Like all appliances, your kitchen garbage disposal requires regular care and maintenance to remain in good working order.

Over time, your garbage disposal may begin to lose its efficiency or stop working completely due to jammed or clogged pipes.

In addition to being an inconvenience to your home, jammed and clogged pipes in your kitchen garbage disposal can also lead to further, more serious plumbing problems.

Does any of this sound familiar?

If you’ve been experiencing difficulties with your kitchen garbage disposal, London Plumbing Solutions can help.

Our plumbing contractors have the skills you need – we’re your London Ontario kitchen garbage disposal plumbing experts.

Whether you have a residential plumbing repair or commercial plumbing repair related to your garbage disposal, or there’s a 24 hour plumbing emergency involving it, trust London Plumbing Solutions to get the job done right.


What Is A Kitchen Garbage Disposal?

A kitchen garbage disposal is an appliance that grinds up left over pieces of food into a paste.

This paste is then carried away by water and disposed of through your kitchen pipes.

Despite the name, kitchen garbage disposals are not capable of grinding up non perishable garbage, such as plastics and food wrappers.

Only small pieces of food can fit through a garbage disposal’s pipes.

Therefore, even too many large food scraps can cause serious clogs.

Your kitchen garbage disposal works using your kitchen sink and faucet, so repairs involving one can involve the other.

Here at London Plumbing Solutions, we have experience with kitchen garbage disposal repairs and installations – give us a call, and we’ll be there.


What Causes Broken Kitchen Garbage Disposal?

Well, you already know that clogs can cause your kitchen garbage disposal to break down.

In addition to large pieces of food, clogs in your kitchen garbage disposal can be caused by fats, grease, bones, and highly fibrous foods, such as celery.

Another potential cause of broken kitchen garbage disposals is an overworked motor.

General wear and tear can also cause your kitchen sink garbage disposal to break down – after all, it’s a machine, and machines have a shelf life.

Finally, your kitchen garbage disposal may also break down due to leaky pipes that need repair – either part of your garbage disposal, or attached to it.

The best way to avoid experiencing any of the above issues is through regular cleaning and maintenance of your kitchen garbage disposal as well as ensuring you know which foods can and can’t be disposed of in a garbage disposal.


What Can You Put In A Kitchen Garbage Disposal?

Your kitchen garbage disposal can be used to dispose of a wide variety of food waste.

Make sure your disposal is turned on and running before sending food down the drain.

Small amounts of non fibrous foods, chopped foods, soft foods, and liquids are all capable of being disposed of in your kitchen garbage disposal.

Examples of foods that are safe to dispose of through your disposal include:

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps and pits
  • Citrus rinds
  • Corn cobs
  • Small pieces of cooked meat
  • Coffee grounds
  • Wet cat and dog food
  • Small bones

What Should You NOT Put In A Kitchen Garbage Disposal?

Not all foods can be safely disposed of in your kitchen garbage disposal.

Stringy, fibrous, and starchy food items may cause clogs in the pipes of your disposal.

Since they cannot be easily broken down, avoid disposing of fruit and potato peels.

Additionally, fats and cooking oils shouldn’t be poured into your disposal due to their tendency to clump together and block pipes.

In fact, when we do a video camera drain inspection to see why kitchen sinks are clogged, it’s often because of a cooking oil build up.

Finally, starchy foods, such as rice and pasta, can also cause clogs due to their tendency to expand in water.

Examples of food items that should not be put into your kitchen garbage disposal include:

  • Poultry skin
  • Large bones
  • Celery
  • Asparagus
  • Banana peels
  • Corn husks
  • Egg shells
  • Onion skins
  • Nuts
  • Shrimp, crab, and lobster shells
  • Cooking oils
  • Baking fats and dressing

The temperature water being poured down your garbage disposal also matters.

Hot water can contribute to an overheated motor.

Instead, opt for cold or warm water.


Do You Need Kitchen Garbage Disposal Repair Or Replacement?

Our expert staff at London Plumbing Solutions can help with all your kitchen garbage disposal needs.

If you’ve been noticing that your disposal is making strange noises or just not preforming as well as it used to, perhaps it’s time to give us a call.

Often, all that needs to be done is a quick repair, such as a system tune up or pipe tightening.

We can also help you replace your kitchen garbage disposal should the need arise.

Our plumbers can provide recommendations for a new kitchen garbage disposal that fits both the needs and budget of your household.

Once purchased, we can also help install your new appliance.

Our plumbers will ensure that your new garbage disposal is properly connected to a power source and plumbing system.


Why Does My Kitchen Garbage Disposal Smell Bad?

If your kitchen garbage disposal smells bad, it might be because some bits of food have been left over in it. If you haven’t used it for a few days, those food bits might start to go bad, causing that lovely smell.

There’s an easy fix for this, though – toss some ice and lemon rinds into your garbage disposal. The ice will help clear away the cause of the smell, and the lemon rinds will mask the remaining smell.

There’s a reason why so many cleaning products smell like lemons, after all!

If that doesn’t work, it may be an issue with your p trap. Call us, and we’ll come check it out.


Problems with your kitchen garbage disposal?

If you’ve been having kitchen garbage disposal is acting up, or are thinking about purchasing a new one, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Our professional plumbers can help ensure your kitchen garbage disposal is installed correctly and working efficiently. Call London Plumbing Solutions today – we’ll be there to help.

Call London Plumbing Solutions today.

For repairs, removals, and new installations of garbage disponal units,

London Plumbing Solutions is here to help.