Where can I get a safety cover for the garbage disposal (i.e., whirling propeller that might chop off my fingers)?
July 27, 2009 9:53 PM Subscribe
Safety cover for the garbage disposal (i.e., whirling propeller that might chop off my fingers).
Clueless new tenant here. I've recently moved into an apartment with a garbage disposal. It's down a ways in the drain of the sink, but nevertheless reachable. There is no screw-top cover as I've seen with other garbage disposals. Today I turned on the switch and was absent-mindedly pushing down apple cores when I realized with a jolt that I was only an inch from losing my fingers. How can I completely close off the possibility that someone will get hurt with this thing? Is there a way to permit the disposal to turn on only when it's securely covered?
Clueless new tenant here. I've recently moved into an apartment with a garbage disposal. It's down a ways in the drain of the sink, but nevertheless reachable. There is no screw-top cover as I've seen with other garbage disposals. Today I turned on the switch and was absent-mindedly pushing down apple cores when I realized with a jolt that I was only an inch from losing my fingers. How can I completely close off the possibility that someone will get hurt with this thing? Is there a way to permit the disposal to turn on only when it's securely covered?
It isn't a spinning propeller. It's a spinning barrel covered with rasps and holes. When you use it you're supposed to run water at the same time. You don't stick your fingers in it. NEVER stick your fingers in it.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2009
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2009
I know this may not be an option since you are a tenant, but we got one of these. The cover is actually the switch, which works magnetically (insert and twist). Therefore there's no (likely) way to hurt yourself. Unfortunately, I think they're fairly pricey, and since you're not the owner, you probably couldn't switch it out anyway, but I thought if anyone else was interested, I'd post the link. It's a pretty slick system.
posted by stufflebean at 10:03 PM on July 27, 2009
posted by stufflebean at 10:03 PM on July 27, 2009
There's no actual whirling propeller.
The attached impellers work to throw the waste food against the shredder ring and together they grind and pulverize the garbage.
posted by jschu at 10:04 PM on July 27, 2009
The attached impellers work to throw the waste food against the shredder ring and together they grind and pulverize the garbage.
posted by jschu at 10:04 PM on July 27, 2009
Flowchart:
1. Run water while operating the garbage disposal. This will work 90% of the time
2. Use a wooden spoon for anything that isn't going down. This will fix 90% of the remaining 10%.
3. If you don't have the mental fortitude to pay attention during the entire course of operation, don't operate the fucking garbage disposal. This will fix 100% of the remaining 1%.
4. If you can't manage #3, disconnect the garbage disposal from its power source.
posted by 0xFCAF at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2009 [10 favorites]
1. Run water while operating the garbage disposal. This will work 90% of the time
2. Use a wooden spoon for anything that isn't going down. This will fix 90% of the remaining 10%.
3. If you don't have the mental fortitude to pay attention during the entire course of operation, don't operate the fucking garbage disposal. This will fix 100% of the remaining 1%.
4. If you can't manage #3, disconnect the garbage disposal from its power source.
posted by 0xFCAF at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2009 [10 favorites]
Most disposers need a stream of running water to flush away debris as they create it, so closing the opening of the disposer while it is operating isn't usually recommended. Paradoxically, you can put a plastic cover in it when you aren't using it, to keep silverware from dropping in unnoticed, where it can be bent itself, and damage the disposer hammers the next time the disposer is operated. You could use a plastic strainer basket to cover the opening, while allowing flush water to run, as well.
But, to allay your fears a bit, the mechanism in the disposal is a small set of centrifugally operated hammers/impellers that swing to smash food in to small particles against a stationary hardened steel ring at the periphery of the spinning disk visible when you look down into the disposal from above. There is nothing particularly sharp in a disposal, and it is actually fairly hard, despite what you may have seen in movies, to seriously injure your hand in one, accidentally. Most injuries come as a result of people jamming things down a stalled disposer, trying to get it to rotate, particularly if they then forget basic safety precautions and try to "bump" it, using the electrical power. Avoid doing that, and you eliminate most opportunities for incidental injury.
posted by paulsc at 10:15 PM on July 27, 2009
But, to allay your fears a bit, the mechanism in the disposal is a small set of centrifugally operated hammers/impellers that swing to smash food in to small particles against a stationary hardened steel ring at the periphery of the spinning disk visible when you look down into the disposal from above. There is nothing particularly sharp in a disposal, and it is actually fairly hard, despite what you may have seen in movies, to seriously injure your hand in one, accidentally. Most injuries come as a result of people jamming things down a stalled disposer, trying to get it to rotate, particularly if they then forget basic safety precautions and try to "bump" it, using the electrical power. Avoid doing that, and you eliminate most opportunities for incidental injury.
posted by paulsc at 10:15 PM on July 27, 2009
Unless you are like the guy in the book Firestarter and are being "pushed," NEVER stick your hand down there! As long as you don't stick your hand past the rubber flange thing at the top, you'll be ok.
