What Causes a Clogged Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposal has no problem grinding most food, however, it’s what happens after the grinding that often results in a clog. This is to do with how ground food reacts to water, or lack of, once the disposal unit has ground it up and sends it down the drain line. When a garbage disposal clogs, you will find the problem in the drain trap assembly, which is where you will have to perform plumbing repair.
Disposals can often back up over time because the waste line becomes coated and eventually gets blocked with food waste. If your garbage disposal is draining slowly or not at all, the problem is often in the drain trap, this is the U-shaped fitting that is found downstream of the disposal discharge pipe.
Here are the most common ways that homeowners create clogs:
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Lack of water: Not putting sufficient water down the disposal when it is grinding is a surefire way of getting a clog. Without enough water, the waste cannot flush through the pipes and will start to build up quickly. Once a blockage occurs, water is unable to flow.
- Grinding eggshells or coffee grounds: Food items such as eggshells or coffee grounds are a bigger problem than most people imagine. When ground up, eggshells and coffee grounds will create tiny granular waste that sticks to any sludge in the pipes, quickly becoming a clog.
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Grinding potato peels: Potato peels are notorious for creating clogs and should never be put down a garbage disposal. This is because once they have been ground up, they create a starchy paste very similar to mashed potatoes that quickly clogs the drain.
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Grinding banana peels: These are similar to the aforementioned potato peels, except they also include stringy fibers into the mix.
If you would like to make an appointment for a plumbing repair job, please contact Castro Valley's H & R Plumbing at (510) 296-9840 now if you live in the Castro Valley, CA region.