A garbage disposal is essentially a plastic or metal canister with a motor in the bottom and a large open compartment that catches food waste. As the food is pulverized into tiny pieces, water from the kitchen faucet washes the food bits through holes in the grinding ring, out of the chamber, and into the drain pipe.

Garbage disposals can and will cut your hand if you stick your hand into them. This is most likely to happen when the garbage disposal is on, and in this case, your hand can become mangled. This situation can turn into a life-threatening one quickly.

Most disposals have a life expectancy of about 10 years, after which they may start clogging more often.

Garbage Disposal Importance Having a garbage disposal unit installed in your home is a great idea, any plumber would highly recommend doing so because it is an effective way to deal with common kitchen waste such as uneaten food by shredding them into small pieces. As a result they can easily pass through plumbing.

It’ll also help get rid of any offensive odors. If you realize there’s a bigger chunk of food down there or something that shouldn’t be in the garbage disposal has found its way there — such as a utensil or a non-biodegradable food — you should carefully empty the garbage disposal.

Instead of being tossed in the trash, the humble garbage disposal grinds up the food into tiny bits that can be sent down the drain to be treated at a wastewater facility. In an instant, disposals remove food waste and keep smells from hanging around the house until garbage day.

Cities like New York—along with many governments in Europe —banned disposals altogether, arguing that the added food waste would overtax the water-treatment system. There is evidence that the effluent that is pumped back into local water streams does affect their chemical composition and aquatic life.

Simple: Running water helps flush food particles through the garbage disposal, into the trap and down your waste pipes without gumming up the moving parts. It’s like swallowing an aspirin with a mouthful of water. It’s not technically necessary, but it sure makes things go down easier!

It’s perfectly acceptable to run hot water down the drain after you’ve used the disposal. These will cause the drain line to clog. Simply get rid of these items by putting them in the trash.

Yes, a garbage disposal can overheat. If you’ve been using the garbage disposal without any issues and suddenly, you can’t even hear it humming, it likely shut off due to overheating.

If, for example, your disposal is broken, as in an electrical or mechanical problem, you can still run the dishwasher. It’s the garbage disposal drain system that can keep the dishwasher from draining properly.

Allen wrench will work. Use the wrench to manually turn the disposal’s motor shaft first counterclockwise, then clockwise until the obstruction is dislodged and the motor shaft spins freely. It’s okay to use some force when turning the wrench, just be sure to support the disposal unit as you do.

Allen wrench