Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with garbagedisposal

Needed: Functional Garbage Disposal ASAP!

MasonDixon — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:59:23 -0800

Help! We're drowning in orange rinds, onion skins, and a mishmash of left overs! It is a deep and vexing mystery, but the drain cover to our garbage disposal has disappeared and will not run without it. Where can I get another one?

It is an Insinkerator Model/Series 17. The drain cover functions as a "key" of sorts that is placed in the drain and turned a half-turn. The drain cover then locks into place enabling the disposal to run.

My google-fu has not been able to find a place that sells this particular replacement part and the pool of brown, foody broth in my sink is unbearable.

Thanks!

Glass down the garbage disposal?

onlyconnect — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:34:32 -0800

We broke a glass in the kitchen sink and cleaned it up as best as we could, but now the garbage disposal is jammed. Do we have to call a plumber? My fearless husband NortonDC pulled out the biggest pieces of glass with kitchen tongs, but when we turned the disposal on to test it it made kind of a loudish grinding noise. We only ran it about 5-10 seconds, and then when we tried it again it wouldn't run at all.

Oh AskMe, do we need to call a plumber to fix it? Would it help to run the water for a while and hope it loosens things up? Or is it bad to run the water and wash glass down our plumbing? We don't have a wet vac, but would it make sense to invest in one instead of calling a plumber?

Thanks for your help!

Overpowering kitchen sink stench threatens life on earth

autojack — Sun, 13 May 2007 10:28:01 -0800

My kitchen sink drain stinks! I've tried a couple of different things to fix it, and done some Googling, but the stench remains. Help! I have a pretty standard deep kitchen sink, with a garbage disposal, from whose drain emanates a foul stink. My attempts to dispel the odor have so far failed me:

1. I've pretty much stopped using the disposal for anything other than light leftover plate scrapings - a few grains of rice or lentils or an errant noodle or two.
2. I've tried filling the sink completely with hot soapy water, then letting it drain while running the disposal.
3. I've tried pouring a kettle of boiling water through it.
4. I've dumped most of a box of baking soda in it.

I'm just assuming that the main reason for this smell is that the inside of the disposal is coated in a rank slime built up over years and years of use by tenants of this apartment who passed before me. I'm just surprised that none of my efforts have been able to eradicate it. If you have a suggestion, preferrably one that doesn't involve taking apart the drain or disposal unit, I'm all ears.

Help unclog our sink

The Michael The — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:31:34 -0800

I need some plumbing help. The drain from our kitchen sink is clogged, and we're trying to fix it DIY-style. BACKGROUND: A bunch of crap made it past our garbage disposal on Friday night and blocked up the pipe. I managed to track down the clog, and it's past all of the accessible pipes under the sink and in the pipe that heads straight down into the floor and then bends into the wall. I've tried Draino (helped a *LITTLE*) and another Enzyme-based pipe cleanser (helped more, but still no real dice). I've also tried plunging, which doesn't work because one of the pipes under the sink is a length of PVC tube. The end of that tube is cut very roughly and fits into a rubber elbow tube clamped with a hose clamp but without any caulk or sealant. The rough end has a deep score from the edge along the long dimension of the pipe that runs about 2 inches, which provides a nice exit point for air and water and to relieve pressure that could be breaking up the clog.

SO: Will getting a new, well-cut length of PVC to replace the old one, in hopes that that will enable plunging and enzymatic cleansing? Or should we just call the landlord and get a plumber?

My kingdom for a garbage disposal that works!

sarahnade — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 10:08:23 -0800

Should we ask for a rent reduction because we can no longer dispose of food in our garbage disposal? We (myself and drstein) live in Sunnyvale, CA, one of the highest-rent cities in the US. We have a 1-br loft apartment, about 850 sq. feet, in a large managed apartment complex. The apartment and the complex have many amenities. For all of it we pay $1610 a month, plus utilities. We have 6 months left on our lease, and after that we'll probably move to a cheaper place.

We have had a few problems with the garbage disposal in our apartment. It stopped working twice, both times we pressed the red button to try and reset it ourselves, and nothing happened. The on-site maintenance man came and fixed it both times, the second time leaving a note that said "Get a sink trap." We did not, and have since used our garbage disposal without problem. Of note, the second time it broke, there was no object in the disposal as far as we knew, it just stopped working. The dishwasher is also connected to the disposal, so any food scraps from plates/pots go there (of which there are very few at this point, as I pretty much pre-wash everything d/t the dishwasher also being crappy).

Yesterday we came home to a note on the door, which every other tenant had also received, instructing us not to put any food down the disposal. They say, in the letter, that the disposal is simply "to make the water drain faster." I feel this is ridiculous, and if I'm not able to use the disposal for its intended purpose, then I shouldn't have to pay for the "convenience" of having it. We already try to keep out all the restricted things, like vegetable peels, etc. Garbage disposals are not super expensive, a more powerful one could be bought for under $100, and the labor to install it would not be that expensive either, I presume.

We have not yet paid our rent for February. So should we withhold a portion of the rent (I was thinking $25-50/month), along with a letter stating why? Or should we pay Feb in full, with a letter asking for a rent reduction? What would you do?

My roommate has no common garbage disposal cents

thetenthstory — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:30:42 -0800

I have a penny stuck in my garbage disposal. My problem is that it is stuck underneath one of the two spinning blades in the disposal. I have looked for the online videos and found nothing that can help me fix this since its wedged in there so well. I've tried "banging" it out with a broomstick. If I could fit two hands in my sink I could possibly “floss” it out. My next step is to call a plumber/maintenance staff but I really do not want to. Any suggestions of how to fix this problem?

Garbage disposal dos and don'ts

AstroGuy — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 12:46:20 -0800

We just rennovated the kitchen and now have a garbage disposal and dishwasher that neither of us ever had before. Dos and don'ts for what we should put down the disposal? I googled this and searched AskMe for the topic as well, but I'm finding conflicting things. For example, many sites say DO put coffee grounds in the disposal and others say DON'T.

As an example, we just got a Melitta Mill & Brew coffee maker that grinds the beans and therefore requires cleaning after each use. Right now I shake out as much of the grounds out of the basket into the garbage as possible and rinse the residue with cold water with the disposal turned on. Is that OK or should no coffee detritus reach the inner sanctum of the Dispos-All? Or can I just dump it all down the drain and grind away?

Any other recommendations for garbage disposal virgins will be greatly accepted.

Garbage Disposal/Dishwasher

Lola_G — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 07:17:13 -0800

Garbage disposal/dishwasher part deux. [mi] So last night, after attending a work holiday function...I decided to test out some of the suggestions from y'all regarding the disposal.

I reached under the disposal and found the reset button. I pushed it and then flipped the switch for the disposal it buzzed for a second and then died again. Then the water I was running in the sink started to fill into the dishwasher which I did not realize until it started seeping out onto the floor.

Well, in my slightly inebriated condition (perfect for home improvement don't you think) I neglected to clean out the filter in the bottom of the dishwasher which is now filled with food from the sink/disposal.

Do you think this could have caused the disposal to die right away? Is this where it needs to get air?

Any other suggestions or time to call the plumber? I will try again tonight without the help of alcohol. (Stupid me).

Garbage Disposal Issues

UKnowForKids — Tue, 27 Jan 2004 06:24:26 -0800

Any tips for unclogging a slow-draining garbage disposal? I think that broccoli cheddar soup is the culprit. I've tried Kitchen Drano to no avail. Help me, Ask MetaFilter!