All of the ideas given here are good. A garbage disposal is a thing to appreciate, even if you have a compost bin. I don't currently a disposal and I miss it.
posted by lilywing13 at 11:40 PM on July 27, 2009
All of the ideas given here are good. A garbage disposal is a thing to appreciate, even if you have a compost bin. I don't currently a disposal and I miss it.
posted by lilywing13 at 11:40 PM on July 27, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks, all! Especially for enlightening me on the fact that there's no actual propeller (limited spatial imagination...provincial upbringing...)
Yes, I know you're supposed to keep the water running, and yes, duh, that you're NOT supposed to stick your hand down there. I knew all this and was feeding food into the disposal just slightly past the rubber flange into the stream of water. Basically, I need to be saved from my own inattention. Thanks for all the ideas!
posted by ms.codex at 12:34 AM on July 28, 2009
Yes, I know you're supposed to keep the water running, and yes, duh, that you're NOT supposed to stick your hand down there. I knew all this and was feeding food into the disposal just slightly past the rubber flange into the stream of water. Basically, I need to be saved from my own inattention. Thanks for all the ideas!
posted by ms.codex at 12:34 AM on July 28, 2009
Seconding the wooden spoon suggestion. If you can't get something to go down after using water and a wooden spoon, it shouldn't be going down the disposal.
posted by arcolz at 1:06 AM on July 28, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by arcolz at 1:06 AM on July 28, 2009 [1 favorite]
Put a bowl in the sink and throw the scraps into it, making dumping the scraps into the actual disposal a separate process?
I have garbage disposal terror, too. Also food processor terror. I won't even attach the bowl while it's plugged in.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:10 AM on July 28, 2009
I have garbage disposal terror, too. Also food processor terror. I won't even attach the bowl while it's plugged in.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:10 AM on July 28, 2009
if (when) it clogs 'cuz you've put too much or too big x in there... turn it off, grab your broom, shove the handle down there and attempt to move the impeller... that will free it up 99% of the time...
posted by HuronBob at 3:50 AM on July 28, 2009
posted by HuronBob at 3:50 AM on July 28, 2009
And even if you do get your hand down in there, it won't immediately maul it.
CAUTION! THIS IS NOT CORRECT. Your fingertips would be seriously mauled immediately.
posted by anadem at 5:26 AM on July 28, 2009
CAUTION! THIS IS NOT CORRECT. Your fingertips would be seriously mauled immediately.
posted by anadem at 5:26 AM on July 28, 2009
You might find this tool useful.
And for a tip to avoid clogs: don't put starchy things in the disposal (especially not potatoes and pasta).
posted by 6550 at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2009 [1 favorite]
And for a tip to avoid clogs: don't put starchy things in the disposal (especially not potatoes and pasta).
posted by 6550 at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'd suggest demystifying the device.
Go under your sink and unplug the disposal. While holding the end of the power cord in your hand, reach into the disposal and find the bottom. Feel around a bit to get the lay of the land. You'll probably notice that you need to get your hand pretty far in there to be in danger. Hopefully, this will help allay your fears about there being some sort of hand-mauling whirlygig being an inch below the rubber flange.
Now that you know how the thing is configured, never get your hands near it while in operation.
Develop a routine. Here's mine. I push the stuff in the sink into the disposal, turn on the water, and then put my right hand on my hip and turn the thing on with my left hand. While the disposal is on, my hands stay where they are.
If you need to shove more stuff in, turn it off, load it up, hand-on-hip-and-turn-it-back-on.
Generally, in my experience, the disposal switch is mounted on the wall in such a way as to make it difficult to both hold onto the switch and put your hand in the disposal.
If you make a habit of "never let go of the switch while it's running", you vastly reduce the likelihood that you'll inadvertently shove your hand into the danger zone.
posted by chazlarson at 8:49 AM on July 28, 2009
Go under your sink and unplug the disposal. While holding the end of the power cord in your hand, reach into the disposal and find the bottom. Feel around a bit to get the lay of the land. You'll probably notice that you need to get your hand pretty far in there to be in danger. Hopefully, this will help allay your fears about there being some sort of hand-mauling whirlygig being an inch below the rubber flange.
Now that you know how the thing is configured, never get your hands near it while in operation.
Develop a routine. Here's mine. I push the stuff in the sink into the disposal, turn on the water, and then put my right hand on my hip and turn the thing on with my left hand. While the disposal is on, my hands stay where they are.
