Advice about Garbage Disposal Units from Plumbers

Garbage disposal units are a wonderful modern convenience in many Edmonton homes. However, when they get clogged and stop functioning, this can be a nuisance. Not only will you be faced with waste backing up into your sink, but you'll also have a rotting residue in the pipes below, which will need the plumber!

Since plumbers work with pipes all the time, they know the best practices when it comes to garbage disposal units. Firstly, they'll advise caution in what you put down in your garbage disposal unit. Stringy, fibrous waste foods must be avoided, such as onion peel, garlic ends, celery, lettuce and potato peel. The processor can't deal with these effectively and they may get tangled in the motor, or block the pipes further down. The same goes for very tough fruit peel, especially banana skins. Large amounts of grease and oil should never be put down the disposer, as well as pasta, rice and large meat bones.

You may be thinking there's not a lot you can put down your garbage disposal unit to avoid being faced with an emergency that needs your plumber. Well, you can dispose of many smaller pieces of food waste, such as citrus rind, coffee grains, tiny bones, egg shells, small cooked meat scraps and non-fibrous vegetable scraps.

Plumbers advise to use your disposal device on a regular basis and to keep it clean, as well as always running plenty of cold water while it’s in operation. Remember, if something isn't biodegradable, it's definitely not suitable for your garbage disposal. Further advice can always be obtained from your Edmonton plumber.