Garbage Disposal Trouble Shooting

Garbage Disposal Trouble Shooting

Garbage disposals are perhaps one of the most frequently used and most frequently underappreciated of our kitchen appliances! If you’ve ever had a sink without a garbage disposal, you’ll quickly realize how handy the little appliance really is! Even if you take great care of your garbage disposal, leaks can and will develop over time. Garbage disposals, although small, have several parts and it can take some trouble shooting to identify where the leak is coming from. If you tend to be a DIY’er, you may want to investigate the leak before calling a professional plumber. 

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We mentioned that garbage disposals have several parts. With most garbage disposal leaks, there are four main areas where they may occur-

  • The sink flange- The sink flange connects the top of the disposal to the bottom of the sink drain.
  • The dishwasher connection- This is usually a rubber hose connected to the side of the garbage disposal.
  • The drain pipe- This is usually a plastic or metal pipe that drains water and food away to the sewer.
  • The actual garbage disposal

If you want to try and identify the source of the leak yourself, you can do an easy test. Make sure to dry the outside of the disposal and all of its parts that you can see so that the leak will be easily visible to you. Next, stop up your sink and fill it with a few inches of water. After a few minutes, if you notice water coming from the disposal under the sink, you’re leak is probably coming from the sink flange. If, after a few minutes, the disposal under the sink is still dry, pull the sink stopper and watch the other three parts we mentioned above. You should notice water coming from the dishwasher hose, the drain pipe, or some other area of the disposal. 

Once you’ve identified the leak, you can decide whether or not to try and fix it yourself. Of course, the repair necessary will depend on where you determined the leak was located. Sometimes, fixes are easy and sometimes fixes that seem easy and simple will turn into large, complicated solutions. If the leak is coming from the sink flange, it may just need tightening. If simply tightening it doesn’t work, you may need to loosen it, apply plumbers putty to reseal it, and then tighten it back up.  If the dishwasher hose is the culprit, you may need to either tighten it or replace it depending on whether its just loose or if its cracked. The drain pipe may also be able to be tightened. If tightening it doesn’t fix the leaky drain pipe, you may need to replace the seal. Sometimes, the entire disposal needs to be replaced. 

For help with garbage disposal trouble shooting, repairs, or replacement, call the professionals at Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

 

 

Garbage Disposal Tips

Garbage Disposal Tips

We’ve spent lots of time on our blog talking about your kitchen’s hero- the garbage disposal. You can check out our past posts about problems with your garbage disposal here and here. The garbage disposal is one of the most under appreciated appliance in your home- think about all the food and debris you’d have to fish out of your sink every day without it!

Today we’re going to run through a quick list of things you should and should not put down your garbage disposal so that you can keep your garbage disposal in working order!

Things you should be putting down your garbage disposal include:

  • citrus rinds
  • coffee grounds
  • eggshells
  • cooked meat scraps
  • fruit scraps
  • most vegetable scraps

Things you should not be putting down your garbage disposal include:

  • fruit pits
  • bones
  • shrimp shells
  • banana peels
  • nuts
  • grease
  • corn husks
  • onion skins
  • artichokes
  • potato peels
  • asparagus

These tips should help you keep your garbage disposal in working order! If you do notice that your garbage disposal is making a funny sound, not working, or leaking you should call a plumber right away to avoid further damage. At Masterflo we can diagnose your garbage disposal and repair it or replace it for you if it needs to be replaced. Contact us today at (678) 822-7095 for all your garbage disposal needs in the metro Atlanta area!

Canton GA Plumber | Masterflo Plumbing

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Garbage Disposal Problems: Myths

Garbage Disposal Problems: Myths

A couple weeks ago we talked about some common garbage disposal problems. Today we’re going to talk about one of the biggest garbage disposal problems- myths! We understand that doing research on plumbing and garbage disposals isn’t really a top priority for most homeowners, and understandably so! However, having correct information about your garbage disposal can help you avoid many common garbage disposal problems. The garbage disposal is one of the hardest working appliances in the modern day American home- many of us use our garbage disposal multiple times every day without even thinking about it.

