1. Noise
Noise is a significant factor when dealing with a garbage disposal. Now, there are different types of noise that make disposals troublesome to deal with. First of all, if you buy cheap garbage disposal, you will most likely hear a lot of noise from your machine; some might even be on the level that you will not even be able to talk inside your kitchen while the disposal is in operation. However, this is because the disposal does not have a sound isolation system.
The garbage Disposal noise problem can easily be fixed if you research enough about disposals to buy one with sound isolation systems, even though they might be more expensive. However, there is a different kind of sound that is worrying. If you hear a weird noise coming from your disposal even, it has a sound isolation system, and then there is a high chance that something metallic or hard stuck inside the grinding chamber is causing it. Or, if your disposal is making noise, but the product does not turn on, you have a problem with your motor, and your disposal needs to change.
2. Jamming
Jamming is another troublesome problem that occurs with garbage disposals. Again, most garbage disposals that do not have a powerful motor jams quite often. This makes all the cheap garbage disposals in the market prone to jamming.
Jamming occurs when the motor is not powerful enough to handle something inside your grind chamber, examples are chicken bones, celery, and coffee grounds. If you open up your disposal, garbage disposal jammed can easily be fixed with an Allen wrench, and remove whatever is causing the jam.
3. Clogs
While jamming is a mechanical issue, garbage disposal clogs occur when your disposal is not maintained enough. If you do not maintain your disposal enough, then with time, your drain will stack up enough dirt to cause a clog.
Clogging has no connection to how powerful your motor is; in fact, even a 1 HP motor garbage disposal will clog if not well-maintained.
Instructions And Suggestions From Designers
The most important thing to note when using a garbage disposal is constantly working with cold water; this concept makes the devices. Water helps the disposal by lubricating the grind chamber and impellers to a point where it is easy to grind the food wastes so that it is easy to push the wastes through the drain pipe.
To run garbage disposal smoothly and without trouble, make sure to use a generous amount of water before turning on the garbage disposal and slowly put in food wastes. After using the garbage disposal, make sure to turn off the disposal and run cold water to flush out the drainpipe to avoid clogging in the future.
Also, there are a few things that you should not do when using garbage disposal –
- Do not grind bones, coffee grounds, celery, or any problematic wastes.
- Do not grind large amounts of fibrous materials or eggshells.
- Do not pour grease or any oil substances inside the disposal.
- Do not use hot water mid-session. However, you can use it between sessions.
- Do not turn off the machine until only you hear the sound of water and the motor running.
Related: 18 Best Garbage Disposal of 2021
Maintenance Instructions
As said before, it is essential to use cold water to flush out wastes down the drain each time you use the disposal. However, it is very natural that food may gather in the grinding chamber and cause odor.
To clean this type of wastes, you can use bleach/baking soda with water (You can also use other cleaning products specified in your disposal manual). To clean your disposal, follow these steps:
- Use the stopper and fill up your sink until it is half-filled with warm water.
- Mix 1/3 or ¼ cup of baking soda with the water. (Bleach will cause a foul odor itself here)
- Turn on your disposal and remove the stopper to flush the water in.
These steps will make sure that you have a clean garbage disposal years after years of use. Also, if you have something stuck inside the disposal that stops your impellers from working, use an Allen wrench or short broomstick to remove them from the grinding chamber.