what to do if your garbage disposal is clogged

April 08, 2022 Post a Comment

A garbage disposal may seem a permanently useful tool, just it's past no means invincible. It can fall victim to frequent clogs , which can create a real challenge for your kitchen sink usage.

The cause of a clogged garbage disposal can be hard to locate considering the clog can come from one particular, several items over time, several items at once, or a non-nutrient object. A garbage disposal clog can also originate in the blades, inside the structure, or inside the sink drain .

In this commodity, you'll learn near why a garbage disposal gets chock-full, how to unclog it (hint: information technology's different from a drain clog ), and ways to end clogs from reoccurring.

What Causes a Clogged Garbage Disposal ?

It's of import to understand the cause behind a clogged garbage disposal so you can properly address the effect. Food is one reason, but information technology'south not the merely reason.

Incorrect Food Types

One common misconception about garbage disposals is they can handle any nutrient you stuff inside, including all food parts. This is not true.

Hard to chop: Basic, pits, corncobs, seeds, and water ice cubes are too difficult for a garbage disposal to handle.

Wrap around the blades and preclude easy move: Stringy items similar pasta, celery, asparagus, corn husks/silk, lettuce, and banana peels will keep the disposal from properly working.

Prevent the passage of nutrient and water: Grease, fat, and oil harden and clog the disposal and drain. Java grounds and eggshells grind into granules that are tiny and sticky, making it easy to attain small areas and crusade bug. Starchy vegetables like beans and murphy peels create a thick paste similar to grease, fat, and oil when hardened. The paste will clog and jam the device.

Too Much Too Fast

Another misconception — the garbage disposal can handle tons of nutrient at once. This is not true, either. Testing and pushing the unit'due south limitations will overwhelm it. An overwhelmed garbage disposal makes a humming noise. I way to tell if your garbage disposal is overwhelmed is if no food is moving around inside when you peek inside the disposal with a flashlight. A 2nd manner to tell if yous've overwhelmed the garbage disposal is seeing a water-food mix backing up into the sink.

When you lot put too much in the disposal at once, instead of concentrating on chopping merely a few items at in one case, the disposal will practise a less-than stellar job at chopping a large portion at in one case. This means larger chunks get through, contributing to disposal clogs and breaking the electrical excursion nigh the reset switch.

Non-Food Objects

The simply thing that should go down the garbage disposal is food. When non-food objects come in contact with the garbage disposal , it could impairment your disposal. Silverware makes a grating dissonance sound on contact, causing a jam in the device. Paper, fabric, foil, plastic, a washcloth, a sponge, and blossom establish clippings are racket-free yet contribute to clogs and jams.

Flower plant clippings, paper, and foil cut well but contribute to clogs — the wet clumps are non easy to push down the bleed. If they get stuck in the pipeline, they will prevent other items from going down the drain. Fabric, plastic, sponges, and washcloths too don't cut well on the impeller blades. A garbage disposal's endeavor to grind these items will result in jamming.

Not Washing Abroad Leftover Waste product

Subsequently employ, the disposal switches to an "off" style, merely coming back on when information technology's time to grind more food. This is the incorrect way to use a disposal. The waste matter within the device eventually builds up and prevents h2o from passing through.

Therefore, the right way to use the disposal is to go along it on afterward the food grinding process is complete. During that time, plow on the water and let it run for one minute to clear away waste stuck inside. Then, plow off the device.

Hot Water

The temperature of rinsing water you lot use to clean the garbage disposal matters — hot water is not the correct type of h2o.

Hot water spreads fats, oils, and grease around the disposal and into the pipes. When oils, grease, and fats dry, they harden, creating a landing spot for more food to state and form a clog .

How to Clean a Garbage Disposal : 5 Methods

The procedure of cleaning a clogged garbage disposal differs greatly from cleaning a chock-full drainpipe . Some cleaning methods are useful, and some are not.

A non-recommended cleaning method is liquid drain cleaners. Drain liquid cleaners are dangerous for garbage disposals because they can erode the plastic and safety parts of the unit such equally the splash guard .

Always turn the garbage disposal off before attempting to clean the unit of measurement. Electricity and h2o never mix. Besides, never stick your hand within the unit, whether the unit is on or off.

This will cause injury, and clearing a clog isn't worth cutting your hand. Furthermore, afterward applying any technique beneath, wait until the unit cools before turning it on to avoid overheating. A absurd unit doesn't feel hot or warm when you touch it.

1. Transmission Checkup

The first affair to exercise is to peek inside the disposal to encounter what is causing the clog . Apply a flashlight and pliers or tongs to see the clog culprit. Simply insert the pliers or tongs inside the unit and remember the loose particular. Repeat this process until you remove every object or amount of gunk from the disposal.

2. Baking Soda and Vinegar

An effective DIY remedy is blistering soda and vinegar. This fizzy foam combination that cuts through food clogs and cleans the unit. This solution is specially adept for unclogging grease, fat, and oil and for deodorizing a smelly garbage disposal .

Begin by pouring baking soda into the garbage disposal .
Adjacent, pour vinegar down the garbage disposal .
And then, wait 20 minutes for the buzz to break down the clog .
Last, launder away the mixture and food waste matter down the pipe with hot water .

