Do you have one? Do you use it?

I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency to
clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog again.

When we bought this house about 3 years ago, the sink was clogged. I knew
this. The plumber came out and snaked out the main line. Fine. Until I
began canning all those apples and pears. I put tons of peels and cores
down the sink. There is no doubt in my mind I overworked the poor disposal.

Called the plumber again. Was told never to put peels of any kind down the
sink. Or cores. Or seeds. Fine.

Left the house one day while husband was steam cleaning the carpets. I
begged him not to put the dirty water down the kitchen sink because I was
tired of it clogging. Told him instead to put it down the sink in the
garage. Why do we have a sink in there? I don't know, but we do. So what
did he do? Put it down the kitchen sink.

I came home to a clogged sink. Couldn't manage to unclog it myself which I
sometimes could by bailing and plunging and running the disposal until it
released whatever was the problem.

Called the plumber again. He said this time the problem was paint chips.
White paint chips. I finally determined that it wasn't paint chips but egg
shells. Or egg peels. Yes, peels. What I was told before never to put
down there. He also told me that all I needed to do in the case of a clog
was remove some little piece underneath the sink and clean it out. I was
kind of afraid to do this for fear of not getting it back on right.

About two weeks went by and yes indeedy I had to call the plumber again!
This time I have no clue what the cause was, but I was told I needed a new
disposal. Fine. Also had him put in a new faucet because that was starting
to leak. And he had to replace some pipes because he said those were
leaking. Whatever.

So he did all this work and then told me never to USE the disposal. I was
like... Say what? Why do I have it then? He told me a disposal was only
meant to handle the lone bite of meat, bit of gravy or couple of peas left
on a plate. It could handle that just fine, but it could not handle large
amounts of food and would get clogged if I put too much down it. Said my
best bet was never to put food down it deliberately and to run plenty of hot
water down it every day.

Oddly, each time the plumbers came, they commented that there was no grease
in the trap. They said most clogs were caused by grease but mine never
were. My parents told me years ago never to put grease down the sink and I
never did.

But I find this hard to believe that I can never use the disposal. I've
lived in plenty of places and most of them had disposals. I've never had
problems like this. Except for the time I tried to put the daisies down the
disposal. I figured they were kind of like salad. But I've also been told
salad should never go down the disposal either. In fact I tried looking it
up and found all sorts of conflicting advice on what I should or should not
put down it.

Any thoughts?

Oh pshaw, on Wed 19 Dec 2007 06:32:48p, Julie Bove meant to say...

> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>
> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
> to clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog
> again.
>
> When we bought this house about 3 years ago, the sink was clogged. I
> knew this. The plumber came out and snaked out the main line. Fine.
> Until I began canning all those apples and pears. I put tons of peels
> and cores down the sink. There is no doubt in my mind I overworked the
> poor disposal.
>
> Called the plumber again. Was told never to put peels of any kind down
> the sink. Or cores. Or seeds. Fine.
>
> Left the house one day while husband was steam cleaning the carpets. I
> begged him not to put the dirty water down the kitchen sink because I
> was tired of it clogging. Told him instead to put it down the sink in
> the garage. Why do we have a sink in there? I don't know, but we do.
> So what did he do? Put it down the kitchen sink.
>
> I came home to a clogged sink. Couldn't manage to unclog it myself
> which I sometimes could by bailing and plunging and running the disposal
> until it released whatever was the problem.
>
> Called the plumber again. He said this time the problem was paint
> chips. White paint chips. I finally determined that it wasn't paint
> chips but egg shells. Or egg peels. Yes, peels. What I was told
> before never to put down there. He also told me that all I needed to do
> in the case of a clog was remove some little piece underneath the sink
> and clean it out. I was kind of afraid to do this for fear of not
> getting it back on right.
>
> About two weeks went by and yes indeedy I had to call the plumber again!
> This time I have no clue what the cause was, but I was told I needed a
> new disposal. Fine. Also had him put in a new faucet because that was
> starting to leak. And he had to replace some pipes because he said
> those were leaking. Whatever.
>
> So he did all this work and then told me never to USE the disposal. I
> was like... Say what? Why do I have it then? He told me a disposal
> was only meant to handle the lone bite of meat, bit of gravy or couple
> of peas left on a plate. It could handle that just fine, but it could
> not handle large amounts of food and would get clogged if I put too much
> down it. Said my best bet was never to put food down it deliberately
> and to run plenty of hot water down it every day.
>
> Oddly, each time the plumbers came, they commented that there was no
> grease in the trap. They said most clogs were caused by grease but mine
> never were. My parents told me years ago never to put grease down the
> sink and I never did.
>
> But I find this hard to believe that I can never use the disposal. I've
> lived in plenty of places and most of them had disposals. I've never
> had problems like this. Except for the time I tried to put the daisies
> down the disposal. I figured they were kind of like salad. But I've
> also been told salad should never go down the disposal either. In fact
> I tried looking it up and found all sorts of conflicting advice on what
> I should or should not put down it.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
>

Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a garbage
disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill advised.
However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4 houses I've lived in
and never had a clogging problem. There was very little we didn't grind up
in it, including small bones, corn cobs...really tough stuff. In 3 of
those houses the plumbing was new, the 4th house was older. However, I
attribute it to the particular units we had. If the grinding mechanism is
doing a good job, there's no really good reason for the drain to clog.
Unless, of couse, the drains have a lot of build up in them and it makes
passing anything but liquid difficult to get through.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Dec 19,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
3dys 19hrs 4mins 4secs
*******************************************
When I die, I want to go peacefully in
my sleep like my father did, not
screaming in terror like his passengers.

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:43:26 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> We don't currently have a garbage
>disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill advised.

Hi Wayne,

What is your understanding of why such a setup is not
appropriate?

Thanks,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message >
> Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a garbage
> disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill advised.
> However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4 houses I've lived
> in
> and never had a clogging problem. There was very little we didn't grind
> up
> in it, including small bones, corn cobs...really tough stuff. In 3 of
> those houses the plumbing was new, the 4th house was older. However, I
> attribute it to the particular units we had. If the grinding mechanism is
> doing a good job, there's no really good reason for the drain to clog.
> Unless, of couse, the drains have a lot of build up in them and it makes
> passing anything but liquid difficult to get through.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright
>


We've lived in this particular house 14 years now with a septic system, and
have had a disposal all the time. (We just got a new one recently because
of getting a new undercounter sink.

I don't put a lot of things in it because I don't like to pay the septic
guy that big-time money to get it pumped more often; but I do like it
because I don't have to pick those excess pieces out of the sink by hand.

Dee Dee

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:4Djaj.5820$Xh1.2340@trndny03...
> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>
> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
> to clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog again.
>

You have a drain problem. Fixing your drain pipes would probably be very
expensive or even impossible depending on location. In your case, the
disposal should be use minimally or not at all. You may be OK with a small
batch of something you want to get rid of because of the potential to stink,
but put peels and such in the trash or a compost pile. If you do want to
grind, use plenty of water and even run the dishwasher after to add more
water in the drain line.

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
et...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> news:4Djaj.5820$Xh1.2340@trndny03...
>> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>>
>> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
>> to clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog
>> again.
>>
>
> You have a drain problem. Fixing your drain pipes would probably be very
> expensive or even impossible depending on location. In your case, the
> disposal should be use minimally or not at all. You may be OK with a
> small batch of something you want to get rid of because of the potential
> to stink, but put peels and such in the trash or a compost pile. If you
> do want to grind, use plenty of water and even run the dishwasher after to
> add more water in the drain line.
>
>
I learned a lesson regarding stink and disposals and drainpipes. I did
everything in the book. I was convinced it was something wrong with the
trap or the septic system.

New drainpipes -- no more stink!
When it starts stinking again -- in go new drainpipes!

Dee Dee

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:32:48 GMT, "Julie Bove" >
wrote:

>Any thoughts?

