Kitchen sink garbage disposal dry

How long can kitchen garbage disposals things run dry? Are they ALWAYS supposed to have water every second they're running?

Reply to
Pat Dixon
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Why would you want to run it dry ? Unless it's just to test ...

Reply to
Terry Coombs

They are neither cooled nor lubricated by water. Running dry only wastes electricity.

Reply to
Dan Espen

What do you mean by running?

if it is empty it can go forever or until the motor eventually wears out.

If it is loaded with garbage, it will eventually plug the drain and probably bind itself up. The water flushes the ground garbage down the drain to the sewer.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I agree, probably true indefinitely, but certainly true for any occasional running for 30 secs or whatever. Unless of course you're feeding it stuff at the same time, in which case you'll clog the pipes. THAT is probably the reason for the caution about always having the water running.

Reply to
trader_4

I just want to know how to use it. I moved to a new apartment, which has a garbage disposal. I've never had one before.

I don't know if it's critical that water always be run. Or if it's just recommended. Or if it doesn't matter in the least.

I just want to know how to use it.

Reply to
Pat Dixon

I'm sorry that I don't understand those two sentences in series. I understand each one alone.

  1. The first sentence says you don't need to even use water.
  2. The second sentence implies you need water.

Can you clarify for me?

Reply to
Pat Dixon

Always helps to give this kind of background info.

Don't drop things like spoons in there, they'll come flying back out pretty fast.

If it gets jammed, there is a place to put an allen wrench in the bottom to turn it by hand.

You can look into it to see things like dropped jewelry. People with small hands can reach a couple of fingers in there. That's safe as long as you don't turn it on. Otherwise use some implement.

Only put things in there that can be chopped up easily. (Walnut shells are too hard, paper is no good.)

Some people complain about smell. Never had that problem, just rinse after using.

Otherwise I find mine is a time saver and makes clean up quick.

Enjoy.

Reply to
Dan Espen

From what you imply, I'm going to guess there's nothing wrong with running it either way, with or without water. Is that what you mean?

What you implied was that it's "better" with water, but that it's OK to run it without water too.

Did I understand you?

Reply to
Pat Dixon

I didn't even think of that clogging problem. Now I see why water is a "good idea."

Thank you!

Reply to
Pat Dixon

i think you may think that the water is a lubricant...?

the disposer has a sealed lubricant

i think the water is simply to help move the waste through the pipes, and it also helps some cooling the disposer which eventually would get too hot if run too long dry, i think

marc

marc

Reply to
21blackswan

Run water when it is running and for a minute after grinding a lot of stuff. Works best with a mix of things hard and soft

Avoid large amounts of coffee grinds. Avoid things like corn husks, corn cobs, banana peels, big bones, bacon grease and the like.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Apparently, not.

No, it does not. It sez a disposal "neither/nor" (someone who knows grammer!) needs "water" for "cooling" or "lubrication", which is true. A disposal needs water to flush whatever gets thrown into it.

Again, no, it does not! It sez, clearly, that running a disposal dry "wastes electricity". No implication about it! If water is not running, garbage is not being flushed down the drain, so running the disposal "dry" is a waste of electricity. What don't you get?

Can we wait until yer brain has fully matured? ;)

nb

Reply to
notbob

I was thinking that!

Thanks for making it clear that the water isn't to be a lube but to prevent the pipes from clogging.

Reply to
Pat Dixon

Sorry I needed the clarification. I get your jokes now about wasting electricity. At first I took it at face value.

Thanks for the help! Sorry I had missed the jokes.

Reply to
Pat Dixon

Pat, you did good. My smiley-face was sincere, so my post was only half as facetious as it seemed. ;)

If you let ppl get under yer skin, yer jes defeating yerself. That's the nature of Usenet (newsgroups). No RULES ....so every troll/bozo/malcontent fer a million miles makes it their home.

Regardless, there's two things you need to remember:

1) Everyone is someone else. 2) No one is holding you here.

Enjoy =D nb

Reply to
notbob

I'm thinking you gotta be a Patricia Pat rather than a Patrick Pat cuz a guy couldn't possibly be that dumb.

Reply to
Travis Bickle

And you're probably tossing a good bit of organic stuff that would be much better off in a compost heap . Do you garden ?

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Oh, crap! Now we're going to have to have troll bathrooms and then we're going to have to have twinky troll bathrooms to satisfy the twinky trolls. When will this end?

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

Not many apartments have room for a compost pile and garden. Possible though.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

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