Keep Your Garbage Disposal Functioning With These Key Tips

How to Keep Your Garbage Disposal Working Well Over the Holidays

While holiday traditions are different for every household, there is typically one common denominator: lots of cooking and baking! This can be exciting as households entertain and host large dinners or gatherings, but it can also put homes at risk of clogs and garbage disposal problems.

With more cooking and food scraps, there is an increased risk of putting the wrong items down the disposal and creating a blockage or issue. This post gives tips on how households can avoid clogs and keep their disposal working correctly.

Food You Should Never Put Down Your Garbage Disposal

Putting the wrong type of food down the garbage disposal can lead to clogs, blockages, and problems for the garbage disposal. Fortunately, that can be easily prevented by not putting certain foods down the garbage disposal, including items like:

• Never put grease or cooking oils down the disposal. These can solidify and form clogs. Instead, these should be disposed of in the trash.
• Avoid putting stringy vegetables like celery or asparagus. Strands of these can get caught around the blades.
• Don’t put starchy food like pasta or rice down the disposal. If these absorb water, they can expand.
• Never put hard food items like bones or peach pits down the disposal, as these can wreck the blades.
• Avoid putting eggshells or coffee grounds down the disposal as these can get stuck in the system.

Why You Should Run Cold Water When Using Garbage Disposal

When using the garbage disposal, plumbers suggest running cold water during and after. Doing this will help keep food moving through the drain and prevent it from clogging the garbage disposal. It will also help the blades grind down the food, help clean garbage disposals, and even prevent foul odors from the drain. Running cool water will also help cool the motor and prevent overheating.

In addition to running cold water, plumbers also suggest not putting too much of any type of food down the disposal at once to prevent clogs and problems with the disposal. Homeowners can also put ice cubes down the disposal to keep the blades sharp and dislodge food scraps to avoid clogs.

Garbage Disposal Problems? Call a Plumber

When garbage disposals malfunction, hiring a professional to perform repair or replacement is essential. It can be tempting for homeowners to watch a DIY video and try to do the work themselves, but this can be risky. A trained expert can quickly and accurately make the garbage disposal repair, ensuring the work is done safely.

Some signs of garbage disposal problems indicating a plumber should be called include things such as bad smells from the disposal, strange noises like humming or leaking, if the disposal has trouble grinding down food or doesn’t turn on, and the garbage disposal reset button has to be used too often.

About Andy Frattin Plumbing

Andy Frattin Plumbing is a family-owned company that has been serving Ormond Beach, FL, and the surrounding areas since 2000. They provide flat rate prices, on-time service, and the latest technology. Call them today for kitchen plumbing and garbage disposal services in Ormond Beach, FL.

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