You must be good to your garbage disposal if you want it to be good to you! This means minding what you put in it, and providing proper maintenance and repair as needed. Just to get it out there, always remember to shut off the power supply before performing any DIY work on your garbage disposal. You don’t want an accident to occur that leaves you without any fingers, or worse, an entire hand! This is just another reason why you should always leave garbage disposal repair needs in the hands of a licensed and experienced master plumber. They retain the proper tools, training, and resources to accurately and efficiently diagnose and repair a disposal issue.

As for your own at-home garbage disposal habits, continue reading to see if you are guilty of putting any of these “no-no’s” down the sink drain.

Garbage Disposal Awareness

To best understand what you shouldn’t put down a garbage disposal, let’s first begin with the things that are okay and safe. For example, the only foods that should be shredded in your disposal should be soft, non-fibrous, chopped, liquid, and similar foods in small amounts. The key word here is “small amounts.” When it comes to the stuff you should not put in a garbage disposal, here is a list of suggestions to follow:

Fatty Oils

Do not put olive oil, lard, bacon grease, pan grease, excessive amounts of melted butter, vegetable oils, or any other versions of fatty oils down the drain. These products will quickly coagulate and thicken, causing pipe blockages, clogs, and more.

Starches

Refrain from putting any type of starchy food down the garbage disposal or drain. Just like fatty oils, things like pasta and rice also thicken and cause pipe blockages.

Fibrous Waste

Do not toss anything fibrous or stringy down the drain. Foods like corn husks, fruit rinds, potato peels, chicken skins, celery, egg shells, and other similar food.

Fruit and Vegetable Pits

Foods like avocados and peaches have hard, solid, seed-like pits that can do a lot of damage to a garbage disposal system. The same goes for bones too!

Coffee Grounds

Many people eliminate their coffee grounds by dumping them down the drain. This is a bad idea because they can buildup overtime and cause clogs and blockages.

Paper Garbage

Never put cigarette butts, coffee filters, or any other non-perishable item down the drain. These do not deteriorate at a speed that is not conducive for optimal pipe and plumbing functionality.

Weilhammer Plumbing Co. Inc.

Call Mark Weilhammer, master plumber and owner of Weilhammer Plumbing Company of Indianapolis, at 317-784-1870 today. He and his team of professional and licensed plumbers are happy to answer your questions about garbage disposal repair, plumbing repair, and more. We offer all plumbing services for both commercial and residential properties, at the most competitive prices around. Call 317-784-1870 and speak directly with Mark about garbage disposal repair services in Indianapolis, IN today.