3. Plungers

A plunger relies on water pressure level to button tough clogs downwardly the pipage drain. Past plunging up and downwardly vigorously, the clog will loosen and move.

Outset by grabbing the plunger and roofing the bleed.
Comprehend the other drain with a bleed stopper like StopShroom or StopShroom Plug .
Make full the sink with enough h2o to create a watertight seal around the rounded bottom of the plunger, or flange.
Now, plunge the plunger upwardly and downward vigorously to loosen the clog .
Echo this motion rapidly for a few minutes.
Then, use a flashlight to remove any loose items.
If no loose items show up, turn on the cold h2o faucet . The water should bleed with ease.

4. Hex Wrench or Wooden Handle

If your garbage disposal has a hexagon pigsty at the bottom center of the unit of measurement, you use a L-shaped hexagonal device chosen a hex wrench. The hex wrench, also called an Allen wrench, may or may not have come with the garbage disposal .

The disposal'south instructions will tell you the location of the hexagon forth with how to use information technology. Generally, stick the hexagonal cease into the hexagon hole on the outside of the disposal. It should match up and fit in nicely.

Side by side, move the hex wrench clockwise and counterclockwise four or v times until the blades spin freely in both directions. If the blades tin can spin freely in both directions, the clog is complimentary. Then, manually remove the clog pieces with pliers or tongs .

A garbage disposal without a hexagon pigsty can attain the same result using a wooden handle. In this method, stick the wooden handle inside the garbage disposal from the kitchen sink bleed. Place the handle on top of or next to the blade and move information technology back and forth until the blades move freely in both directions. And so, remove any loose gunk with pliers or tongs.

five. Call a Plumbing Expert

A plumber with clog removal experience can, if necessary, uninstall and reinstall the garbage disposal to remove clogs , including removing, cleaning, and reinstalling the P-trap fastened to the disposal underneath the sink. Because they tin be expensive, a plumber should exist a last resort.

Prevent Clogged Garbage Disposals to Avert Time-Consuming Fixes

There'due south no demand to go through the clog removal strategies if you follow preventative measures. However, to go on clogs away, yous must follow these routines regularly:

Read the disposal's instruction manual. Observe the list of what can and cannot go within the unit. Follow those suggestions to the letter.
Be selective well-nigh the foods going down the garbage disposal . Throw seeds, bones, pits, peels, water ice cubes, and corn cobs in the trash. Additionally, pour oils, meat fats, and grease into a container. Then, throw abroad the container in the waste bin. Furthermore, proceed not-nutrient items abroad from the garbage disposal entry.
Rely on a sink strainer or bleed strainer. A sink strainer catches the food particles , basic, pits, seeds, and peels before information technology enters the garbage disposal and so y'all don't have to examine every nutrient particular.
Chop up food waste before feeding it to the garbage disposal . The garbage disposal is not powerful enough to handle large amounts of food waste product. By chopping up the waste product get-go, it makes the disposal's job of cut the food down to pocket-size pieces easier. Cut the food to a square inch or less before feeding it into the garbage disposal.
Feed the garbage disposal at a tiresome pace. Give the disposal a small batch of food at a time (attempt to stick to ½ cup or less). Allow the unit of measurement to dispose of the waste earlier feeding the adjacent modest batch. Keep this until the sink is articulate. This process is slower, simply information technology keeps you from overwhelming the device with too much food.
Use common cold h2o to rinse the garbage disposal afterward use. Later on use, run cold water down the disposal for a minute. Cold h2o flushes food stuck in the blades and inside the unit of measurement down the drain. It also keeps the drain pipes clean and keeps the blades lubricated. During the infinitesimal, add solutions like dish soap or citrus peels to deodorize smells.
Apply the garbage disposal frequently. Not using the unit is every bit bad every bit putting the incorrect food inside it. An unused garbage disposal will rust and corrode over fourth dimension, and information technology will freeze whenever the unit of measurement is on. Therefore, every and so ofttimes when non in apply, turn on the common cold h2o and permit the unit run for 30 seconds.

Combat Clog Buildup with the Right Products

The correct products are essential to preventing time to come garbage disposal clogs. Equally mentioned earlier, the Kitchen SinkShroom is the all-time strainer to combat clogging in the kitchen sink . The stainless steel sink strainer's wide handbasket holds food without stopping h2o menstruum. The hollow cylinder center makes transporting food waste material, emptying food waste, and reinserting the strainer effortless.

Plunging tends to bring loose clogs and gunk toward the other bleed, so StopShroom tin can prevent this from happening. The sink stopper has a tight seal so nada enters the wrong sink pipe.

A clean garbage disposal needs your help to stay that way. Kitchen SinkShroom can block unwanted food from entering the unit of measurement, and the StopShroom blocks clogs from entering the incorrect pipe during plunging. At TubShroom, we offer costless shipping and a money-back guarantee. If you aren't happy with your product, only reach out and allow us know!

Bank check out this great YouTube video for more than help with dealing with clogged garbage disposals.