Garbage disposals are convenient appliances that can make kitchen life easier. But, if not taken care of or operated properly, can cause blocking, clogging, and other costly plumbing headaches. Before you have to give Lapin Services a call for those plumbing problems, here are some plumbing tips on your garbage disposal.
Do’s
- Keep your garbage disposal clean. Try pouring a little bit of dish soap down your drain while running cold water after washing dishes.
- Cut large items into smaller pieces and insert them one at a time. Doing so requires less effort from the garbage disposal to do its job.
- Run your garbage disposal regularly. Doing so helps to prevent it from rusting and corrosion. It also helps prevent obstructions from accumulating.
- After using the garbage disposal, let cold water run for at least 15 more seconds to help wash down any remaining scraps.
- Try grinding orange or lemon peels to help freshen up drain smells.
Don’ts
Quick Plumbing Tip: Don’t put anything down the kitchen sink that isn’t biodegradable food. Non-food items can damage the blade and motor. So if you’re unsure on what can or can’t go into the disposal, just throw it out!
- Don’t grind objects such as glass, metal, or even paper.
- Combustible items are a huge no-no. Keep them far away from the disposal.
- Other non-food items such as cigarette butts must also stay out of the disposal.
- Keep grease, oils and fats out of the garbage disposal. This can slow your disposal’s grinding ability as well as clog your drains.
- Don’t use hot water when grinding foods. Hot water can cause grease to liquefy and accumulate, causing clogs.
- Don’t grind fibrous materials such as corn husks, artichokes, or celery stalks. These materials can get tangled, jam the motor and cause clogs.
- Don’t grind animal bones.
- Stay away from using harsh chemicals such as bleach or drain cleaners. They can damage the blades. Try using natural biological drain treatments. Ask about our PipeWorx and SepticWorx packages.
- Don’t put large amounts of food down the garbage disposal all at once. Break them up into smaller amounts while running cold water.
A lot of times when a garbage disposal breaks down, the causes were completely preventable. Now that you have these simple plumbing tips, you can rest assured that you will have a longer lasting, productive garbage disposal. Keep your kitchen life as stress free as possible but give Lapin Services a call if you need any help. We provide full service residential and commercial plumbing in Central Florida.
Lapin Services, LLC
3031 40th Street
Orlando, FL 32839
407-841-8200
