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Your garbage disposal is the workhorse of your kitchen sink, grinding food particles down to make them easier to flush through your plumbing. However, they are not meant to be a blender that liquefies everything you put down the drain. To ensure your garbage disposal doesn’t get overloaded, there are a few maintenance tips to follow that will extend the life of your disposal and keep plumbing problems at bay.

• Clean your disposal. Food can get trapped in your garbage disposal and leave a foul odor after a few days. Clean your disposal weekly by either grinding up a cup of rock salt and ice cubes, or just use ice cubes made from vinegar. Chopped up lemons with warm water can also remove odors.
• Keep these items out of the disposal. Fiber-heavy fruits and vegetable like banana peels, celery, potato skins and corn husks should not go down the disposal. Also keep other tough items like egg shells and coffee grounds out of the disposal, along with fats, to avoid clogged pipes.
• Be careful when trying to unclog your disposal. If your disposal become entwined with fibers or clogged, turn the unit off and use pliers or tongs to dislodge items. Never use your fingers or try to unclog the unit with drain cleaner.

Keep in mind that the garbage disposal does not stop food from clogging drains, it only curtails it. Fats can congeal both in the disposal and in your pipes, causing major drain blockages. Also, even food that goes through the disposal can become lodged in your pipes. When you have a garbage disposal or kitchen drain that is clogged beyond your ability, call a professional plumber for assistance.

Posted on behalf of:
Bynum & Sons Plumbing, Inc.
2120 McDaniels Bridge Rd SW
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 736-8283

Using a garbage disposal seems pretty straight forward; put food down the drain, turn on the grinder and presto, everything goes down the drain. But is that really all there is to it? Not if you want to keep your plumbing free of clogs and extend the life of your garbage disposal. There are correct ways to use a garbage disposal that will protect your plumbing and help maintain your disposal. Here are a few tips:

• Keep fibrous items out of the disposal. Most vegetable and fruit peelings should be thrown away or put into your compost, not put down the drain. Not only are they tough on your garbage disposal, they don’t breakdown and can cause large clogs in your plumbing.
• Coffee grounds shouldn’t be put down the drain. Even though coffee is already ‘ground’ it is still a hard bean that can get stuck in the gears of your disposal and cling to fat in your pipes. Don’t dump coffee grounds in your kitchen sink!
• Keep your disposal clean. If your garbage disposal gets food trapped in the blades, the rotting smell can stink up your whole kitchen. Carefully wipe the blades clean with a cloth, obviously with the disposal completely off. Chopping up a few small ice cubes can also help remove food particles.

Just because it is called a ‘garbage’ disposal, doesn’t really mean garbage should be put down your drain. This device is just meant for pulverizing soft food into smaller pieces to ensure it can go down the drain without clogging your plumbing. Keep all items like egg shells, nuts, bones and other hard materials out of your disposal to reduce wear and clogs in your plumbing.

Is your garbage disposal not working right or making a strange sound? Call your local plumber to have them inspect your device and see if it is time for a new disposal.

Posted on behalf of:
Seagraves Plumbing Sewer & Septic
4980 Plant Atkinson Rd SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(494) 792-2221