Replace it. They do wear out.

--
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remove the smiley face first

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:30:22 GMT, jay > wrote:

>Use it for minimal scraps that don't scrape to the trash bin. If you want
>to see your plumber.. grind away.

Good grief, why bother with a garbage disposal in that case? Just
get one of those mesh strainers that fit in drain openings.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:31:16 -0700, Pennyaline
> wrote:

>Fibers and hair will clog a disposal.

Make that anything fibrous. I've clogged garbage disposals with
artichoke leaves (before I was married) and more recently with just a
few measly stems that I'd trimmed from a bouquet of roses, so - shoot
me. I learn by doing most of the time.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:46:06 -0500, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
>water/sewer bills
>that we should never put anything in the disposal.

So, why have one?

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

<sf> wrote in message ...
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:46:06 -0500, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
>>It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
>>water/sewer bills
>>that we should never put anything in the disposal.
>
> So, why have one?
>

An excellent question.

<sf> wrote in message ...
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:46:06 -0500, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
>>It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
>>water/sewer bills
>>that we should never put anything in the disposal.
>
> So, why have one?

Part of the problem in this case may be the rapid growth of
the city and the failure of the local jurisdiction to keep up with
the infrastructure--in this case the sewerage system.

cybercat > wrote:

><sf> wrote in message ...
>> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:46:06 -0500, "cybercat" >


>>>It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
>>>water/sewer bills
>>>that we should never put anything in the disposal.

>> So, why have one?

>An excellent question.

Most places in the world outside of North America do not use
them. They are only legal here due to intensive lobbying
by the garbage-disposal industry.

Steve

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> If the trash pickup just came for the week and there's no room
> left in the freezer (to freeze the trash until next trash
> pickup). Corncobs, maybe I can let those slide, but no meat
> products will stay in my trash for more than a 36 hours.

If it were not very much, you can cut it into
little pieces and flush it down the toilet.
That's what I do, in that situation.
I'm so clever! :-)

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:32:48 GMT, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> So he did all this work and then told me never to USE the disposal. I
>> was
>> like... Say what? Why do I have it then? He told me a disposal was
>> only
>> meant to handle the lone bite of meat, bit of gravy or couple of peas
>> left
>> on a plate. It could handle that just fine, but it could not handle
>> large
>> amounts of food and would get clogged if I put too much down it. Said my
>> best bet was never to put food down it deliberately and to run plenty of
>> hot
>> water down it every day.
>
> My garbage disposal manual says I can put chicken bones in it.
> If it can't handle egg shells, then it has a serious problem.
>
Hmmm... They didn't give me a manual with the new one. Wonder why?

>> Oddly, each time the plumbers came, they commented that there was no
>> grease
>> in the trap. They said most clogs were caused by grease but mine never
>> were. My parents told me years ago never to put grease down the sink and
>> I
>> never did.
>
> Sometimes I get a backup right where the non-disposal side of the
> double sink meets the outtake from the garbage disposal. For
> example, potato skins will do that. That sound like where some
> of your problems were. It's pretty easy to pop it off, clean it
> out, and pop it back on.
>
I have heard that potato skins are a bad one. But I used to always peel my
potatoes straight into the sink at other places where I lived and no
problems.

>> But I find this hard to believe that I can never use the disposal. I've
>> lived in plenty of places and most of them had disposals. I've never had
>> problems like this. Except for the time I tried to put the daisies down
>> the
>> disposal. I figured they were kind of like salad. But I've also been
>> told
>> salad should never go down the disposal either.
>
> I think your plumber is pulling your leg.

Seems that way. But I'm still scared to use it. I did put some Shepard's
Pie down it earlier today and so far no problems.

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
3.184...

> Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a garbage
> disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill advised.
> However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4 houses I've lived
> in
> and never had a clogging problem. There was very little we didn't grind
> up
> in it, including small bones, corn cobs...really tough stuff. In 3 of
> those houses the plumbing was new, the 4th house was older. However, I
> attribute it to the particular units we had. If the grinding mechanism is
> doing a good job, there's no really good reason for the drain to clog.
> Unless, of couse, the drains have a lot of build up in them and it makes
> passing anything but liquid difficult to get through.

