_P-TrapLike any sink drain, your disposer will have a P-trap that can get clogged if too much food is put into it without plenty of water available to flush the system. It is far easier to prevent a clogged disposer drain by following some simple practices.

When running your disposer, always turn on the cold water before adding food. Then add the waste food slowly, especially if you are disposing of coffee grounds or eggshells. Never pack large quantities of food in the grind chamber or you could clog the drain. Also, never add foods that contain fibers, such as celery sticks, corn husks, or artichoke hearts. After you have completed grinding, let the cold water run for about ten seconds. The water flushes the food particles through the discharge outlet and keeps the grinding chamber clean.

Garbage disposers can process many types of food and materials as long as the disposer is of the correct capacity and power. A 1/2 horse power disposer with the cold water turned on fully can process coffee grounds and eggshells without clogging the drain. Smaller systems require smaller pieces and need more time and water to flush the food down the drain.

To help minimize a drain clog when using a disposer, always insert garbage loosely. Packing too much at once can jam the disposal. Use a strong flow of cold water and keep the disposer running at least 30 seconds after noise of grinding has stopped so the all food particles are flushed through the drain line. You should always use cold water when operating the disposer to solidify fatty and greasy waste so they will be chopped up and flushed down the drain. Cold water helps prevent grease from sticking to the pipe. It's safe to run hot water from the sink through the garbage disposer, however use cold water when you are operating the disposer.

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