Plumbing Guide: Garbage Disposals Are A Kitchen Necessity

For most Andover homeowners, the garbage disposal is an essential kitchen convenience. Food preparation and cooking become much easier when peelings and scraps can just be whisked into the sink and down the drain. Most municipal water treatments plants now have the technology to extract the pulverized food debris from waste water and turn it into sludge that can be sterilized and disposed in a landfill or used for fertilizer.

When to Replace a Garbage Disposal

Obviously, when your garbage disposal stops working it's time to either fix or replace it. While it's possible to service a garbage disposal, it would probably be cheaper to replace it. But if your disposal is still operating, how do you know when it's time to for a new one? Garbage disposals don't last forever. No matter how well it's made, any appliance exposed to thousands of gallons of running water, detergent, food scraps, bones, and the occasional spoon accidentally dropped into the drain is going to wear out. A disposal in good condition should be able to dispatch a few potato or apple peels in a matter of seconds. If your unit seems to take forever to accomplish a simple grinding task, it may be time for a new one. A foul odor emanating from the disposal that won't go away after a thorough rinsing may also be a sign that it's time to replace it. As the components in the grinding chamber wear out, food can get trapped inside and rot. You may adapt to the smell, but guests will probably not appreciate it. Even if your disposal is in good shape, you may want to look into replacing it. Garbage disposals are rated in horsepower. Basic models are usually rated in the 1/5 to 1/3 horsepower range, while top of the line models are in the 3/4 to 1 horsepower range. The difference may seem small, but it has a major impact on performance. If you have a smaller unit in the 1/5 to 1/3 range that is a few years old, and you like to cook, it may be worth your while to consider replacing it.

Size Matters

Most manufacturers offer a range of models with increasing power ratings. If you do a lot of cooking and use your disposal a lot, the few extra dollars investment in a 3/4 or 1 horsepower disposal is worth the money. Not only do more powerful units dispatch food scraps more easily, but they can handle tougher jobs like bones and meat scraps that might jam a smaller disposal. More powerful disposals are less noisy and they tend to break down less. The only drawback of larger disposals is that they tend to be larger and take up more space. It's best to consult a Andover plumbing contractor like Air Mechanical Heating, Cooling & Plumbing before buying a new disposal to make sure it will fit under your sink.