I didn't know about the septic system. My parents have a septic system and
a garbage disposal. Hmmm... I would never have thought to put a corn cob
down. And I've read that a major source of clogs in the Fall is from
pumpkins and their guts.

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
. ..
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>
>> Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a garbage
>> disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill advised.
>> However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4 houses I've lived
>> in and never had a clogging problem. There was very little we didn't
>> grind up in it, including small bones, corn cobs...really tough stuff.
>> In 3 of those houses the plumbing was new, the 4th house was older.
>> However, I attribute it to the particular units we had. If the grinding
>> mechanism is doing a good job, there's no really good reason for the
>> drain to clog. Unless, of couse, the drains have a lot of build up in
>> them and it makes passing anything but liquid difficult to get through.
>>
> Why would you *want* to put corn cobs and bones in the disposal though?
> Tossing them into the garbage would be a lot easier and use less water and
> energy (and save that noise) than using the disposal for them.
> I have a heavy duty InSink-Erator and yet when it makes more sense to just
> scrape things into the trash or composter, that is what I do. And I do use
> my disposal often enough. I am just stunned by the things you and Julie
> write about here...?

Mine is an Insinkerator. Old one was and so is the new one.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:57:30 -0500, Goomba38 wrote:
>
>> Why would you *want* to put corn cobs and bones in the disposal though?
>
> If the trash pickup just came for the week and there's no room
> left in the freezer (to freeze the trash until next trash
> pickup). Corncobs, maybe I can let those slide, but no meat
> products will stay in my trash for more than a 36 hours.
>
> And I don't generate enough trash to justify trowing out a 1/6th
> full trash bag where the raccoons will get it.

We have raccoons here. Which is one reason I'd rather put the food down the
sink. They eat enough of my fresh garden produce. I don't need them
getting in the trash as well!

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>> If the trash pickup just came for the week and there's no room
>> left in the freezer (to freeze the trash until next trash
>> pickup). Corncobs, maybe I can let those slide, but no meat
>> products will stay in my trash for more than a 36 hours.
>
> If it were not very much, you can cut it into
> little pieces and flush it down the toilet.
> That's what I do, in that situation.
> I'm so clever! :-)

In the old days we used to put the food down the toilet. Unfortunately, my
toilet clogs more frequently than the sink. Or one of them does anyway. So
I can't use that.

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> The plumber came out and snaked out the main line. Fine.
>>
>> Called the plumber again.
>>
>> Left the house one day while husband was steam cleaning the carpets.
>>
>> Called the plumber again.
>>
>> About two weeks went by and yes indeedy I had to call the plumber again!
>
> If your plumber is snaking out the pipes,
> and your husband doesn't suspect anything,
> why tamper with a good thing? :-)

Ha!

Julie Bove > wrote:

>We have raccoons here. Which is one reason I'd rather put the food down the
>sink. They eat enough of my fresh garden produce. I don't need them
>getting in the trash as well!

Raccoon-proof garbage cans are readily available.

Steve

"jay" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:32:48 GMT, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>
>> Any thoughts?
>
> You are going to get a lot of opinions. Your personal experience is what
> you should rely on. Anyway.. this is mine:
>
> Use it for minimal scraps that don't scrape to the trash bin. If you want
> to see your plumber.. grind away. The disposer will grind way more stuff
> than the plumbing/pipes can't handle. Clogs will happen. Running corn
> cobs
> through your plumbing system is beyond stupid!

I would not do corn cobs. I guess I did have a bad habit though of cleaning
out the fridge and putting everything down the sink. They told me not to do
that either.