Because spending lots of time reading about your garbage disposal probably isn’t how you want to spend your free time, we’ll keep this short and sweet and help clear up some of those common garbage disposal myths.

 

Myth #1

You can sharpen the blades with ice cubes. No, no, no! Many of us have heard that if your garbage disposal is having a hard time grinding up food that you should put ice cubes down it and turn it on. This is a very common garbage disposal myth, and I have tons of friends who do this all the time. In fact, there are no sharp blades in your garbage disposal. The “blades” that grind up your food are actually blunt- surprise! Putting ice cubes down your garbage disposal won’t sharpen these blades because they are designed to be blunt. In fact, if you put ice cubes down your garbage disposal you could potentially cause a lot of damage. If your garbage disposal isn’t grinding up food properly, you should call a plumber to check it out to see if you need repairs.

Myth #2

You should run hot water while running your garbage disposal. The thought process behind this myth is that hot water helps to dissolve grease, food, and other organic matter that’s been put down your garbage disposal. However, if you run hot water while you’re running your garbage disposal, you could cause your garbage disposal to overheat! Its true that you should run water while running your disposal, but its important to try and use cold water whenever possible. If your garbage disposal overheats, you could cause substantial damage resulting in a whole new unit.

Myth #3

Your garbage disposal can grind up any food product you put down it. While your garbage disposal is a heavy duty, durable appliance, it can and will break if not treated properly. Your garbage disposal is designed to grind up SOFT food particles, not hard ones! Your garbage disposal is not built to grind up bones, gristle, corn cobs, popcorn kernels, etc. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you can’t chew it, neither can your garbage disposal!

If you need a professional plumber to help you out with your garbage disposal problems, don’t forget to call a trusted, experienced plumber. At Masterflo Plumbing we can assess your garbage disposal needs. If your garbage disposal can be repaired, we have the experience necessary to make those repairs. If you need a new one, we can install it for you. No matter how careful you are with your garbage disposal, it may still break down at some point, and we’ll be there to help you out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For all your garbage disposal needs contact us at (678) 822-7095!

 

 

Plumbing Tips: Garbage Disposal Repair

Plumbing Tips: Garbage Disposal Repair

We all love our garbage disposals, but none of us truly realize how much until it breaks, right? Without a doubt, the garbage disposal is one of the greatest inventions because it can make your life in the kitchen a thousand times easier. While its not one of the most common plumbing issues people have, your garbage disposal can break just like a toilet or shower head can. Here are some great, simple tips for keeping your garbage disposal healthy and avoiding the need for garbage disposal repair!

  1. Make sure you know what’s safe to put down it and what’s not. There are definitely some obvious things that you shouldn’t be putting down your garbage disposal- namely, plastic and metal. Solid objects like forks, spoons, and serving utensils definitely shouldn’t go down your garbage disposal. Although these things are obvious, there are some other objects that shouldn’t go down your garbage disposal that aren’t so obvious. Fibrous vegetables like celery and onion skins can get tangled up in the disposal. Fats, oils, and grease can also clog up the garbage disposal because as they cool off they solidify. Bones and fruit pits are also not supposed to go down your garbage disposal.
  2. Flush is out with boiling water. Pouring a pot full of boiling water down your garbage disposal every once in a while will flush it out. The boiling water will help break up and loosen and waste that has collected in the disposal chamber or the drain pipe. We recommend doing this once a month to help clean out old waste and prevent future build up.
  3. Don’t push your luck, get it repaired! This one may seem obvious, but we’re ALL guilty of it. How many times has one of your appliances started acting up and you just ignore it and hope it goes away on its own?? If your garbage disposal is making a funny sound or vibrating more than normal, call a plumber for garbage disposal repair! Contrary to popular belief, garbage disposals CAN be repaired- they don’t always have to be completely replaced! Having a garbage disposal repaired quickly can prevent having to have it totally replaced, saving you lots of money!

If you need help with your garbage disposal or need garbage disposal repair help, call Masterflo Plumbing today at [callout add_button=”no” button_text=”Learn More” button_url=”#”]

(678) 822-7095

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