{"id":1576,"date":"2022-04-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/?p=1576"},"modified":"2022-05-24T16:48:55","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T20:48:55","slug":"helpful-tips-long-lived-garbage-disposer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atlanticrefrigeration.com\/blog\/plumbing-service\/helpful-tips-long-lived-garbage-disposer\/","title":{"rendered":"Helpful Tips for a Long-Lived Garbage Disposer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you\u2019ve always had a garbage disposer in your kitchen, you likely can\u2019t imagine handling cooking meals and cleaning up afterwards without it. It\u2019s a great convenience for getting rid of food waste without needing composting buckets, and it helps the environment by keeping extra waste out of the landfills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can expect your garbage disposer to last for about 15 years if you know how to treat it right. How can you treat it right? We\u2019re here to tell you in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t run hot water down it<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may have heard the opposite advice regarding this: only run hot water down the disposal when it\u2019s operating. This makes sense because hot water breaks up fats, oils, and grease. Here\u2019s the problem: it\u2019s better to keep fats, oils, and grease (collectively known as FOG<\/em>) solid so they wash fully down the drain. Cold water will help keep them this way. Hot water will allow them to seep into parts of the disposer where they\u2019ll later cause problems. You should also try to keep as much FOG out of the disposer as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always run water down the disposer when it\u2019s on<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t want the moving parts of the disposer to run when there\u2019s no water flowing through it. This creates too much friction and can lead to parts wearing down early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t keep resetting the disposer over and over<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The reset switch on the bottom of the disposer unit is an individual circuit breaker that activates when the motor starts to overheat. You\u2019ll have to reset it on occasion, unusually if something gets stuck in the hopper. However, you shouldn\u2019t need to reset it most times when you use the disposer. This warns of a possible electrical issue. Call to have your disposer repaired if this happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t try to \u201csharpen the blades\u201d with ice cubes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t work because garbage disposers don\u2019t have sharp blades. They use blunt impellers to hurl food waste against an outer grind ring. Putting hard objects like ice cubes into the disposer risks damaging it. If your disposer doesn\u2019t seem to be grinding down food well enough or is creating numerous clogs, have a plumber look at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know what shouldn\u2019t go down the disposer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are items that don\u2019t go down a disposer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n