"Pennyaline" > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove wrote:
>> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>>
>> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
>> to clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog
>> again.
>
> I should never clog secondary to the light use you give it.
>
> <snip>
>
>> Left the house one day while husband was steam cleaning the carpets. I
>> begged him not to put the dirty water down the kitchen sink because I was
>> tired of it clogging. Told him instead to put it down the sink in the
>> garage. Why do we have a sink in there? I don't know, but we do. So
>> what did he do? Put it down the kitchen sink.
>>
>> I came home to a clogged sink. Couldn't manage to unclog it myself which
>> I sometimes could by bailing and plunging and running the disposal until
>> it released whatever was the problem.
>
> Fibers and hair will clog a disposal. Waste water from carpet cleaning is
> appropriately put down the toilet, not a sink drain.
>
> <snip>
>
>> Called the plumber again. He said this time the problem was paint chips.
>> White paint chips. I finally determined that it wasn't paint chips but
>> egg shells. Or egg peels. Yes, peels.
>
> Next they'll tell you not to put coffee grounds down it.
>
> You have a lousy garbage disposal. Any idea how old it is, or what make it
> is? How many horsepower does it have? You'll probably benefit most by
> replacing it with something better.
>
> You also have a shitass plumber who hasn't suggested replacing your lousy
> disposal with a better model.

It's a brand new Insinkerator. Not sure how much power it has. The
disposal itself rarely stops and has to be reset. I had one in one military
apartment that did this all the time. Took me next to forever to get it
replaced. What happens with this one is, I will try to put the food down,
but water just starts backing up into the sink. The disposal grinds, but
the food just doesn't go down.

<sf> wrote in message ...
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:31:16 -0700, Pennyaline
> > wrote:
>
>>Fibers and hair will clog a disposal.
>
> Make that anything fibrous. I've clogged garbage disposals with
> artichoke leaves (before I was married) and more recently with just a
> few measly stems that I'd trimmed from a bouquet of roses, so - shoot
> me. I learn by doing most of the time.

I tried to put salad down my friend's disposal and she freaked. I knew
celery was bad but salad? My parents always put it down with no problems.

My tub always gets clogged when my daughter uses it. She must shed like
crazy. She had super long hair and every time she washed her hair in the
tub I would have to use a device to get the hair out of the drain. Never
seems to happen when I bathe, but I have shorter hair.

"cybercat" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:.
>>
>> So he did all this work and then told me never to USE the disposal. I
>> was like... Say what? Why do I have it then? He told me a disposal was
>> only meant to handle the lone bite of meat, bit of gravy or couple of
>> peas left on a plate. It could handle that just fine, but it could not
>> handle large amounts of food and would get clogged if I put too much down
>> it. Said my best bet was never to put food down it deliberately and to
>> run plenty of hot water down it every day.
>
> It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
> water/sewer bills
> that we should never put anything in the disposal.
>
> I put eggshells in there a couple of times a month, just to keep it clean.
>
> Why do you need to put food into your drain?
>
> Bag it, tie it up, put it in a covered trash can until trash day.

That's what I do, but I wind up throwing out a lot of food at times. Would
be sooo much easier if I could just put it down the sink.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:46:06 -0500, cybercat wrote:
>
>> It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
>> water/sewer bills
>> that we should never put anything in the disposal.
>
> If this were Austin or Berkeley, City Council would just ban
> garbage disposals altogether.

Really?

sf wrote:
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:31:16 -0700, Pennyaline
> > wrote:
>
>> Fibers and hair will clog a disposal.
>
> Make that anything fibrous. I've clogged garbage disposals with
> artichoke leaves (before I was married) and more recently with just a
> few measly stems that I'd trimmed from a bouquet of roses, so - shoot
> me. I learn by doing most of the time.
>

The only time I've ever clogged the disposal is when I peeled way too
many parsnips, but I usually only use it for stuff too wet to go in the
trash.

--Charlene


--
Law of the Telephone: If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy
signal.


email perronnellec at earthlink . net

Sqwertz wrote:

> Many US cities and towns had regulations against putting food
> waste (garbage) into the sewer system. In-Sink-Erator spent
> considerable effort, and convinced many localities to rescind the
> prohibitions. Eventually, many localities even mandated the use
> of disposals. New York City banned their use until 1997."

