It can be hard to resist the temptation at times, especially with what seems like a fast solution close at hand. But some things just aren't meant to go down your garbage disposal and can cause serious plumbing problems if you do. Here are five things to never put down your garbage disposal:
5 Things You Should Never Put Down Your Garbage Disposal
- Grease, fats or oils. Oils can cause a film to form on top of your disposal blades, making them less effective, while fats and grease can solidify as they come into contact with your cold pipes, causing frustrating clogged drains.
- Stringy or fibrous foods. Corn husks, celery, onion skins and similar stringy and fibrous material can wrap itself around the blades, causing the mechanism to bind up and not operate properly. If you need to put these types of material down your disposal, only allow small amounts at a time with plenty of cold water before, during and after disposal.
- Rice, beans or pasta. There's a reason why these foods are soaked or cooked prior to having other foods added in recipes — they swell in water. If you put more than a minimal amount of these foods down your disposal, they may swell with the water in your pipes and can cause a serious clog to form in your drains, leading to frustration and service calls that could easily be avoided.
- Anything other than food. You'd shake your head at some of the things Pittsburgh plumbing services have pulled out of garbage disposals, including glass, silverware, twist ties, cigarette butts and other non-food items. A garbage disposal is for grinding up waste food, nothing else should be allowed inside it.
- Too much at a time. A garbage disposal can quickly become overwhelmed if you're stuffing too much down the drain, and not enough cold water can pass to keep it cool. This leads to overheating of the motor, excessive wear and premature failure of your garbage disposal.
If you've had an oops moment with your garbage disposal and now need Pittsburgh plumbers to help with the problem, don't worry! When it comes to emergency plumbing, Pittsburgh homeowners turn to Stahl Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning and our strong reputation for excellence. Contact us today and find out how we're some of the most reliable plumbers in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.