If you need to shove more stuff in, turn it off, load it up, hand-on-hip-and-turn-it-back-on.
Generally, in my experience, the disposal switch is mounted on the wall in such a way as to make it difficult to both hold onto the switch and put your hand in the disposal.
If you make a habit of "never let go of the switch while it's running", you vastly reduce the likelihood that you'll inadvertently shove your hand into the danger zone.
posted by chazlarson at 8:49 AM on July 28, 2009
The "never let go of switch while running" is great advice. I don't recall any Building Codes referring to disposer switch placement for residential buildings, but they exist for commercial buildings since a restaurant may have super-disposers with chainsaws, spinning blades, and ninjas down in their giant disposers to cut up scraps.
A few more things that I follow with garbage disposals since you're not familiar with them:
Also, use your garbage disposal sparingly. I'm not a plumber, but I was taught by my plumber/carpenter grandfather that you should generally avoid solid waste going through your drains unless really necessary (for example, toilet). This is especially true of your disposer where the drain pipe is much smaller than the toilet drain. So if you're peeling carrots, potatoes, have cores of fruit, etc collect the bulk of the scraps by hand and throw them into the garbage can and only rinse the tiny pieces down the disposer. This minimizes the amount of stuff you're putting into your drains - this way you don't worry about clogs further down the pipe in your plumbing. Sure, you rent now, but one day you may own and this is good advice to follow to help minimize your repair bills. The drains have a hard enough time working with toilets and hair from bathroom drains. :-)
Also, I would suggest never letting meat, animal products, bones, etc go down the disposer - if you shouldn't be putting the stuff in a home compost pile, don't put it down the garbage disposal. These are the things that can REALLY make your disposer stink if their little bits are thrown around in there and left to fester.
Finally, there are disposer-cleaner products/packets you can buy to help keep it smelling fresh, or you can dump a mixture of ice, kosher salt, lemon juice and some dish soap down in there and turn the disposer on with a bit of running water to clean stuff up. If things are really stinking, take a green 3M scrubby pad with some Comet or other cleaner and clean the underside of that rubber-flange-thing at the opening of your disposer. The bottom of that can get coated in gunk and won't clean up very well with the above cleaning suggestions. Just be very careful since you'll be sticking fingers in there a bit to clean - unplug the disposer from under the sink if it isn't hard wired. Those "blades" along the bottom are still a couple inches down, but just in case...
posted by JibberJabber at 11:42 AM on July 28, 2009
A few more things that I follow with garbage disposals since you're not familiar with them:
Also, use your garbage disposal sparingly. I'm not a plumber, but I was taught by my plumber/carpenter grandfather that you should generally avoid solid waste going through your drains unless really necessary (for example, toilet). This is especially true of your disposer where the drain pipe is much smaller than the toilet drain. So if you're peeling carrots, potatoes, have cores of fruit, etc collect the bulk of the scraps by hand and throw them into the garbage can and only rinse the tiny pieces down the disposer. This minimizes the amount of stuff you're putting into your drains - this way you don't worry about clogs further down the pipe in your plumbing. Sure, you rent now, but one day you may own and this is good advice to follow to help minimize your repair bills. The drains have a hard enough time working with toilets and hair from bathroom drains. :-)
Also, I would suggest never letting meat, animal products, bones, etc go down the disposer - if you shouldn't be putting the stuff in a home compost pile, don't put it down the garbage disposal. These are the things that can REALLY make your disposer stink if their little bits are thrown around in there and left to fester.
Finally, there are disposer-cleaner products/packets you can buy to help keep it smelling fresh, or you can dump a mixture of ice, kosher salt, lemon juice and some dish soap down in there and turn the disposer on with a bit of running water to clean stuff up. If things are really stinking, take a green 3M scrubby pad with some Comet or other cleaner and clean the underside of that rubber-flange-thing at the opening of your disposer. The bottom of that can get coated in gunk and won't clean up very well with the above cleaning suggestions. Just be very careful since you'll be sticking fingers in there a bit to clean - unplug the disposer from under the sink if it isn't hard wired. Those "blades" along the bottom are still a couple inches down, but just in case...
posted by JibberJabber at 11:42 AM on July 28, 2009
I use a dish brush to shove food into a running disposal. I always keep it near the sink, since it's useful for actual cleaning, so it's just part of my garbage disposal routine. It would never cross my mind to put my hand anywhere near the open maw of a running disposal- it's just not "how it's done". Maybe you could get a similar habit?
posted by Secretariat at 8:36 PM on July 28, 2009
posted by Secretariat at 8:36 PM on July 28, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 9:56 PM on July 27, 2009