Our current deed restrictions require a disposal. This neighborhood was
built in the 1980s.

> It does seem kinda strange considering all the other human waste
> that *is* allowed to enter the sewage system. You can flush a
> turd, but not potato peels.

Not strange at all. It has to do with sewage treatment. Food that has
been through your system breaks down more easily than food you put down
the disposal. This is one of the reasons you don't want to use a
disposal with a septic system.

--Charlene


--
Law of the Telephone: If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy
signal.


email perronnellec at earthlink . net

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:19:45 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>
>> Most places in the world outside of North America do not use
>> them. They are only legal here due to intensive lobbying
>> by the garbage-disposal industry.
>
> I thought you were joking.
>
> "The garbage disposer (or disposal) was invented in 1927 by John
> W. Hammes, an architect in Racine, Wisconsin. After eleven years
> of development, his In-Sink-Erator company put the invention on
> the market.
>
> Many US cities and towns had regulations against putting food
> waste (garbage) into the sewer system. In-Sink-Erator spent
> considerable effort, and convinced many localities to rescind the
> prohibitions. Eventually, many localities even mandated the use
> of disposals. New York City banned their use until 1997."
>
> http://4thefirsttime.blogspot.com/20...-disposer.html
>
> It does seem kinda strange considering all the other human waste
> that *is* allowed to enter the sewage system. You can flush a
> turd, but not potato peels.

Wow! I didn't know that.

My MIL's house was on a septic tank and she was waiting to get on the city's
sewer system. The day before she was to be hooked up to sewer, her toilet
backed up BIG time. My BIL had to call someone to deal with it right away.
The mess was unbelievable. The house has a smallish cellar and he was using
it to store tires in. He owns a used car dealership/mechanic place next
door. The sewage somehow dripped down onto all the tires. Worse yet, my
husband was down there when it happened. So he got dripped on.

At any rate, the man who came to suck out all the sewage into a tank said we
should not put any food down the toilet at all. And that's what I'd been
doing. We always did it at home, so...

Julie Bove > wrote:

>"Sqwertz" > wrote in message

>> If this were Austin or Berkeley, City Council would just ban
>> garbage disposals altogether.

>Really?

The Berkeley City Code specifically allows garbage disposals.
In fact, the only two things you can legally do with your
household garbage is put it in the city-provided garbage can
to be collected by the city; or put it down a garbage disposal
in accordance with the city Plumbing Code.

Steve

"cybercat" > wrote in message
...
>
> <sf> wrote in message ...
>> On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:46:06 -0500, "cybercat" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>It's true. In the city of Raleigh, we receive instructions in our
>>>water/sewer bills
>>>that we should never put anything in the disposal.
>>
>> So, why have one?
>
> Part of the problem in this case may be the rapid growth of
> the city and the failure of the local jurisdiction to keep up with
> the infrastructure--in this case the sewerage system.

Aha! That might be the case here as well. People are moving into this city
faster than the city can handle. Schools are all overcrowded.

"Leonard Blaisdell" > wrote in message
...
> In article <4Djaj.5820$Xh1.2340@trndny03>,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>>
>> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
>> to
>> clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog again.
>
> I have a dual sink and the disposal has to do a right angle turn to
> connect to the straight down pipe to the sewer on the other side of the
> sink. Then it does another right angle turn in half of the down pipe.
> There's a baffle there so that the garbage disposal junk doesn't squirt
> straight up into the second half of the sink during a major clog, I
> think. It also cuts disposal volume in half there which ain't good. My
> pipe connection is fairly recent (twenty year old state of the art
> plastic), so I can clean out the crap when it happens without tools.
> Lots of egg shells are sure fire plugs at the point where the baffle is.
> Lots of potato skins are too. My problem is and always was that the
> disposal was put in the wrong half of my sink. I don't think I would
> have problems if it was put in the 'straight down to the sewer' part.
> But I know how to deal with it on the occasional times when I have to
> crawl under the sink. I also pour boiling water down into the sink
> occasionally on the non disposal side if draining seems to be slowing. I
> know the fix. I'm not clear on the problem.
> Maybe I'll replace the baffled pipe with a straight pipe someday and
> damn the consequences. I'll save the old pipe though, just in case.

