This may sound like a crazy question, my garbage disposal hasn't been working properly for a few months now. The first time it broke the gentleman who came to fix it said that it was "clogged" from the spag. sauce I put down it. I found that hard to believe, but said fine. It recently broke again and his explaination was that the cooked rice, about 1 cup, I put down it clogged it.....rice has too much starch in it to put down the garbage disposal according to him. Not being able to put rice down a garbage disposal seems inaccurate to me. Is this guy legit? If it's broke i'd rather just have it replaced then continue to pay to have it fixed.
Hi, If you meant garburator, cooked rice won't break it. Either it is too old(had it's days) with worn out blades, or do you by any chance pour hot water when using it? Hot water is no, no.
"Hasn't been working properly" won't give folks here much of a clue as to what you're trying to describe Mam.
I'll take a WAG that you're trying to tell us that your disposal "runs" but the sink gets plugged up.
If that's it, then it sounds like more of a drain problem than a machine problem, you'd likely be better off using a plumber for that sort of problem.
OTOH, if by "broke" you mean that your disposal stops running and it takes unjamming by using an allen wrench from the bottom or a pry bay from the top, plus resetting the overload breaker, then maybe you ARE just loading it up too much.
Garbage disposals are intended to be used to grind up small bits of food coming off dishes you've already dumped big chunnks off into the kitchen trash can. They are not supposed to be used as a substitute for that trash can. Putting too much stuff down them all at once isn't smart.
Tell us more specifically what the problem is and we'll be able to give you more direct answers. (Telling us its make and model number wouldn't hurt either.)
Garbage disposals either work or they don't. They don't have many moving parts. The whole thing is terribly simple. If your guy came out and said you had an obstruction, it was from not grinding the food up. That means old worn out blades. No way to just change those.
I would bite the bullet and have him install a midrange disposal. Go to Home Depot and buy it yourself. Buy the middle model. Not the cheapo, and not the five thousand dollar one.
Let me know what it costs to have one changed. It took me less than an hour to do mine. I'm just curious. What did it cost for him to come out and tell you it wasn't working properly?
Steve B gave you the best advice...if the blades are dull they clog....Not sure where you live but those things are cheap and easy to replace.....good luck, Ross
You may have a couple of problems. Over time, they will not be as efficient as new. Parts wear. Sometimes fine material like coffee grounds or rice will pass easily, so easily they can cause a clog. Mixed with other items like small bones and leafy veggie peels, it would probably pass easily.
It is also important to run enough water to flush everything properly. Couple low flow, worn parts, fine material, a clog can happen.
I've never heard of sauce clogging one though. I think he may be BSing on that.
Would you please tell that to my wife? She seems to think that it works like a trash can. You just keep putting stuff in there, and when it is full, you turn it on and dump it.
I can usually tell when it is full by the skanky smell.
I think I am going to take her and have her nose checked.
I wouldn' th have *him* do it. He thinks rice and spaghetti sauce clog these things. Admittedly I only use mine about once a year (and that's only when things get in there that keep the water from going down.), but I don't think those things clog them.
I have very limited experience here, but do all brands mount in the mounting brackets of all others? Do all brands replace a previous installation as well as Insinkerator does? If the answer to the first question is No, maybe she should buy another copy of her current brand/model.
OP, insinkerator is the only brand I know. On that one, after the drain and wires are disconnected, you only have to twist the thing ccw and it comes off the sink. The new one just twists back on if it has the same style of mount. Like a bayonet mount on an expensive camera with interchangeable lenses.
Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.
If the disposal runs, but the water won't drain, it's most likely a partially clogged drain line that is the problem. It would help if we knew what the clown did to get it working again. But, if he found say the trap was full of material, and it's recurring, then it sounds like you need the drain line snaked for it's entire length.
And I'd get rid of anyone who thinks a disposal can be clogged with sauce or rice. If the drain is clear, it's a proper installation, and you run plenty of water while running the disposal, that is not normal. If it can't handle that, the disposal is as useless as your repair guy!
Steve, I have to admit my wife is the same. No matter how many times I tell her not to do that, she fills the disposer, turns it on, and runs a little water.
However, a new disposer is cheaper than divorce.
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote
Would you please tell that to my wife? She seems to think that it works like a trash can. You just keep putting stuff in there, and when it is full, you turn it on and dump it.
I can usually tell when it is full by the skanky smell.
I think I am going to take her and have her nose checked.
Ok, when I said it "wasn't working properly", it sounds like the blades are still running but the sink backs up. My disposal is a 2 part sink, so there's a regular sink and a smaller sink beside it where the disposal is. Both get backed up with water when it "breaks".
Sounds like a drainage problem, yes. I called Roto Rooter the last time it happened and they snaked the pipes. $250 later I thought this wouldn't happen again, but 2 months later....bam.
If I bought a new disposal....which is better, the ones that have 2 seperate sinks or the all in one sink??
I'm not sure what problems you folks are having. I put gobs of food debris down mine, and I've never had a problem. If I had a dozen refrigerated hamburgers to get rid of, for example, all 12 would go down the disposer, and there'd be no problems. None at all.
I always run the water when I'm using it, but I'm not shy about what I cram down there. I've done that for years without a problem.
Mine works great too but I remember having an old one years ago with dull blades that would push large pieces of debris down the drain and clog it as opposed to chopping it up and going down smoothly........
We have had several disposals. The first came with the house and was a National unit. When it burned out I replaced it with a comparable
1/3 or 1/2 hp Insinkerator. Both lasted no more than six or seven years, and quite a few times with either unit I had jamming and backup problems. About 15 years ago I got fed up and realized my wife, and probably me to a lesser extent, were not going to change our habits. So my second replacement was with the higher end 555 SS 3/4 hp Insinkerator model. it was quite a bit more expensive.
So far it has never jammed, although I have had to drop it a couple of times to remove thin plastic pieces (like the C-ties for plastic bags) that someone had let go down the drain. These became stuck between the rotor and wall. Most of the stuff that goes down is dish scraps, but we also put down egg shells, potato peels, onion ends, carrot tops, etc. from food preparation, sometimes in quite large batches. As long as we keep water flowing when we grind, we have never had a problem with backing up.
What I am getting at is that what you can grind up with the disposal is a balance between the power, quality, how fast you feed the material, and water flow. If you are constantly having problems, you have to decide to change your ways, or to bite the bullet and get a unit that accommodates the way you think the disposal should work. Gary Dyrkacz snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net Radio Control Aircraft/Paintball Physics/Paintball for 40+
hmm. spaghetti sauce? Um was it Celery/CornHusk Sauce? Probably not. Don't call that particular plumber again. If you're in the market for a new disposer...you may want to check out the BioShield disposer being sold by Anaheim Marketing. It's the only disposer treated with an antimicrobial agent for odor protection. THey also have a balanced Torque Master Grinding System, and other exclusive features. Even the so called "high end" disposers pale in comparison. But, the price is right. Check out
Actually, contrary to popular belief, food waste disposers dont' contain knives or blades. They use centrifugal force generated by the turntable to hurl the food waste against the grinding ring, shredding it into fine pieces. You can find out more how they work here...
Yes Anaheim Bio Shield Disposers feature a Speed Master Master Mounting System
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which makes installation very simple. If Insinkerator is the only brand you know...keep a look out for Anaheim Marketing Intl.'s new disposer line which are the only ones treated with an antimicrobial agent for odor protection. Check out their newest dipsoser here...
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