Why You Should Avoid Putting Food in Your Garbage Disposal

Throw enough random items in the drain with the confidence that your garbage disposal can handle it, and you may end up needing to speed-dial the best plumbing company in Horsham, Pennsylvania, to solve the problem of a clogged plumbing system.

Thankfully, the dos and don’ts of garbage disposals are relatively straightforward. Let’s go over which foods can cause serious problems:

Starches

Rice, pasta, potatoes, and other starchy foods act like wet cement in a disposal. Instead of cleanly passing into the outgoing pipe, they tend to mush together and congeal. Small amounts are fine, but something like an entire baked potato will cause problems.

Fibrous Vegetables

Vegetables such as celery, artichokes, corn husks, and asparagus aren’t just tough to bite through. They’re hard for your disposal to chew up, as well. When you consider the fact that they are similar in texture and consistency to hair, it’s clear to see why a clog is inevitable after throwing enough of them into the drain.

Shells

Whether they’re eggshells or shellfish, these items are a recipe for blocked drains, thanks to how slowly they decompose.

Fats and Grease

Though your disposal won’t flinch at grease, milk, butter, ice cream, and other fatty liquids, your pipes will. All of these items will solidify once they get into them, and you’ll need to call upon the best plumbing company in Horsham to undo the damage.

Large Animal Bones

You can grind up a few small fish bones and even a small chicken bone just fine, but don’t rely on your system to hack through larger bones from beef, pork, or multiple chicken bones at once. Your disposal will suffer damage from trying to break them apart.

Seeds and Pits

Peach and avocado pits may seem obvious no-nos, but you’ll want to avoid smaller seeds, too. Just like eggshells, seeds and pits can last a surprisingly long time in your plumbing.

What to Do if You Accidentally Drop Harmful Food in the Disposal

Unplug the disposal, reach in with some tongs to pull out the item, then plug it in once again. If you already turned on the disposal, though, do not reach into it at all. Even though the disposal is currently not running, once the obstruction is gone, it will start back up. 

A Clogged Disposal Needs the Best Plumbing Company in Horsham

When your garbage disposal meets its match and gets stuck, turn to Mallard Plumbing and Mechanical! We’ll take care of clogged drains and broken disposals so you can get back to using your kitchen sink the way it was intended. Contact us today!