You are describing my sink! They said it had something to do with something
in the way the pipes went but I had a hard time following it. I am not
exactly sure how a sink's pipes should go. And perhaps my disposal is on
the wrong side of the sink as well. I don't know. It's on the right side
and I think all of the ones I've had have been on that side. There's a
dishwasher to the left.

Sqwertz > wrote:

>On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:02:23 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:

>> Raccoon-proof garbage cans are readily available.

>Not when you have to use city-supplied cans. I use a heavy
>limestone rock, but they can still get in there sometimes.

Strange; the can supplied by Berkeley are raccoon-proof, or
at least the raccoons never get in ours.

S.

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
et...
>
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> news:4Djaj.5820$Xh1.2340@trndny03...
>> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>>
>> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
>> to clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog
>> again.
>>
>
> You have a drain problem. Fixing your drain pipes would probably be very
> expensive or even impossible depending on location. In your case, the
> disposal should be use minimally or not at all. You may be OK with a
> small batch of something you want to get rid of because of the potential
> to stink, but put peels and such in the trash or a compost pile. If you
> do want to grind, use plenty of water and even run the dishwasher after to
> add more water in the drain line.

Thanks!

"Dee.Dee" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> et...
>>
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> news:4Djaj.5820$Xh1.2340@trndny03...
>>> Do you have one? Do you use it?
>>>
>>> I ask because I have one that I very rarely use. My sink has a tendency
>>> to clog and every time I use the disposal, I fear that it will clog
>>> again.
>>>
>>
>> You have a drain problem. Fixing your drain pipes would probably be very
>> expensive or even impossible depending on location. In your case, the
>> disposal should be use minimally or not at all. You may be OK with a
>> small batch of something you want to get rid of because of the potential
>> to stink, but put peels and such in the trash or a compost pile. If you
>> do want to grind, use plenty of water and even run the dishwasher after
>> to add more water in the drain line.
>>
>>
> I learned a lesson regarding stink and disposals and drainpipes. I did
> everything in the book. I was convinced it was something wrong with the
> trap or the septic system.
>
> New drainpipes -- no more stink!
> When it starts stinking again -- in go new drainpipes!

Aha! I had one apartment that had stinky drains all the time. I was
constantly putting down citrus peels and assorted chemicals. Hmmm...

<sf> wrote in message ...
> On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:32:48 GMT, "Julie Bove" >
> wrote:
>
>>Any thoughts?
>
> Replace it. They do wear out.

It's less than a year old. The plumber that put the new one in told me
never to use it.

Oh pshaw, on Wed 19 Dec 2007 09:59:26p, Julie Bove meant to say...

>
> "Goomba38" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a
>>> garbage disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is
>>> ill advised. However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4
>>> houses I've lived in and never had a clogging problem. There was very
>>> little we didn't grind up in it, including small bones, corn
>>> cobs...really tough stuff. In 3 of those houses the plumbing was new,
>>> the 4th house was older. However, I attribute it to the particular
>>> units we had. If the grinding mechanism is doing a good job, there's
>>> no really good reason for the drain to clog. Unless, of couse, the
>>> drains have a lot of build up in them and it makes passing anything
>>> but liquid difficult to get through.
>>>
>> Why would you *want* to put corn cobs and bones in the disposal though?
>> Tossing them into the garbage would be a lot easier and use less water
>> and energy (and save that noise) than using the disposal for them.
>> I have a heavy duty InSink-Erator and yet when it makes more sense to
>> just scrape things into the trash or composter, that is what I do. And
>> I do use my disposal often enough. I am just stunned by the things you
>> and Julie write about here...?
>
> Mine is an Insinkerator. Old one was and so is the new one.
>
>
>

Then it sounds like you have some really serious plumbing problems in more
than one place in your house. There aren't really many other possible
explanations.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Dec 19,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
3dys 19hrs 4mins 4secs
*******************************************
When I die, I want to go peacefully in
my sleep like my father did, not
screaming in terror like his passengers.

