You are refurbishing an old house for moving in and looking for a replacement of anything that may make your life easier – check for the garbage disposal system installed under the kitchen sink. It is always better to get a new waste disposal unit during a refurbishment. Look for a garburator or garbage disposer online that uses power to run for faster and improved food scarp removal.
You cannot go for DIY option when you are installing the garbage disposer as, it requires proper plumbing and electrical works. Check with the professional to get a smooth-running garburator installed under the kitchen sink.
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What is a rubbish disposal?
A garbage disposal system is a set of mechanisms under the kitchen sink to get rid of household food waste. These are small grinders that resemble a small cylinder for collecting kitchen waste, grinding it, and disposing of it. When cutting, chopping, and cooking in the kitchen, getting food scarps as waste is customary. A garbage disposal installed under a sink connects to a grinding and disposal system to clean the entire system. One part of the system connects to the kitchen sink, and the other goes into the primary sewer system.
The garbage disposals require electricity to run. There are different power requirements from 1/3 HP to 1 HP. It always depends on the size of the house and the disposal capacity. You can get a bigger one if you use the kitchen more often for bulk cooking. However, for a commercial kitchen, the capacity is quite different. The massive garbage disposals may vary from 5HP to 10HP. It depends on the power capacity of the motor to dispose of the waste. You may consume 5 to 11 amps of electricity for a standard 120-volt supply of power.
How to install the garbage disposal under the kitchen sink?
The disposal requires proper technical know-how, and therefore, it is always better to hire a professional. A complete mechanical system goes underneath the kitchen sink with plumbing and an electric system. You require a mounting assembly to fix the entire grinder.
There are different disposal mechanisms brands and types – 30 bolt and EZ mount. Both the assemblies require a sink flange and twist-lock tool to collect the scape under the kitchen sink. A standard kitchen waste disposer works on a shredding ring mechanism and does not contain sharp blades. You may imagine blades inside the system that resemble a blender, but it is not like that. There are impellers and shredder rings to break the waste and kick it out from the pipes. The shredded rings have sharp projections that spin extremely fast with the support of the impellers and cut the waste. The entire assembly is permeable so, it pushes the food waste out through the pipes in the main sewer.
How to effectively use the garbage disposal under your kitchen sink?
Use plenty of COLD WATER that runs down the system for better disposal functioning. Start by running the cold tap on before you initiate the garbage dispenser. Avoid hot water as the food scraps are oily and greasy, so the hot water will only create solidification of this grease that clogs in the pipes. It breaks down the waste and runs down the drain without clogging when you run cold water. Running cold water BEFORE is particularly important. You don’t want the garburator to jam and the piper to block due to severe dryness when the food scarps are large chunks.
Always start the garbage disposer, then begin adding the food waste and never the other way round. It also depends on the type of disposer you have under the sink. The first variety is the batch feed which comes with a magnetic cover on the top. The top magnetic acts as a switch to start the system so, when you fill the disposal with food scraps entirely then turn it on, it starts grinding in batches. In this system, you cannot add more waste while the system is on.
The other system is continuous feed garbage which turns on flipping a switch. There is no cover on the mouth of the dispenser, making it open to continue feeding scarps. It does not affect the system if you run the cold water and do not stuff the waste into the assemblies, which leads to clogging.
Never instantly stop the disposal system after feeding it; let the device run with cold water going down. This way, you can ensure the proper functioning of the garburator with no debris left inside and in the pipes that emits a foul odor.
Tips and tricks keep the disposer clean and smell free for long
A good brand and professionally installed garbage disposal system can serve you for around 15 years. It would be best to take proper care and clean to ensure a more comprehensive and odor-free system. These are simple machines that require extremely low maintenance. Here are a few tips for better waste management:
- Always add disposal-friendly waste into the system. A simple rule says that any food item that the garburator cannot break will eventually break the assembly so, AVOID it. Things like large fruit seeds, animal bones, chunks of bread, nuts and coffee ground, onion peel, and eggshells are total NO-NO.
- Never use harsh chemicals to get rid of the jamming and clogging of the system. The chemicals corrode the parts of the assembly and make the pipes porous. You will experience this when you find leaks in the system that ultimately require replacing the entire garbage mechanism.
- Regular cleaning of the system using homemade washing liquid and tools is ideal for maintaining an excellent working kitchen waste disposer.
The garbage disposer under the kitchen sink is a great solution to maintain fewer waste bags in any home. You can use the food scarps to prepare compost also but, if you dump it in the trash, it only emits a horrible smell that fills the house. You can enjoy a clean kitchen counter, making it easier to live with kids around. Since it is a one-time installation, you order it – fix it and forget it.