What not to put down your waste disposal
People who have waste disposals often swear by them - but be warned: their powers only stretch so far. They might be able to make scraps disappear, but it is a triumph of machinery rather than magic.
Mounted under your sink, a waste disposal consists of a chamber with a set of grinding teeth that disintegrates scraps before passing them in to your drain. Throw items down there carelessly and you're setting yourself up for repairs.
Home renovation listing site Builderscrack.co.nz has a request for a waste disposal fix nearly every three days.
"We have had just over 100 requests for waste disposal repairs just over the past year," said founder Jeremy Wyn-Harris, "[which is] more than I expected as we cover all trades."
1. Bones
That chicken wing or fish bone sliver might look flimsy, but it's not. The grinding system in your waste disposal is simply not powerful enough to chew it up.
"Waste disposals - the bane of my life," said plumber Dan Adams of The Drain Company. "Chicken bones, lamb bones, anything with meat doesn't belong in there."
2. Grease
Sending oil or grease down the sink or waste disposal seems okay until it cools, solidifies and blocks your water pipes.
"People will pour their roasting pans down there on a Sunday," said Adams, "It makes the pipes all gluggy."
Over time, this means duller blades in your waste disposal, an icky smell in your kitchen, and blockages.
Instead, collect excess fats and oil in a covered container and discard in the weekly rubbish, add to your compost bin, or dig into your garden.
3. Egg shells
It's an old wives' tale that egg shells sharpen a waste disposal's grinding teeth.
Though the white membrane inside the egg can get stuck around the ring itself, the real problem is that ground up egg shells take on a consistency similar to sand.
Adams has not personally experienced a breakage to a waste disposal caused by an egg shell, just the problems that come afterwards.
"They tend to build up in the pipework afterwards," he said.
Combined with excess grease, it's a recipe for blocked pipes.
4. Some vegetable peels
Stringy vegetables like celery, corn husks, artichokes, asparagus, carrots, lettuce, onions, and even potato peels cause problems.
Anything fibrous can get stuck around the motor. Scraps like these are best sent to a compost heap. But if down the gurgler they must go, add them little by little and with cold water running all the while.
5. Coffee grounds
Whilst it won't damage your disposal unit and may provide an interim scent refreshment, ground coffee is a big culprit when it comes to blocked kitchen pipes.
"Coffee grounds, they're quite sludgy in pipes," said Adams.
Instead, spread your grounds in your garden or even in your houseplants to repel bugs.
6. Rice and pasta
They may seem benign enough but the water absorption properties of pasta and rice make them a no-go for under-sink disposal.
Their remnants combine to form a gluggy paste in the waste disposal's chamber.
7. Non-food items
Finally, non-food items like cigarette butts, ash, rubber bands, twist ties, paper towel, sponges, pull tabs or plant clippings do not belong in your waste disposal.
Watch out for kids making little additions to your disposal when you're unawares.
"Kids are normally quite naughty," said Adams, "putting things down there like toys, clothes pegs, buttons, and even tinfoil."
"I've usually found this in, dare I say it, rental properties where people are not as careful."
Written by Anabela Rea. Republished with permission of Stuff.co.nz.