Oh pshaw, on Wed 19 Dec 2007 08:04:13p, Kenneth meant to say...

> On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:43:26 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>> We don't currently have a garbage disposal because we're on a septic
>> system and having one is ill advised.
>
> Hi Wayne,
>
> What is your understanding of why such a setup is not
> appropriate?
>
> Thanks,

We've been told by more than one source that constantly "feediing" a septic
system with that much debris will lead to early system failure. We have a
brand new 1800 gallon septic system. Septic systems are meant primarily
for water soluble and human waste products, not garbage. I don't want to
get off on the wrong foot with it. Repair is very costly.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Dec 19,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
3dys 19hrs 4mins 4secs
*******************************************
When I die, I want to go peacefully in
my sleep like my father did, not
screaming in terror like his passengers.

Oh pshaw, on Wed 19 Dec 2007 09:58:51p, Julie Bove meant to say...

>
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> 3.184...
>
>> Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a
>> garbage disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill
>> advised. However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4 houses
>> I've lived in and never had a clogging problem. There was very little
>> we didn't grind up in it, including small bones, corn cobs...really
>> tough stuff. In 3 of those houses the plumbing was new, the 4th house
>> was older. However, I attribute it to the particular units we had. If
>> the grinding mechanism is doing a good job, there's no really good
>> reason for the drain to clog. Unless, of couse, the drains have a lot
>> of build up in them and it makes passing anything but liquid difficult
>> to get through.
>
> I didn't know about the septic system. My parents have a septic system
> and a garbage disposal. Hmmm... I would never have thought to put a
> corn cob down. And I've read that a major source of clogs in the Fall
> is from pumpkins and their guts.
>
>
>

Actually, In-Sink-Erator has a newer model specifically designed for use
with septic systems. It has an additional component, a small reservoir,
that pumps a special enzyme into the grinding chamber while the machine is
running. It's supposed to aid in the "digestion" of whatever one might put
down the disposal. We have been considering this, but haven't made a
decision yet.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Dec 19,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
3dys 19hrs 4mins 4secs
*******************************************
When I die, I want to go peacefully in
my sleep like my father did, not
screaming in terror like his passengers.

Oh pshaw, on Wed 19 Dec 2007 06:57:30p, Goomba38 meant to say...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>
>> Poor Julie! What a mess to deal with. We don't currently have a
>> garbage disposal because we're on a septic system and having one is ill
>> advised. However, I have had In-Sink-Erator units in the last 4 houses
>> I've lived in and never had a clogging problem. There was very little
>> we didn't grind up in it, including small bones, corn cobs...really
>> tough stuff. In 3 of those houses the plumbing was new, the 4th house
>> was older. However, I attribute it to the particular units we had. If
>> the grinding mechanism is doing a good job, there's no really good
>> reason for the drain to clog. Unless, of couse, the drains have a lot
>> of build up in them and it makes passing anything but liquid difficult
>> to get through.
>>
> Why would you *want* to put corn cobs and bones in the disposal though?
> Tossing them into the garbage would be a lot easier and use less water
> and energy (and save that noise) than using the disposal for them.
> I have a heavy duty InSink-Erator and yet when it makes more sense to
> just scrape things into the trash or composter, that is what I do. And I
> do use my disposal often enough. I am just stunned by the things you and
> Julie write about here...?

Believe me, I wish I had a disposal now that I live in AZ. We don't/won't
compost. We have no need of it. I have no intention of storing garbage in
my freezer until collection day. You have no idea what garbage can smell
like after it sits in 110-115 degree heat, even for a few hours, and even
when sealed in plastic bags. We also have an animal problem here with the
trash barrels.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Dec 19,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
3dys 19hrs 4mins 4secs
*******************************************
When I die, I want to go peacefully in
my sleep like my father did, not
screaming in terror like his passengers.